When Taylor Swift stepped on stage at the Grammy’s to present the country album of the year, we weren’t expecting what would happen next. In our heads, Chris Stapleton should’ve won for his album “Higher”. His voice, lyricism, and story made him the perfect winner. But our jaws dropped when Swift opened the envelope and announced that the award went to Beyoncé’s COWBOY CARTER. Even Beyoncé looked shocked.

Nobody, and I mean nobody, took “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM” seriously. The song felt like a fever dream blasting over the radio in a suburban mom’s car. It’s devoid of meaning and makes a mockery of the soul and authenticity of the genre.

The nominees for Best Country Album were COWBOY CARTER (Beyoncé), F-1 Trillion (Post Malone), Deeper Well (Kacey Musgraves), Whirlwind (Lainey Wilson), and Higher (Chris Stapleton).

Let’s start with our first issue—half of the albums are barely country. Post Malone’s F-1 Trillion feels like an unnecessary rebrand for the man who sang “Congratulations.” if we hear “I Had Some Help” featuring Morgan Wallen one more time, we may lose it. It’s simply a pop song with a forced country accent. Kacey Musgraves’ music walks a thin line between country and indie; we love her album Deeper Well, but it simply isn’t the best country album. Lainey Wilson’s music is cute, for lack of a better word. It’s very stereotypical, girly country music that makes us nostalgic. “Things a Man Oughta Know” will always be one of our favorite songs by her but Whirlwind feels like a quick album meant to climb the charts and feature many different artists rather than more meaningful and quality songs.

Beyonce’s album lacked the authenticity and genuineness of the genre that we believe Stapleton’s album had. His album “Higher” contained beautiful storytelling and raw emotion. Take “What Am I Gonna Do,” for example, the way you can hear the weight of every lyric through his voice is exactly what country music is supposed to feel like when you listen to it. It’s supposed to connect with people on a deeper level. Stapleton didn’t just put out an album; he put out an experience, one that resonated with actual country fans.

Let’s be real—if any other artist had released COWBOY CARTER, it wouldn’t have won. The album isn’t even played by country radios, if the Academy wanted to acknowledge Beyoncé’s new direction, fine, but taking the award from someone like Stapleton? It doesn’t surprise us that the academy doesn’t appreciate and award true country music, but there is an obvious difference between country and pop that simply wasn’t acknowledged this year.

An artist producing and winning album of the year in a genre that others have spent their entire careers perfecting feels like a slap in the face.