Country music legend Dolly Parton is defending the CMAs after fans of Beyoncé felt their ‘Bey’ was snubbed by the awards show despite her chart-topping country album, “Cowboy Carter.”
Parton, in an interview published by Variety, stated that she doesn’t think Beyoncé being shut out of the CMAs was an intentional snub. Rather, it was an effort to reward other artists who have worked in the genre throughout their careers.
“Well, you never know. There’s so many wonderful country artists that, I guess probably the country music field, they probably thought, ‘Well, we can’t really leave out some of the ones that spend their whole life doing that,'” she said. “But I didn’t even realize that until somebody asked me that question.”
All in all, Dolly thinks Beyoncé’s foray into country music is something she can be very happy with.
“But it was a wonderful album. She can be very, very proud of, and I think everybody in country music welcomed her and thought that, that was good,” she said.
“So I don’t think it was a matter of shutting out, like doing that on purpose. I think it was just more of what the country charts and the country artists were doing, that do that all the time, not just a specialty album.”
Dolly Parton Defends CMAs Over Beyoncé Decision
Beyoncé made history with her latest album release, the country music-inspired “Cowboy Carter.” The album hit number one on the Billboard Top Country Album chart and the Billboard 200 for music overall.
The first track release, “Texas Hold Em”, reached the top of Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. Shaboozey released “A Bar Song (Typsy)” shortly thereafter which hit number one, leaving “Texas Hold Em” at number two.
The combo was the first time two black artists held the top spot consecutively on that chart. It was a groundbreaking scenario.
Beyoncé’s album included a cover of Dolly Parton’s hit song “Jolene” which the legendary country singer simply adores.
Parton called the cover “bold”, and loved the “sassy” new lyrics.
“She’s a country girl in Texas and Louisiana, so she grew up with that base,” Parton said indicating she was “fortunate” to be a part of Beyoncé’s album.
When asked if she would perform a live duet of “Jolene”, Parton gave an answer that will have country music fans buzzing with anticipation: “Oh yeah. I’m open to anything.”
RELATED: Dolly Parton Opens Up About Her Passion For ‘God, Music, And Food’
Whoopi Goldberg Defended The CMAs Too
Dolly Parton isn’t the only one defending the CMAs “snub” of Beyoncé’s chart-topping album. Whoopi Goldberg, co-host of The View, also suggested the shutout was not intentional.
“I don’t think she was snubbed, I think they just didn’t… it wasn’t for them,” she said.
All of this should be of little consequence to the pop star turned country artist. Beyoncé has indicated her motivation for excelling in the country music genre goes beyond sales figures, chart numbers, and awards.
She is driven by “breaking barriers.”
“When you are breaking down barriers, not everyone is ready and open for a shift. But when I see Shaboozey tearing the charts up and all the beautiful female country singers flying to new heights, inspiring the world, that is exactly what motivates me,” she told The Hollywood Reporter.
That wasn’t always the motivation, however.
She previously noted that the Cowboy Carter project “was born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed … and it was very clear that I wasn’t.”
Axios reported that Beyoncé’s comments were “widely interpreted as a reference to her 2016 performance at the CMA Awards, which was met with a racist backlash on social media.”
She performed with the Dixie Chicks at the time, who were disliked by traditional country music fans due to their past political stances. But Beyoncé seemingly took it as a personal sleight.
There have been numerous country music stars who broke down barriers well before “Queen Bey” came along. Many of whom were met with critical acclaim and received recognition with awards.
Charley Pride, Darius Rucker, Rissi Palmer, and Allison Russell to name a few.
More About:Music News