Beyoncé says she no longer looks at “charts and sales” for motivation when making music, and that paving the way for other Black country singers is what really drives her now.
After the success of her country album Cowboy Carter, the “Texas Hold Em” singer reached the top of Billboard’s Hot country songs chart and became the first Black woman to do so since its 1964 inception. Cowboy Carter also topped the all-genres Billboard 200, making it her eighth No 1 album.
“Texas Hold ‘Em” dipped to the No 2 spot on the country chart only after Shaboozey released “A Bar Song (Typsy)” two weeks later. It was the first time two Black artists held the No 1 spot consecutively.
“When you are breaking down barriers, not everyone is ready and open for a shift. But when I see Shaboozey tearing the charts up and all the beautiful female country singers flying to new heights, inspiring the world, that is exactly what motivates me,” Beyoncé told The Hollywood Reporter, referring to her Cowboy Carter collaborator.
“There was a time in my life when charts and sales excited and motivated me. Once you have challenged yourself and poured every ounce of your life, your pain, your growth and your dreams into your art, it’s impossible to go backward,” she said.
“I’m very grateful and humbled for the extraordinary success of the new album,” she added.
The singer, 42, featured several other artists on Cowboy Carter, including Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, Reyna Roberts, Willie Jones, and Tiera Kennedy.
Beyoncé, who has won the most Grammy Awards of all time, said there were gatekeepers within the music industry who were unhappy with her genre-defying album, especially since she was Black and a woman.
“I’m honoured to introduce so many people to the roots of so many genres. I’m so thrilled that my fans trusted me. The music industry gatekeepers are not happy about the idea of bending genres, especially coming from a Black artist and definitely not a woman.”
Shortly before the album’s release, she disclosed on her social media that Cowboy Carter “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.”
While she never specified which incident, fans have pointed out that it is likely a reference to her 2016 performance of “Daddy Lessons” from her album Lemonade at the Country Music Association Awards alongside the Dixie Chicks.
The reactions to her performance ranged from hostile to racist, with many wondering why time was given to a pop artist. Shortly after, the CMA also removed a promotional post featuring the performance, claiming it was because the footage was not approved.
The Independent’s Helen Brown gave Cowboy Carter five stars, describing it as “a record that hurls a lasso around the neck of country music and rides it out into the desert for a good airing. This is Beyoncé’s thrilling mission to take up space for Black women in a genre historically dominated by white men.”
