The countdown to Beyoncé's Act II: Cowboy Carter album release is in full swing, and in celebration of its nearing debut, the singer took to Instagram to shed light on the inspiration behind the music.
In a post featuring the 32-time Grammy winner decked out in red, white and blue western wear riding a horse, the singer shared that her Act II album was "was born out of an experience" where she did not feel "welcomed."
She began the post thanking her fans for their support that helped her top the Hot Country Song chart. Both "Texas Hold 'Em" and "16 Carriages" dropped during the Super Bowl on February 11. "Texas Hold 'Em" made it to the number one spot, and "16 Carriages" debuted at number 9.
"Today marks the 10-day countdown until the release of act ii. 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."
Beyoncé then revealed the album was inspired by an experience in which "it was very clear" she wasn't welcomed.
"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."
While the singer did not disclose the incident specifically, it's likely she was referring to the 2016 Country Music Awards where she performed her country pop song "Daddy Lessons" alongside The Chicks.
While the crowd in attendance more than enjoyed the performance, people watching at home apparently did not and used their racist rhetoric to spread the idea that a Black woman should not have been showcased on a country music platform.
But Beyoncé used that experience as fuel.
"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."
You can see the post below.
The Beyhive took to the comments accordingly to express their anticipation for this response of an album, as well.
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In 2020, The Chicks front woman Natalie Maines talked about the aforementioned CMA performance on The Howard Stern Show.
She told the host that the performance— i.e. the "highest rated 15 minutes in CMA history"—was posted to the CMA website and was immediately bombarded with comments and emails from "racist a**holes."
You can watch the discussion below.
WARNING: NSFW language
Natalie Maines on the Racist Comments She & Beyoncé Got After Performing at the CMAsyoutu.be
Beyoncé finished her Instagram post:
"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!"
Act II: Cowboy Carter comes out March 29.
