Swifties and the Bey Hive momentarily combined when a rumor spread that Taylor Swift was featured as backing vocals on Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter track “Bodyguard.” The rumor was posted on the lyric site Genius, which listed Swift in the credits as background vocals. It has since been debunked by a source, who told EW that Swift is not, in fact, included on the track.
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On a tweet claiming Swift is featured, Twitter/X users left a community note, which aims to verify claims on social media and debunk rumors that may spread misinformation. Genius is a lyric site which can be edited by the public, the community note clarifies, and so it is not reliable. Most likely, someone edited the credits of “Bodyguard” to include Swift.
According to EW, producer Killah B, who worked on “Texas Hold ‘Em,” supposedly fueled the rumors when he told TMZ on Tuesday that fans are “just gonna have to wait and see” if Swift makes an appearance on Cowboy Carter. He continued, “Let’s just say [Beyoncé is] on the approach of shocking the world … I’ll let your imagination decide what that means.”
She’s definitely shocking the world with this new album—in the best way—but Swifties will have to make do without a nod from Queen Bey. While a collaboration between the two biggest women in the music industry would be legendary, it allegedly hasn’t happened yet. Besides, Swift has her own album coming out soon, The Tortured Poets Department, on April 19.
Who is Actually Featured on Beyoncé’s New Album?
While Taylor Swift may not be featured on Cowboy Carter, there are plenty of other amazing collaborations and features on the album. Some of these include Miley Cyrus, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, and Post Malone. Additionally, Shaboozey, Linda Martell, Tanner Adell, and Willie Jones are featured in some capacity as well.
Miley Cyrus duets with Beyoncé on the track “II Most Wanted.” They sing in the chorus, I’ll be your shotgun rider til the day I die / Smoke out the window flyin down the 405 / I’ll be your backseat baby, drivin’ you crazy / Anytime you like / I’ll be your shotgun rider til the day I die. The song is a slow country ballad, and their voices meld beautifully together. Cyrus’ twang combined with Beyoncé’s R&B-styled vocals create a gorgeous mesh where they sound like they almost become one voice.
The cover of The Beatles’ “Blackbiird,” stylized with double ‘I’s, features Brittany Spencer, Tanner Adell, Tiera Kennedy, and Reyna Roberts, highlighting this amazing group of Black female country singers. Cowboy Carter is bringing much needed attention to Black women in country music and those who are trying to change the landscape of the genre for the better.
Additionally, the album features country legends like Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, and Linda Martell. Parton is included on an interlude to the refreshed “Jolene,” while Nelson is featured as a radio DJ on the interludes “Smoke Hour – Willie Nelson” and “Smoke Hour II.” Martell also has an interlude on the song “Spaghettii.” The interludes are interesting in a way that will be incredible during whatever live show Beyoncé has planned for this album.
Featured Image by Kevin Winter/Getty Images for The Recording Academy; Terry Wyatt/Getty Images)
