Beyoncé Opens Up About Criticism Entering Country Music Genre & How ‘Cowboy Carter’ Album Was Born

Beyoncé is opening up about the inspiration that led her to create Cowboy Carter, which had to do with her not feeling welcomed in the country music space.

In a post she shared on social media, the singer thanked all of her supporters for making the release of “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages” a success.

“I feel honored to be the first Black woman with the number one single on the Hot Country Songs chart,” she wrote in an Instagram post sharing the cover of her album. “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.”

Beyoncé said that Cowboy Carter “has been over five years in the making,” adding, “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.”

Many speculate that Beyoncé is referring to her appearance with country group The Chicks at the 2016 Country Music Awards, where they performed “Daddy Lessons.”

“Because of that experience, I did a deeper dive into the history of country music and studied our rich musical archive,” she continued. “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.”

Beyoncé mentioned the criticisms that she faced when she entered the country music genre which “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.”

The star teased surprise collaborations for the new album and reminded everyone that Cowboy Carter is not a country album, “This is a “Beyoncé” album.”