NASHVILLE, TN (CelebrityAccess) — After being passed over for a nomination at this year’s Country Music Association Awards, country recording artist Zach Bryan says he’s not interested in participating in the long-running annual awards show.
“Guys I don’t and will never want to be considered at the CMA’s. My pride is fine and I appreciate all the love and support and I say it with every ounce of respect to other country artists. Establishments will always be weird” he Tweeted on Thursday, the day after the 2022 edition of the CMAs took place in Nashville.
“In five years all of these strange outdated systems will claim it was right in front of them the entire time. Truly more fun to laugh at than be butt hurt over. If these shows and companies wanted to be honest they would have gotten into songwriting and not award giving,” he said in a subsequent tweet.
By any account, Bryan has had an amazing run of success in 2022. His third studio album, American Heartbreak, topped both the US country and US rock charts this year, and he’s maintained an active touring schedule, selling out shows across North America.
Despite this success and popularity, Bryan failed to receive one nomination for the 2022 CMAs.
In subsequent tweets, Bryan went on to clarify his position, noting: “To be clear, I’m not trying to insult the validity of a CMA, I respect any artist who receives one and the existence of them; I’m just saying on a personal level it is not one of my priorities to have awards on a shelf in my home. There’s room for more important things there.”
