Beyoncé Confronts Criticism Over Making Country Album “Cowboy Carter”

Beyoncé stunned critics when she announced she was releasing a country album. The big reveal followed Super Bowl LVIII in February, when she dropped the lead single, “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM,” along with “16 CARRIAGES.” As the release date inches closer, the megastar singer is opening up about the challenges she faced both before and during the making of Cowboy Carter. ‘

On Tuesday (March 19), Beyoncé shared a photo of the cover art with her 319 million Instagram followers and addressed becoming the first Black woman to top the Hot Country Songs chart.

“Today marks the 10-day countdown until the release of act ii,” she wrote in the caption. “Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all of the supporters of TEXAS HOLD ‘EM and 16 CARRIAGES. I feel honored to be the first Black woman with the number one single on the Hot Country Songs chart. 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.”

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Beyoncé also talked about feeling ostracized from the country community and how that only fueled her determination to bring her vision to fruition.

“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.

“It feels good to see how music can unite so many people around the world, while also amplifying the voices of some of the people who have dedicated so much of their lives educating on our musical history. The criticisms I faced when I first entered this genre forced me to propel past the limitations that were put on me. act ii is a result of challenging myself, and taking my time to bend and blend genres together to create this body of work.”

Finally, Beyoncé revealed there are going to be a “few surprises” on the album along with some “brilliant artists.” She concluded, “I hope that you can hear my heart and soul, and all the love and passion that I poured into every detail and every sound. I focused on this album as a continuation of RENAISSANCE…I hope this music is an experience, creating another journey where you can close your eyes, start from the beginning and never stop. This ain’t a Country album. This is a “Beyoncé” album. This is act ii COWBOY CARTER, and I am proud to share it with y’all!”

Check out “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM” below. The song is currently in the Top 10 at Spotify Global and No. 16 on the Spotify US chart.