Beyonce CMA Performance: Travis Tritt Slams 'Lemonade' Singer's Inclusion At CMAs [VIDEO]
One prominent country star is speaking out against Beyonce's performance at last week's CMA Awards.
Travis Tritt, famous for such hits as "Help Me Hold On", "Foolish Pride" and "The Whiskey Ain't Workin'", has been publicly bashing Beyonce's inclusion at the CMA Awards last Wednesday. The megastar performed "Daddy Lessons" with The Dixie Chicks off her hit album Lemonade, and while the song does have a country vibe, many country artists and fans weren't pleased that she was there.
Tritt took to Twitter several times over the past few days to air his grievances about Beyonce's performance.
"Thanks to everyone who came out to see us in Bowling Green, KY tonight. Sorry we weren't able to do any Beyoncé for all the country fans," he quipped. "FYI - My band and I are gonna try to work up Beyoncé's 'All The Single Ladies' for all you die hard country fans who love traditional music!"
Adding more fuel to the fire, Tritt said, "I want to know when the BET or SoulTrain awards are gonna ask a country artist to perform on their awards show?"
While Tritt did have a fair share of Twitter followers agreeing with him, his comments prompted the Beyhive (a.k.a. Beyonce's most devoted fans) to swarm on him. With some Twitter users suggesting that Tritt's comments are race related, the country star defended himself.
As I see it, country music has appealed to millions for many years. We can stand on our own and don't need pop artists on our awards shows.
— Travis Tritt (@Travistritt) November 4, 2016
I love honest to God country music and feel the need to stand up for it at all costs. We don't need pop or rap artists to validate us.
— Travis Tritt (@Travistritt) November 4, 2016
I've worked with Charlie Pride, Buddy Guy, B.B. King, Patti Labelle, Randy Jackson, Sam Moore, Ray Charles, Isaac Hayes (cont.)
— Travis Tritt (@Travistritt) November 5, 2016
...Never thought I would ever be labeled as a racist.
— Travis Tritt (@Travistritt) November 5, 2016
What is so wrong with allowing pop/rap/country/R&B/soul/gospel/bluegrass/blues or rock shows celebrating their backgrounds?
— Travis Tritt (@Travistritt) November 5, 2016
Shortly after Beyonce's performance at the CMAs, there were reports of the organization taking down videos of her on all of their social media channels. The group eventually told Billboard that no such action had been taken.
"CMA has not erased any mentions of Beyoncé's performance on the CMA Awards. In advance of the broadcast, CMA removed a five-second promotional clip from ABC.com and CMA's Facebook page," the organization said in a statement to Billboard. "The promo was unapproved and CMA removed it prior to the broadcast. Beyoncé'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."
