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Beyoncé Reveals How Unwelcoming Country Music Experience Inspired 'COWBOY CARTER'
In anticipation of her upcoming album, COWBOY CARTER, Beyoncé revealed that the project was inspired by an experience of feeling unwelcome in country music. Today (March 19), she also shared the official cover and thanked fans for their support of “16 CARRIAGES” and “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM” on Instagram.
“I feel honored to be the first Black woman with the No. 1 single on the Hot Country Songs chart,” she wrote. “That would not have happened without the outpouring of support from each and every one of you. My hope is that years from now, the mention of an artist’s race, as it relates to releasing genres of music, will be irrelevant.”
She continued, “This album has been over five years in the making. It was born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed… and it was very clear that I wasn’t. But, because of that experience, I did a deeper dive into the history of country music and studied our rich musical archive.”
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Beyoncé also spoke about how the criticism inspired her to “propel past the limitations” with COWBOY CARTER. She stated, “act ii is a result of challenging myself and taking my time to bend and blend genres together to create this body of work.” She further revealed that the project will not be confined to one genre: “This ain’t a country album. This is a ‘Beyoncé’ album.”
Elsewhere in her statement, the music icon teased the idea of collaborations with “brilliant artists” that she respects. In February, fans speculated that Taylor Swift might appear on COWBOY CARTER. The rumors stemmed from “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM” producer Killah B’s interview with TMZ, where he didn’t rule out the possibility.
Earlier this month, Dolly Parton shared high hopes for Beyoncé using her hit song “Jolene” as a cover or sample on the LP.