Country singer Tiera Kennedy has defended the Country Music Association’s (CMA) decision not to nominate Beyoncé’s song “Cowboy Carter” for an award. Kennedy was featured as a collaborator on the “Cowboy Carter” album.
Beyoncé was shut out of nominations at this year’s CMA Awards, the same ceremony that made her feel so unwelcome in 2016 that she had to create her own country album.
At the 2016 CMA Awards, Beyoncé performed with country music group The Chicks (formerly Dixie Chicks), which was one of the night’s most talked-about performances. The trio performed “Daddy Lessons,” a country-infused track from Beyoncé’s Lemonade album, which was praised for blending genres and honoring Southern roots.
Despite widespread acclaim, the performance quickly became contentious, with some country music purists upset that a Black pop star had crossed over into their territory.
A second rejection comes after the Country Music Award snub this year.
Many have spoken out against the CMA’s nomination list, including Beyoncé’s father, Mathew Knowles, who blamed the exclusion on racism.
Now, Tiera Kennedy has broken her silence regarding the controversy surrounding the nominations list.
In the five-minute video, Kennedy made it clear that she had no intention of “talking down” on the CMA.
“I think a lot of people expected me to talk down on the CMAs, but that’s not how I walk through life. I’ve gotten to work with CMA through different events, and so I know the humans behind CMA. I don’t know all of them, but I know that there are humans at CMA that care,” she explained with quiet resolve.
She responded to the CMA’s decision not to nominate it, stating that she believes “change is slow” and that Bey’s intention was not to receive a CMA Award.
She continued, “When I saw the nominations, I smiled because I saw that Shaboozey was nominated for not one but two awards, and I know that he’s been working for a long time.
” I think a lot of people saw the nominations and didn’t see Beyoncé’s presence and felt like Country music missed the point and that nothing has changed. But as someone on the Cowboy Carter album, I can tell you that, that’s not entirely true. Change is slow.”
Kennedy became increasingly reflective near the end of her video, speaking on how Beyoncé opened doors for her; she continued, “I can’t speak for Beyoncé, but I don’t think she made this album to get a CMA nomination. I think she made this album to share the history and open the door for Black country artists just like me, and it worked. She has given me the opportunity of a lifetime. When other people told me ‘no’ she told me ‘yes.'”
