Better luck next time, Bey. Beyoncé’s hit “Daddy Lessons” was rejected by the Grammy Recording Academy’s country music committee despite the fact that she performed the song with the Dixie Chicks — to great acclaim from fans, and controversy from racist corners — at the CMA Awards earlier this year.
On Wednesday, December 7, a source familiar with the Grammy nomination process told The Associated Press that even though Queen Bey, 35, had submitted the twangy song for the category, it was summarily rejected.
In November, Beyoncé surprised fans and caused a minor stir when she appeared on stage at the CMAs alongside the Dixie Chicks to deliver a rousing rendition of “Daddy Lessons.”
At the time, country artists like Blake Shelton and Dierks Bentley defended Beyoncé against naysayers who claimed the Lemonade singer didn’t belong at the show. (Fans upset with the decision to include Beyoncé tweeted racist and inappropriate comments bemoaning the artist’s appearance.)
“People that criticize can kiss my ass,” Shelton told Entertainment Tonight days prior to the awards show. “That’s what I say. I can’t believe people that don’t contribute to music that criticize music. It just blows my mind and Beyoncé — tell them to kiss that ass, is what I would do.”
Beyoncé’s other genre-bending songs received nominations in categories ranging from rock performance for “Don’t Hurt Yourself” (with Jack White) to rap/sung performance for “Freedom” (with Kendrick Lamar). She received a total of nine nominations Tuesday, and her multigenre nominations makes her the first artist to earn nominations in the rock, pop, R&B and rap categories in the same year.
Additionally, Beyoncé nabbed a nod for the coveted Album of the Year award, where she is up against artists as far-ranging as Justin Bieber for Purpose, Adele for 25, Drake for Views and country artist Sturgill Simpson for A Sailor’s Guide to Earth. Her nine nominations make her the most nominated female singer in Grammy history, with 62 nominations over the years.
