Kelly Clarkson is weighing in on Beyoncé getting shut out of any nominations at the 2024 CMA Awards.
Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter received zero nominations for her debut album in the country music genre, which Clarkson finds odd.
“I kind of find it fascinating because I feel like those songs were everywhere,” Clarkson told NBC10 Boston.
Clarkson related to the struggle of cracking into country music, recalling that she tried to enter the market “years ago” and said she released two songs, adding, “That’s a hard industry even for me. Like, 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, I mean, no offense, but I’m not ever going to just pick one,’” she continued.
Clarkson noted that it’s “more apparent now” that she likes to cross music genres, citing her “Kelleyoke” segment on her daytime talk show.
“I grew up on country music [and] I imagine Beyoncé did too. We’re both Texans so you can’t escape it growing up there,” she said. “I thought it would be a more welcoming environment, but it really wasn’t. That’s why I didn’t pursue it myself because it just seemed like the door was closed unless I was just 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.”
Clarkson said that she is “not necessarily shocked” by Beyoncé’s snub, noting, “It’s not necessarily about the awards” because people are still showing up for them at concerts.
“You don’t even need the award … you’re killing it regardless, people are showing up,” Clarkson said.
Watch Clarkson’s full interview in the video below.
