Kelly Clarkson's CMA Confusion: Beyoncé's Snub Leaves Her Baffled

Kelly Clarkson is baffled by Beyoncé's snub at the 2024 CMA Awards, but she can relate to the feeling.

In a recent interview with NBC10 Boston, the Grammy-winning singer expressed her surprise at Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter album receiving no nominations at the 58th Annual CMA Awards. She also opened up about her own challenges in the country music genre.

I kind of find it fascinating, she said of the Texas Hold 'Em artist's snub, because I feel like those songs were everywhere.

Cowboy Carter not only scored No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart but also on the Top Country Album chart. Beyoncé also had several songs from the album reach the Top 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, including Texas Hold 'Em peaking at No. 1.

Clarkson added that the country genre is a hard space to break into, even when she tried several years ago with Don't Rush, featuring Vince Gill, Tie It Up, and Don't You Wanna Stay, her duet with Jason Aldean.

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 Stronger (What Doesn't Kill You) singer said her experience and the rejection she felt in the genre was difficult to cope with as she grew up on country music, being from Texas.

I imagine Beyoncé did too. We're both Texans, so you can't escape it growing up there, she added.

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,