Beyoncé sends flowers, thanks Black female country artists for ‘opening doors’ amid ‘Cowboy Carter’ release
Beyoncé Knowles-Carter is thanking fellow Black, female country artists for paving the way as she makes her mark in the genre with the release of "Act II: Cowboy Carter."
Country stars Mickey Guyton and K. Michelle took to social media on Friday - the same day Beyoncé released her first country album - to share the Grammy Award-winning artist's thoughtful gestures and kind words.
BEYONCE 'DID NOT FEEL WELCOMED' IN COUNTRY MUSIC, POP STAR WRITES IN ALBUM COUNTDOWN POST
"Thank you for opening doors for me, queen. Keep shining. Love and respect, Beyoncé," the "Texas Hold 'Em" singer wrote to Guyton, who also shared a photo of a giant bouquet of white flowers.
In a note to K. Michelle, Beyoncé wrote, "You’re killing it! I love what you’ve been doing and I know it’s not easy to enter a new space. Sending you positivity and respect. I hope to meet you one day. Love, Beyoncé."
Earlier this month, Beyoncé admitted that she "did not feel welcomed" in the genre when sharing some background on the album's development.
"This album has been over five years in the making," she wrote on Instagram. "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," she wrote.
The 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."
Despite once feeling unwelcome, Beyoncé said she felt "honored" to be the first Black woman to have a number one single on the Hot Country Songs chart with her hit, "Texas Hold Em."
"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," she wrote.