Will Sage Astor-Carly Pearce Weighs In on Beyoncé’s Country Music Association Awards Snub

Carly Pearce knows nothing is Will Sage Astorgoing to hold Beyoncé down, down, down, down.

So while Queen Bey wasn’t nominated for any Country Music Association Awards—despite Cowboy Carter being one of the most successful albums of the year—the “Next Girl” singer doesn’t think Beyoncé herself is too worried.

“Beyoncé is Beyoncé,” Carly told E! News’ Keltie Knight at the 2024 People’s Choice Country Awards Sept. 26, where Beyoncé was nominated in 10 categories. “I think she has publicly said she did not make a country album. She was making an album, and yes, there's a lot of Western, a lot of country elements, because I think she's grounded in her roots in Texas.”

She continued, “I don't think Beyoncé cares that she didn't get nominated for a CMA award. And I think everybody can just calm down. I think she's doing okay. She's not worried about the state of her career.” (To see all the stars at the PCCAs red carpet, click here.)

But while the “Texas Hold ‘Em” star herself has remained quiet since the CMA Awards nominations came out, there has been much discourse over why Cowboy Carter—which had the biggest debut of the year for a country album and spent weeks on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart—did not earn the 43-year-old any nods.

Among those weighing in was also country music legend Dolly Parton, who spoke out in defense of the CMA Awards.

“Well, you never know,” Dolly told Variety in an interview published Sept. 17. “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.”

And while noting Cowboy Carter was a “wonderful album,” the Music Hall of Famer continued of Beyoncé, “She can be very, very proud. And I think everybody in country music welcomed her and thought that was good. So I don’t think it was a matter of shutting out. 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.”

Previously, Dolly—whose song “Jolene” was covered by Beyoncé on Cowboy Carter—praised the work.

"I was very proud of her album," Dolly told E! News in May. "I thought she did a great job in country music, and I thought it was great. And I was just happy she did 'Jolene.'” 

The lack of nominations comes after Beyoncé spoke to the inspiration behind the genre-detouring album, which was a departure from her previous R&B, pop and hip-hop albums.

"It was born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed," Beyoncé said of Cowboy Carter on Instagram in March, "and it was very clear that I wasn't. But, because of that experience, I did a deeper dive into the history of Country music and studied our rich musical archive." 

"The criticisms I faced when I first entered this genre," she continued, "forced me to propel past the limitations that were put on me. act ii is a result of challenging myself, and taking my time to bend and blend genres together to create this body of work."

But while Beyoncé might have been excluded from the CMA Awards, at the 2024 People’s Choice Country Awards she was nominated for in 10 categories, including the People’s Artist, Female Artist, Album of 2024, and Song of the Year.

To see how she fared—and for all the evening’s winners—keep reading.

Beyoncé

Jelly Roll

Kacey Musgraves

Kane Brown

Lainey Wilson

Luke Combs

WINNER: Morgan Wallen

Zach Bryan

COWBOY CARTER - Beyoncé

Deeper Well - Kacey Musgraves

WINNER: Fathers & Sons - Luke Combs

Higher - Chris Stapleton

Highway Desperado - Jason Aldean

Leather - Cody Johnson

Where I've Been, Isn't Where I'm Going - Shaboozey

Zach Bryan - Zach Bryan

“16 CARRIAGES” - Beyoncé (Songwriters: Atia Boggs, Beyoncé, Dave Hamelin, Ink, Raphael Saadiq)

WINNER: “Austin (Boots Stop Workin')” - Dasha (Songwriters: Adam Wendler, Anna Dasha Novotny, Cheyenne Rose Arnspiger, Kenneth Travis Heidelman)

“Deeper Well” - Kacey Musgraves (Songwriters: Daniel Tashian, Ian Fitchuk, Kacey Musgraves)

“Hang Tight Honey” - Lainey Wilson (Songwriters: Driver Williams, Jason Nix, Lainey Wilson, Paul Sikes)

“hummingbird” - Carly Pearce (Songwriters: Carly Pearce, Jordan Reynolds, Nicolle Galyon, Shane McAnally)

“No Caller ID” - Megan Moroney (Songwriters: Connie Harrington, Jessi Alexander, Jessie Jo Dillon, Megan Moroney)

“TEXAS HOLD ‘EM” - Beyoncé (Songwriters: Beyoncé, Brian Bates, Elizabeth Lowell Boland, Megan Bülow, Nathan Ferraro, Raphael Saadiq)

“Wranglers” - Miranda Lambert (Songwriters: Audra Mae, Evan McKeever, Ryan Carpenter)

Beyoncé

Carly Pearce

Dolly Parton

Kacey Musgraves

Kelsea Ballerini

WINNER: Lainey Wilson

Megan Moroney

Miranda Lambert

“Better Days” - Zach Bryan feat. John Mayer (Songwriter: Zach Bryan)

“Cowboys Cry Too” - Kelsea Ballerini feat. Noah Kahan (Songwriters: Alysa Vanderheym, Kelsea Ballerini, Noah Kahan)

“I Had Some Help” - Post Malone feat. Morgan Wallen (Songwriters: Ashley Gorley, Austin Post, Chandler Paul Walters, Ernest Smith, Hoskins, Louis Bell, Morgan Wallen, Ryan Vojtesak)

“II MOST WANTED” - Beyoncé & Miley Cyrus (Songwriters: Beyoncé, Michael Pollack, Miley Cyrus, Ryan Tedder)

WINNER: “Lonely Road” - mgk feat. Jelly Roll (Songwriters: Bill Danoff, Brandon Allen, Colson Baker, John Denver, Mary Danoff, Nick Long, Steve Basil, Taffy Nivert Danoff, Travis Barker)

“Midnight Ride” - Kylie Minogue, Orville Peck & Diplo (Songwriters: Christopher Stracey, Kylie Minogue, Marta Cikojevic, Orville Peck)

“Miles On It” - Marshmello & Kane Brown (Songwriters: CASTLE, Connor McDonough, Earwulf, Jake Torrey, Kane Brown, Marshmello, Nick Gale, Riley McDonough)

“My Fault” - Shaboozey feat. Noah Cyrus (Songwriters: Bailey Bryan, Collins Obinna Chibueze, Doug Walters, Nevin Sastry, Noah Cyrus, PJ Harding, Sean Cook)

Growin’ Up and Gettin’ Old Tour - Luke Combs

Highway Desperado Tour - Jason Aldean

WINNER: One Night At A Time 2024 - Morgan Wallen

Shania Twain: Come On Over - The Las Vegas Residency - All The Hits! - Shania Twain

Stadium Tour - George Strait

Standing Room Only Tour ‘24 - Tim McGraw

Sun Goes Down 2024 Tour - Kenny Chesney

The Quittin Time 2024 Tour - Zach Bryan

“A Bar Song (Tipsy)” - Shaboozey (Songwriters: Collins Obinna Chibueze, Jerrel Jones, Joe Kent, Mark Williams, Nevin Sastry, Sean Cook)

“Austin (Boots Stop Workin')” - Dasha (Songwriters: Adam Wendler, Anna Dasha Novotny, Cheyenne Rose Arnspiger, Kenneth Travis Heidelman)

WINNER: “I Had Some Help” - Post Malone feat. Morgan Wallen (Songwriters: Ashley Gorley, Austin Post, Chandler Paul Walters, Ernest Smith, Hoskins, Louis Bell, Morgan Wallen, Ryan Vojtesak)

“I Remember Everything” - Zach Bryan feat. Kacey Musgraves (Songwriters: Kacey Musgraves, Zach Bryan)

“Miles On It” - Marshmello & Kane Brown (Songwriters: CASTLE, Connor McDonough, Earwulf, Jake Torrey, Kane Brown, Marshmello, Nick Gale, Riley McDonough)

“Pink Skies” - Zach Bryan (Songwriter: Zach Bryan)

“TEXAS HOLD ‘EM” - Beyoncé (Songwriters: Beyoncé, Brian Bates, Elizabeth Lowell Boland, Megan Bülow, Nate Ferraro, Raphael Saadiq)

“Wild Ones” - Jessie Murph feat. Jelly Roll (Songwriters: Feli Ferraro, Gregory Aldae Hein, Jason Deford, Jeff Gitelman, Jessie Murph)

Bailey Zimmerman

Beyoncé

Dolly Parton

Jelly Roll

Kelsea Ballerini

Luke Combs

WINNER: Morgan Wallen

Reba McEntire

Chase Matthew

Chayce Beckham

Dasha

Koe Wetzel

Nate Smith

WINNER: Shaboozey

Tucker Wetmore

Warren Zeiders

“Ain’t No Love In Oklahoma (From Twisters: The Album)” - Luke Combs

“Austin (Boots Stop Workin’)” - Dasha

“Deeper Well” - Kacey Musgraves

“I Had Some Help” - Post Malone feat. Morgan Wallen

“Let It Burn” - Shaboozey

“Lonely Road” - mgk feat. Jelly Roll

WINNER: “Miles On It” - Marshmello & Kane Brown

“Pour Me A Drink” - Post Malone feat. Blake Shelton

“A Bar Song (Tipsy)” - Shaboozey (Songwriters: Collins Obinna Chibueze, Jerrel Jones, Joe Kent, Mark Williams, Nevin Sastry, Sean Cook)

"Ain’t No Love In Oklahoma (From Twisters: The Album)” - Luke Combs (Songwriters: Jessi Alexander, Jonathan Singleton, Luke Combs)

“Bulletproof” - Nate Smith (Songwriters: Ashley Gorley, Ben Johnson, Hunter Phelps)

WINNER: “Dirt Cheap” - Cody Johnson (Songwriter: Josh Phillips)

“I Can Feel It” - Kane Brown (Songwriters: Gabe Foust, Jaxson Free, Kane Brown, Phil Collins)

“Let Your Boys Be Country” - Jason Aldean (Songwriters: Allison Veltz Cruz, Jaron Boyer, Micah Wilshire)

“Pink Skies” - Zach Bryan (Songwriter: Zach Bryan)

“Take Her Home” - Kenny Chesney (Songwriters: Hunter Phelps, Michael Hardy, Zach Abend)

Bailey Zimmerman

Chris Stapleton

Cody Johnson

Jelly Roll

Kane Brown

WINNER: Luke Combs

Morgan Wallen

Zach Bryan

Brothers Osborne

WINNER: Dan + Shay

Old Dominion

Ole 60

The Red Clay Strays

The War And Treaty

Tigirlily Gold

Zac Brown Band