She sang country, dropped a cowboy hat, shifted the sound—and now the American Music Awards are finally tipping theirs back to her. Beyoncé just snagged her first-ever nomination for Favorite Female Country Artist at the AMAs, making it official: the country world can’t keep ignoring her. This recognition comes after two major country institutions—the CMAs and ACMs—shut her out, despite the massive cultural impact and critical praise of Cowboy Carter. No nominations. No invites. Just silence. But the Grammys saw the vision. Beyoncé won Best Traditional R&B Performance for “Virgo’s Groove” and was nominated in Country categories too, becoming the first Black woman in history to top Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart. Now, the AMAs are stepping up where others dropped the ball, and the Hive is watching closely. This ain’t just about awards—it’s about who gets to define the genre and who gets left out of the saloon. Whether Nashville likes it or not, Queen Bey is already in the building.
