Why the Grammys’ Journey with Country Music Has Only Become More Turbulent
Image via Wikimedia Commons
Kacey Musgraves’ Golden Hour winning Album of the Year in 2019 felt revolutionary - a beautiful album that reawakened the industry to the richness of modern country music. The Academy finally seemed to recognise the genre as evolving rather than sidelining it in favour of commercial favourites. Nearly a decade earlier, Taylor Swift historically won Album of the Year in 2010, marking a similar moment, as mainstream female country music was embraced on a global scale.
Yet these milestones are repeatedly buried beneath controversy and TikTok comment squabbles. The Grammys keep telling us they care about country music. Country fans keep telling us they don’t believe them. Caught between institutional recognition and cultural rejection, the Academy’s relationship with the genre has become one of its most publicly strained and misunderstood.
Ironically, the most recent Album of the Year winner was a country album - Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter. Alongside the night’s biggest prize, she also took home two major country awards. Rather than serving as a unifying moment, the win fractured the conversation further. Many country fans rejected it outright, flooding social media with claims of Grammy corruption and arguing that genre experimentation disqualified the album from true country status.
Instead of feeling like a victory for the genre, Cowboy Carter existed in an uncomfortable in-between where it was celebrated institutionally but rejected culturally. Beyoncé was denied the label of country not because of sound or origin, but because she was seen as entering the genre from the outside, even with Houston roots. The backlash echoed familiar criticisms once aimed at Taylor Swift, who was accused of never being ‘country enough’ once she evolved sonically. Whether moving into or out of the genre, artists seem to clash with fans fiercely guarding its boundaries. Yet when those boundaries evolve and expand, recognition is declared illegitimate.
The Recording Academy’s response has only deepened the confusion. From the 2026 ceremony onwards, it announced new categories for Traditional Country Album and Contemporary Country Album. While the decision acknowledges distinct eras of country music, it feels more like a reaction to controversy than genuine progress. The split separated artists like Kelsea Ballerini and Tyler Childers from legends such as Willie Nelson, while granting Zach Top his first Grammy nominations across three country categories. Though overdue recognition is welcome, the timing makes it difficult not to view the change as damage control following Cowboy Carter’s sweep.
Structural tweaks, however, fail to address the deeper issue as artists shaping the future of country music remain excluded from the Grammys’ most visible, career-defining spaces. Year after year, as we tune into the Grammy nominations livestream, Best New Artist always carries a particular excitement. It signals where music culture is headed - yet country music still struggles to make mainstream recognition.
Country music is experiencing a genuine renaissance. Resonating deeply with a new generation, Zach Top’s revival of traditional sounds, Ella Langley’s perfection at crafting vocal precision and radio melodies and Megan Moroney’s confessional storytelling are expanding the genre’s reach and relevance. Yet, all three were absent from the 2026 Grammy Nominations for Best New Artist lineup.
Online discourse spirals into the same familiar debate - country fans dismiss the Grammys as elitist, while Grammy loyalists argue the genre lacks innovation. Somewhere between these opposing lines lies the real issue that both sides feel like passing ships, moving without shared evolution. Country fans want the Grammys to evolve alongside them, but only within the boundaries of what they define as ‘real’ country.