Beyoncé’s new confession about country music has her fans ready to fight

Beyoncé just revealed tons of new info about her upcoming album Cowboy Carter — including the rage-inducing reason she conceived of the album in the first place.

In an Instagram post, Beyoncé shared the album cover for Cowboy Carter: her, in full cowboy attire, holding an American flag and riding a horse. (It’s not Reneigh this time, but Chardonneigh, according to an executive at Beyoncé’s production company.) In the caption, she first spoke to her pride at breaking records in country music with the albums first two singles, “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages.”

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“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,” she wrote. “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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Then, Beyoncé shared where she got the idea to make a country album in the first place, and it’s not a happy story.

“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,” Beyoncé wrote. Fans quickly deduced she was referring to her performance with The Chicks at the 2016 Country Music Awards, which led many country fans at the show and on the internet to harass Beyoncé for being Black in a country space. But Beyoncé, of course, didn’t let that stop her. 

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

Needless to say, the BeyHive is coming for the Country Music Awards. As if anyone (or any awards show) could make Beyoncé feel unwelcome and get away with it!

Beyoncé closed her post by teasing some very exciting news about Cowboy Carter: “I have a few surprises on the album, and have collaborated with some brilliant artists who I deeply respect. 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,” she wrote.

Who might those collaborators be? One could be Dolly Parton, considering a cover or sample of her hit “Jolene” is heavily rumored to be on the album. The rest of the features are anyone’s guess, but no matter what, the album is sure to be a revelation.

Beyoncé made that especially clear with her closing line: “This ain’t a Country album. This is a ‘Beyoncé’ album.” Preach!

Cowboy Carter releases on March 29.

Related:

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Dolly Parton has a message for Beyoncé after the success of country song “Texas Hold ‘Em”

Don’t like Beyoncé doing country music? Dolly Parton would like a word with you.