Amid online backlash from Beyoncé’s latest foray into country music, the star’s mom is reminding critics that this isn’t Queen Bey’s first rodeo — literally.
Videos by American Songwriter
Tina Knowles took to Instagram Saturday (Feb. 17) to re-share a compilation video showing old clips of Beyoncé in cowgirl garb.
Tina Knowles Defends Beyoncé’s New Song: “It’s Been There Since She Was a Kid”
Knowles pointed out in the caption that Beyoncé hails from Texas, a place where Black cowboy culture is very much alive and well.
“We have always celebrated Cowboy Culture growing up in Texas,” Momma Knowles wrote. “We also always understood that it was not just about it belonging to White culture only.”
[RELATED: Lainey Wilson Defends Beyoncé’s Venture into Country Music: “Come on Home, Girl!”]
Beyoncé announced two new country songs, “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages,” in a Verizon commercial that aired during CBS’ broadcast of Super Bowl LVIII. The singles are part of the second Act of Beyoncé’s 2022 hit Renaissance, which will drop March 29.
The “Crazy In Love” singer made her debut this week on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart when “Texas Hold ‘Em” snagged the No. 1 spot. This makes Beyoncé the first Black woman to ever reach No. 1 on Billboard’s country chart.
Oklahoma Country Radio Station Initially Refused to Play Beyoncé’s New Song
However, not everyone is on board with Beyoncé’s latest career development. Earlier this month, the the Oklahoma-based radio station KYKC-FM came under fire for refusing a fan’s request to play “Texas Hold ‘Em.”
The radio station eventually backtracked after being called out by the Beyhive on social media.
Similarly, fans blasted former “Dukes of Hazzard” star John Schneider after he compared Beyoncé’s country turn to a dog urinating on a tree during an interview with far-right media outlet One America News Network.
Tina Knowles said she simply has to laugh when naysayers question her daughter’s Nashville bona fides.
“[I]t’s been there since she was a kid,” Knowles wrote on Instagram. “[W]e went to rodeos every year and my whole family dressed in western fashion.”
Fans Support Tina Knowles’ Statements: “We Are Country Music”
Knowles’ Instagram post had garnered nearly 150,000 likes as of Tuesday (Feb. 20.) One fan mentioned in the comments that they first saw Beyoncé live at the Houston Rodeo. The user punctuated their point with the hashtag #beybeencountry.
Other commenters drew attention to Black people’s historical contributions to country music — which have been largely scrubbed from the genre’s mainstream narrative.
“The gag is it does not belong to white people, at all,” one Instagram user wrote. “WE are country music. WE made it. And anybody from the south IS country.”
Featured image by Kevin Winter/WireImage for Parkwood
