Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’ almost had this country star on it

In an alternate universe, Cowboy Carter has this country star on it. But in ours, we’re mourning what could’ve been.

Beyoncé‘s Cowboy Carter is still dominating the music charts. From new dance challenges from her bops to elevating the artists featured on the album, Beyoncé’s Act II is changing the way fans engage with country music. And while the BeyHive impatiently waits for visuals, live performances, and Act III, more behind-the-scenes tea continues to be spilled.

At this year’s Black Music Action Coalition with Billboard, singer-songwriter INK dished on working with Queen Bey. INK has penned songs for Lil Nas X, Jennifer Lopez, and Beyoncé. INK worked on “Alien Superstar,” “Thique,” and “Summer Renaissance” and gained a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year thanks to her efforts on Beyoncé’s Renaissance.

Naturally, Beyoncé enlisted INK’s services for Act II, with her songwriting credits on “16 Carriages.” However, INK dished about working with the “Texas Hold ‘Em” singer and revealed that some of the songs she worked on were in collaboration with a very popular country singer.

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“I actually met [Kacey Musgraves] because Parkwood, Beyoncé’s company, sent us down there and it was [Beyoncé’s] idea for us to just go to Nashville and really be on the ground and working with those types of people,” INK said at the event. “She sent us down there because we were making country music, we wanted to bring that spirit…Kacey was amazing. We made five songs in one day.” 

Excuse us?!

While INK’s work thankfully lives on in Cowboy Carter, Kacey Musgraves five tracks didn’t make the final tracklist. This could explain Beyoncé’s photo op at this year’s Grammys with the “Deeper Well” singer. But what about those five songs thrown to the wayside?

Recording artists, and especially Beyoncé, are notorious for amassing a collection of songs that never see the light of day. And while both Beyoncé and Musgraves are experiencing immense success their respective albums, Cowboy Carter and Deeper Well, both topping the country music charts, neither one of them have released official songs together. Naturally, fans are mourning this loss.

Others think that Cowboy Carter‘s “Bodyguard” would’ve been the perfect song to feature Musgraves.

And then some fans are wondering why other artists made the Cowboy Carter cut and not Musgraves. Sorry Post Malone. “Levii’s Jeans” is still a bop.

However, some think the track, and any other unreleased Cowboy Carter songs, could be added to a deluxe edition. Act 2.5, perhaps?

And then there are other fans who simply want someone to leak the Musgraves tracks.

Those “16 Carriages” drove away with a Musgraves feature inside.

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