Dolly Parton is staying neutral amidst the controversy surrounding the Country Music Association Awards (CMA) and Beyoncé. Despite the ongoing debate, the country icon isn’t ready to acknowledge whether Beyoncé was intentionally overlooked by the awards show.
In a recent interview with Variety, Dolly admitted that she wasn’t even aware of Beyoncé’s exclusion until recently. The pop star, who ventured into country music with her hit album Cowboy Carter, failed to receive a single CMA nomination, sparking frustration among her dedicated fanbase, the Beyhive.
Dolly suggested that Beyoncé’s omission from the awards might be less about any bias and more about the sheer volume of talented country artists. “They probably thought, well, we can’t really leave out some of the ones that spend their whole life doing that,” Dolly explained.
While Beyoncé’s crossover into country music was met with support by many in the industry, Dolly speculated that CMA voters may have focused on recognizing the genre’s long-time stars rather than what she called a “specialty album.”
According to Dolly, the lack of nominations doesn’t reflect Beyoncé’s talent, but rather the competition within the country music landscape this year.
In her typically diplomatic style, Dolly avoided assigning blame, emphasizing the abundance of country music talent and suggesting that the decision may have been purely about honoring genre veterans.
