With her new album Cowboy Carter, Beyoncé proudly taps into her southern roots, delivering a beautiful collection of country-inspired songs. From the very beginning, Bey sets the scene with “American Requiem,” a gorgeous intro hammering home the foundation of her craft — before anything else, Beyoncé is a Texas girl.
On a particularly memorable verse of the song, Bey addresses criticisms she faced early on in her career, as many noted that she had a strong southern accent. She also recalls being told she didn’t fit into the country landscape — presumably after the release of “Daddy Lessons” from her 2016 album, Lemonade.
“They used to say I spoke, ‘Too country’ / Then the rejection came, said I wasn’t, ‘Country enough’ / Said I wouldn’t saddle up, but / If that ain’t country, tell me, what is? / Tread my bare feet on solid ground for years / They don’t, don’t know how hard I had to fight for this,” she sings.
In an Instagram post from earlier this month, Bey noted that her Cowboy Carter album 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.”
Needless to say, Bey just changed the game.
You can listen to “American Requiem” above.
Cowboy Carter is out now via Parkwood and Columbia Records. Find more information here.