When it came to Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter nominations,ésCowboyCarterAlbumShutOutofNominations  the CMA opted to hold ‘em. 

Although her newest album had the biggest debut of the year for a country album and spent weeks on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart, among other accolades, it wasn’t nominated in anything at the 2024 CMA Awards. 

The absence of nods during the Sept. 9 announcement for the Nov. 20 award show came as a surprise to many fans since the 29-time Grammy winner qualified for several CMA categories, including Single of the Year, Song of the Year, Album of the Year and Female Vocalist of the Year. 

And although the album is country, it previously sparked a slew of controversy after radio stations deemed it wasn’t country enough to play on their airwaves. But the irony of it all?

Beyoncé’s inspiration behind Cowboy Carter came from a moment of exclusion she experienced, which fans have speculated referred to the backlash from her 2016 performance at the CMA Awards. 

"It was born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed," she wrote on Instagram in March, "and it was very clear that I wasn't. But, because of that experience, I did a deeper dive into the history of Country music and studied our rich musical archive." 

"The criticisms I faced when I first entered this genre," she continued, "forced me to propel past the limitations that were put on me. act ii is a result of challenging myself, and taking my time to bend and blend genres together to create this body of work."

And she even had country royalty like Dolly Parton, whose song “Jolene” was covered on the album, sing her praises amid the controversy.  

"I was very proud of her album," Dolly told E! News earlier this year. "I thought she did a great job in country music, and I thought it was great. And I was just happy she did 'Jolene.'” 

However, several collaborators on Beyoncé’s album did earn nominations, including first-time nominee Post Malone with four, including Single of the Year and Song of the Year Music Video of the Year for his song “I Had Some Help” featuring Morgan Wallen. Meanwhile, Shaboozey also earned his first two with Single of the Year for “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” and New Artist of the Year.

But it was Morgan who led the pack with seven nominations for his collab with Post, including Entertainer of the Year, Single of the Year, Song of the Year and Music Video of the Year. And Cody Johnson was right behind with five nods, including Single of the Year, Album of the Year and Male Vocalist of the Year. 

Keep reading to see who else earned a nomination at the 2024 CMA Awards.

Entertainer of the Year

Luke Combs 

Jelly Roll 

Chris Stapleton 

Morgan Wallen 

Lainey Wilson 

Single of the Year

“A Bar Song (Tipsy)” – Shaboozey 

“Dirt Cheap” – Cody Johnson 

“I Had Some Help” – Post Malone (Feat. Morgan Wallen)

“Watermelon Moonshine” – Lainey Wilson

“White Horse” – Chris Stapleton 

Album of the Year

Deeper Well – Kacey Musgraves 

Fathers & Sons – Luke Combs  

Higher – Chris Stapleton 

Leather – Cody Johnson 

Whitsitt Chapel – Jelly Roll 

Song of the Year

“Burn It Down” Songwriters: Hillary Lindsey, Parker McCollum, Lori McKenna, Liz Rose 

“Dirt Cheap” Songwriter: Josh Phillips 

“I Had Some Help” Songwriters: Louis Bell, Ashley Gorley, Charlie Handsome, Hoskins, Austin Post, Ernest Keith Smith, Morgan Wallen, Chandler Paul Walters 

“The Painter” Songwriters: Benjy Davis, Kat Higgins, Ryan Larkins 

“White Horse” Songwriters: Chris Stapleton, Dan Wilson

Female Vocalist of the Year

Kelsea Ballerini 

Ashley McBryde 

Megan Moroney 

Kacey Musgraves 

Lainey Wilson  

Male Vocalist of the Year

Luke Combs 

Jelly Roll 

Cody Johnson 

Chris Stapleton 

Morgan Wallen 

Vocal Group of the Year

Lady A 

Little Big Town 

Old Dominion 

The Red Clay Strays 

Zac Brown Band 

Vocal Duo of the Year

Brooks & Dunn 

Brothers Osborne 

Dan + Shay 

Maddie & Tae 

The War And Treaty 

Musical Event of the Year

“Cowboys Cry Too” – Kelsea Ballerini (with Noah Kahan) 

Producers: Kelsea Ballerini, Alysa Vanderheym 

“I Had Some Help” – Post Malone (Feat. Morgan Wallen) 

Producers: Louis Bell, Charlie Handsome, Hoskins

 “I Remember Everything” – Zach Bryan (ft. Kacey Musgraves) 

Producer: Zach Bryan 

“Man Made A Bar” – Morgan Wallen (feat. Eric Church) 

Producer: Joey Moi 

“you look like you love me” – Ella Langley (feat. Riley Green) 

Producer: Will Bundy 

Musician of the Year

Tom Bukovac – Guitar 

Jenee Fleenor – Fiddle 

Paul Franklin – Steel Guitar 

Rob McNelley – Guitar 

Charlie Worsham – Guitar 

Music Video of the Year

“Dirt Cheap” – Cody Johnson, Director: Dustin Haney 

“I Had Some Help” – Post Malone (Feat. Morgan Wallen), Director: Chris Villa 

“I’m Not Pretty” – Megan Moroney, Directors: Jeff Johnson, Megan Moroney 

“The Painter” – Cody Johnson, Director: Dustin Haney 

“Wildflowers and Wild Horses” – Lainey Wilson, Director: Patrick Tracy 

New Artist of the Year

Megan Moroney 

Shaboozey 

Nate Smith 

Mitchell Tenpenny 

Zach Top 

Bailey Zimmerman

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