Changes to the Country category of the Grammy Awards
Beyoncé sings “Got folks down in Galveston, rooted in Louisiana / Used to say I spoke ‘too country’ / And then the rejection came, said I wasn’t country enough,” on the opening track, “AMERICAN REQUIEM” off of her 2024 album Cowboy Carter. These lyrics comment on how Beyoncé has always been criticized as an African American woman with ties to the south. The album earned Beyoncé both the “Album of the Year” and the “Best Country Album” at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards this past year. Her “Best Country Album” win, which featured collaborations with country artists Willie Nelson, Linda Martell, and Dolly Parton, garnered controversy, with people claiming that the album was pop music and that her win robbed others nominated in the category. For the 68th Grammy Awards, they eliminated the “Best Country Album” category altogether, separating it into two new country categories, honouring the best “Contemporary” and “Traditional” country albums.
In his article announcing the nominees for the first “Best Traditional Country Album” award, Chris Parton, a contributor to the Grammys website, did not define the category as “twang and two-steps” but rather as focusing on “organic instrumentation” and as “ever-resilient, blue-collar ethos.” Harvey Mason Jr., CEO of the Recording Academy, views this change as a celebration of the genre, acknowledging its developments while also acknowledging those who are following the traditional style of the genre. Despite country fans celebrating the additional category, it has also garnered controversy after Beyoncé’s previous win.
Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter focuses on themes of racism within the country genre, and how the album challenges and bends genre standards. Songs like “Texas Hold ’Em” and “II Most Wanted” follow the traditional country sound. While songs like, “SPAGHETTII” and “YA YA” bend these genre ideals by incorporating elements of rap, pop, and rock. While Beyoncé received 11 nominations at the 67th Grammy awards, it received none at the 58th Country Music Association Awards (CMAA). Some have claimed that the CMAA have snubbed Black artists in the past, with Lil Nas X in 2020 only receiving one nomination for “Old Town Road” which featured Billy Ray Cyrus.
One of the features on the Cowboy Carter album, Linda Martell, found success in the 1970s as a country artist, and was promoted in the south of the United States as the first African American Women in Country. She faced difficulty as a performer of colour, often heckled with slurs at her shows, and was eventually told she would not be promoted by the record company she was signed with. Martell was eventually honoured by the Country Music Television Music Awards, a celebration of country music videos, by receiving the “Equal Play Award.” However, she has not been mentioned at the CMAA.
The Recording Academy has said the country category change has been in the works for several years. However, some feel the change was made in reaction to Beyoncé’s previous win. Black country artists are often told their music is not country, such as Lil Nas X, who was removed from the country charts. The country genre is often dominated by white artists; Beyoncé’s win was the first time a Black woman has won the “Best Country Album” award. Upon winning, Beyoncé thanked the country artists who “accepted the album” during the voting process, and encouraged people to follow what they are passionate about and break the genres formed by the music industry.