Luke Bryan clarified the polarizing comments he made about Beyoncé’s CMA Awards snub, claiming he felt the need to refine his take due to “the ridiculous nature” of the discourse it kickstarted online.
In speaking with SiriusXM’s Andy Cohen on Oct. 1, Bryan responded to a question about Beyoncé’s lack of nominations by saying Beyoncé should “be country with us a little bit,” adding that she should “come to an award show and high five us.”
Bryan’s latest statement on X lauded Beyoncé and “how loyal her fans are.” He continued, “I respect Beyoncé… I spend a lot of time supporting other artists. I want everyone to win.” Bryan said he felt he “could not let media create a false narrative,” adding that he encouraged everyone to “listen to the interview instead of reading click bait headlines. You will hear my tone and intentions which were not negative.”
Though Bryan’s original comment to Cohen encouraged “everybody coming in and making country albums,” he concluded his thoughts by saying that he doesn’t necessarily think an artist will or should get nominated solely for making a country album. Sometimes, “a lot of great music is overlooked,” he said. “Just because she made one … just ’cause I make one, I don’t get any nominations… I think the CMA, they have their voting body. And they vote what they think should make it. Everybody loved that Beyoncé made a country album. Nobody’s mad about it.”
Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter” album and “Texas Hold ‘Em” single made historic strides on the Billboard charts. It made Beyoncé the first Black woman to ever top Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, though the album itself had limited success at country radio (“Texas Hold ‘Em” peaked at No. 33 on the country airplay chart), and it did not receive any nominations for the CMA Awards on Nov. 20.
Ahead of “Cowboy Carter’s” arrival in March, Beyoncé revealed that the concept for the LP came about after she went through an experience where she did “not feel welcomed.” On Instagram, she wrote that the idea for the album — which includes collaborations from country acts including Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Shaboozey and Linda Martell, to name a few — was hatched after she was involved in an unnamed incident. Many speculated she was referring to her performance of “Daddy Lessons” at the Country Music Association Awards in 2016.
Read Bryan’s tweet below.
Read the full article here
