Beyonce received pop and rock Grammy nominations. Why not country music?
THE Grammys can’t be accused of not showing Beyonce plenty of love; she leads all other artists with nine nominations. But one of her songs, “Daddy Lessons”, was rejected by the Recording Academy country music committee, the Associated Press reported.
Citing “a person familiar with the Grammy nomination process,” the wire service said that the song was submitted for the country category, but wasn’t accepted.
Representatives for the Recording Academy and Beyonce did not immediately return The Post’s request for comment.
Beyonce has long been considered a pop artist, a label that can encompass all sorts of genres. But on “Lemonade”, the megastar goes even further to break strict category conventions as she moves from one sound to the next.
The album’s recent Grammy nominations showcase its sonic scope: “Don’t Hurt Yourself” features Jack White and was nominated for best rock performance; “Freedom”, featuring Kendrick Lamar, is up for best rap/sung performance; “Hold Up” garnered her a best pop solo performance nomination; and “Lemonade”, up for album of the year, is also a contender for best urban contemporary album.
The single “Daddy Lessons” begins with clapping, horns and a strumming guitar as Beyonce repeats the word “Texas”, her home state. The lyrics reference the Second Amendment and nogood men, and the accompanying video ( part of her visual album), shows men riding horses in the countryside.
“With his gun, with his head held high/He told me not to cry,” she sings in the chorus. “Oh, my daddy said shoot/Oh, my daddy said shoot/With his right hand on his rifle/ He swore it on the bible.”
So how does a song get nominated? According to the Recording Academy, academy members and record companies submit recordings for consideration. The submissions get screened by more than 350 experts in various fields through review sessions “to make sure that each entry is eligible and placed in its proper category.”
Voting members then nominate the submissions through firstround ballots. They’re told to vote “only in their area of expertise,” and can vote in up to 15 categories of the same genre, as well as the big four general awards.
If submitted and accepted, “Daddy Lessons” could have been eligible for a best country solo performance Grammy and a best country song Grammy.
The song has proved controversial before, including at this year’s Country Music Association Awards. Beyonce performed “Daddy Lessons” on air alongside the Dixie Chicks, who had been covering it on tour.
Racist comments
Various websites reported that the CMAs had scrubbed any mention of the acts from its official site and social-media channels after the performance received racist and angry socialmedia comments. TMZ said executives were concerned about the musicians’ support of the Black Lives Matter movement.
The Dixie Chicks, who have had their own tumultuous relationship with the country industry, responded in kind in a tweet:
“If we all turn this up really loud, together we can drown out the hate.”
But a CMA spokesman denied that mentions of the performance were erased, saying that prior to the broadcast, an unapproved, five-second promotional clip was removed from ABC.com and the CMA Facebook page.
“Beyonce’s performance with Dixie Chicks was a highlight of the evening and we are continuing to share the amazing full-length performance clip via our official social channels,” the statement continued.
CMAs CEO Sarah Trahern also “denied that any nefarious deleting had taken place,” telling the New York Times that they had been waiting for Beyonce’s team to approve posting other images and video of the performance. — WP-Bloomberg
Beyonce’s performance with Dixie Chicks was a highlight of the evening and we are continuing to share the amazing fulllength performance clip via our official social channels. Country Music Association statement