All eyes were on the Country Music Association after they announced their nominations for their 2024 awards ceremony on September 9. There were some classic honors in the genre: Morgan Wallen, for example, received seven nods at the ceremony, while artists like Lainey Wilson and Jelly Roll also receiving nominations.
One absence that may have surprised people was that Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter received no recognition from the CMA, despite its chart-topping success and critical acclaim. The singer's absence from the nominations list caught the attention of Kelly Clarkson, who spoke out about the perceived snub.
Speaking to NBC10 Boston, Kelly explained that she found it "fascinating because I feel like those songs were everywhere."
Admittedly, Kelly acknowledged that the country genre is "hard" to break into, and even she'd had her difficulties breaking into it, after collaborating with stars like Vince Gill on "Don't Rush," and Jason Aldean on "Don't You Wanna Stay."
"That’s a hard industry, even for me," Kelly said. "I was told at a lunch that if I didn’t quit pop music and just go country, I would not be played. I was literally told that to my face at a lunch, and I was like, 'OK, no offense, but I'm not ever gonna just pick one.'"
Kelly, like Beyoncé, is a Texas native, and she confessed that she found the rejection she felt in the genre hard because she "grew up on country music."
"I imagine Beyoncé did too. We’re both Texans, so you can’t escape it growing up there," she added.
The "Since U Been Gone" singer described it as "like the door was closed unless I was all-in and had to leave every other genre behind, which I don’t think people like me, or even Beyoncé, are capable of doing that."
She continued: "It’s not even a desire or a want, it’s just like, we love dabbling. Why limit yourself?"
The singer came to terms with her career path, explaining: "At the end of the day, I’ve always kind of learned in this industry, it’s not necessarily about the awards, and it’s not necessarily about any of that, really."
She continued: "People are showing up to my concerts, they like hearing the country stuff from me, they like hearing the pop, they like hearing all the different things."
"I'm sure they do with her as well. I think the real win there is that you don’t even need the award."