Kelly Clarkson has expressed her surprise and disappointment at Beyoncé’s snub by the 2024 CMA Awards, but also relates to the experience.
In a recent interview with NBC10 Boston, Clarkson discussed Beyoncé’s album Cowboy Carter not receiving any nominations, despite its commercial success.
“I kind of find it fascinating,” Clarkson said, “because I feel like those songs were everywhere.”
She noted that the album reached No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and the Top Country Album chart, with several songs also reaching the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
Clarkson understands the challenges of breaking into the country music genre, having faced similar difficulties herself. “That’s a hard industry, even for me,” she explained.
“I was told at a lunch 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.'”
The Kelly Clarkson Show host grew up on country music in Texas, just like Beyoncé, and found it difficult to cope with the rejection she faced in the genre. “I imagine Beyoncé did too,” she said.
“We’re both Texans, so you can’t escape it growing up there. It just seemed 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.”
Clarkson believes that artists should not be limited to one genre. “Why limit yourself?” she asked. “I think the real win there is that you don’t even need the award. People are showing up, right? You’re massive… 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.”
