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It might be surprising to learn that Beyoncé, one of the music industry’s biggest stars, felt “unwelcome” by her fellow country musicians and supporters during her early years of songwriting.
Despite rising to prominence with Destiny’s Child, Beyoncé set off on her own in 2005. She has since said that the feeling of being pushed out by her peers inspired her new album, Act II: Cowboy Carter.
Beyoncé Faced Racist Backlash From 2016 Performance
Eight years before Beyoncé conceived Cowboy Carter, her most ‘country’ song to date was “Daddy Lessons,” appearing on her 2016 album Lemonade. Half a year after its release, she performed it at the 2016 Country Music Association Awards alongside The Chicks.
However, she received backlash as attendees took to social media to demand a CMAs boycott for the decision to include Queen Bey in the lineup. Many of the remarks made against the “Texas Hold ‘Em” singer were racist.
“This album has been over five years in the making,” the multi-Grammy winner posted on Instagram on Tuesday. “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.”
Cowboy Carter, as Beyoncé herself confirms, is a continuation of Renaissance. She claims that her bad experiences with the country music industry prompted her to do a “deeper dive into the history of Country music” and study “our rich musical archive.”
She Hopes To Push Bad Experiences Behind Her
“The criticisms I faced when I first entered this genre forced me to propel past the limitations that were put on me,” she said.
Fans accused country radio stations of refusing to play Beyoncé’s two new songs, which opened discussions of racism and negligence within the community.
On platforms like TikTok and Instagram, fans of different races have recorded themselves dancing to “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages.” Beyoncé acknowledged how music can bring people together in her Instagram post.
“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,” she wrote.
Beyoncé hoped that, one day, “the mention of an artist’s race, as it relates to releasing genres of music, will be irrelevant.”