Beyoncé Knowles-Carter has always pushed the boundaries of musical expression — earning Grammys in the R&B, pop, rap, urban contemporary and dance/electronic music categories. In fact, she’s won more Grammys (32) than anyone ever.
Now she’s dropped a revenge record.
More than just a stylistic shift, her new “country” album, “Cowboy Carter,” is a protest against the Nashville establishment after previously being treated poorly.
“This is her life, this has been her life: You tell Bey she can’t do something, she does it,” a source close to the singer told The Post. “If you don’t invite her to the party; she will create a bigger party and shut yours down. That’s how she rolls.”
“ ‘Cowboy Carter’ was born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed,” Beyoncé recently wrote on Instagram.
It was immediately taken as a reference to a series of events in 2016, when she released the countrified and critically praised single “Daddy Lessons” from her “Lemonade Album,” as well as a remix version with The Chicks (then still known as the Dixie Chicks).
Some country music radio stations refused to play the song. The AP reported that the Recording Academy’s country committee declined to nominate the song for a Grammy, leading to reports that it wasn’t considered country enough for them.
And her 2016 performance with the Chicks at the Country Music Association Awards fueled a backlash on social media that was drenched in racial overtones.
“The criticisms I faced when I first entered this genre forced me to propel past the limitations that were put on me,” Beyoncé wrote in an Instagram post last week.
According to the source, the singer’s current goals include shattering records and taking home CMA awards.
She’s off to a good start: In February, Beyoncé’s first single from “Cowboy Carter,” the twangy “Texas Hold ’Em,” debuted at the top of the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.
If she wins at the CMA awards in November, the source said, “Sure, she’ll smile and thank who she must thank. But trust, that smile will be just like that of a sniper … People who know Bey understand what it’s like when she sets her sights on something. Raise your hand if you’ve ever seen her denied. Ain’t gonna happen.”
“Cowboy Carter” was a labor of love for Beyoncé. It was also a calculated stratagem that, she has said, taken five years in the studio. Guests include Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson, two of the country world’s biggest legends. There’s also a track, “Spaghettii,” featuring Linda Martell, who was, in 1969, the first black woman to perform at the Grand Ole Opry — but who also faced racism on tour. And Beyoncé makes sure to highlight new black artists in the genre, like Brittney Spencer and Tanner Adell.
Remarkably, an insider with decades of close ties to the Carter-Knowles family disclosed that Beyoncé frequently feels ignored and marginalized — even though she is one of the most prominent and affluent musicians of her generation.
“They say it’s lonely at the top, and this is a woman who has done it all, who has it all, but there is still room for emptiness at times,” the insider confided. “She’s as confident in her ability as any superstar would be. But we all saw Jay at the Grammys, and did you catch her face for her reaction?”
At this year’s Grammy awards, in February, Jay-Z, Beyoncé’s husband of 16 years, accepted the Dr. Dre Global Impact award with a speech that included him saying: “I don’t want to embarrass this young lady right here but she’s won more Grammys than everyone and never won Album of the Year. So even by your own metrics, that doesn’t work. Think about that: The most Grammys, never won Album of the Year.
The TV cameras cut to a stoic Beyoncé — wearing a cowboy hat, no less.
“It’s real for her that she’s done more than anyone else, and she hasn’t won Album of the Year?” the insider said. “Well, she’s staying in the lab and this country music move is going to be yet another undeniable statement.”
Still, after the way she was received the first time, Beyoncé distanced herself from Nashville, posting on Instagram last week: “This ain’t a Country album. This is a ‘Beyoncé’ album.”
“For Beyoncé herself, ‘Cowboy Carter’ is more than just another album,” the close source said. “It’s a testament to the power of perseverance in the face of adversity.”