After a week of its release, Lily Allen has joined the conversation about Beyoncé’s latest album, Cowboy Carter. The album, which took over five years to create, was inspired by Beyoncé’s feeling of exclusion from the country music scene. In a recent Instagram post, Beyoncé reflected on the album’s long journey, mentioning an experience where she didn’t feel welcomed into the genre.
Beyoncé’s exploration of country music roots began in 2016 with “Daddy Lessons” from her album Lemonade. However, her performance of the song with The Chicks at the Country Music Association Awards drew criticism from some country fans. Despite this, Beyoncé remained resilient, eventually releasing Cowboy Carter as a celebration of her musical heritage.
Prominent figures like Dolly Parton have praised the album, with Dolly even requesting Beyoncé to cover her famous song “Jolene,” which is featured on Cowboy Carter. However, not everyone is equally impressed. Lily Allen, in a recent episode of her podcast, expressed skepticism about Beyoncé’s approach, particularly her choice to cover “Jolene”, describing it as “very weird” and stated Beyonce’s project as very ‘calculated’.
Lily and her co-host discussed the album’s strategic elements, noting how it seemed to be pushing a narrative of fitting into the country genre while also challenging established institutions. They pointed out moments like Jay-Z’s public remarks about Beyoncé’s Grammy snubs, which were later referenced in the album.
Overall, while many have lauded Beyoncé’s efforts to reclaim country music’s origins, others like Lily Allen view the project as calculated, questioning whether it’s truly about artistic exploration or strategic positioning within the music industry.
