Dolly Parton has given her public blessing to Beyoncé’s current departure into country music, saying she is “very excited” about her new sound.
READ MORE: Beyoncé – ‘Renaissance’ review: a celebration of love and Black joy
The singer recently made history by becoming the first Black woman to reach Number One on the US country chart with her new single ‘Texas Hold ‘Em’.
The song was released during the 2024 Super Bowl earlier this month, where Beyoncé announced her eighth studio album ‘Renaissance Act II’, which is due to arrive on March 29. She also shared the track ’16 Carriages’ from the upcoming record.
And now Queen Bey has been given the doff of the cowboy hat from the Queen of Country herself. “I’m a big fan of Beyoncé and very excited that she’s done a country album,” Parton wrote in a Facebook post. “So congratulations on your Billboard Hot Country number one single. Can’t wait to hear the full album! Love Dolly.”
Beyoncé’s new country-tinged direction has received criticism from some quarters, with Azealia Banks saying that she felt the singer was “setting herself up to be ridiculed”.
Beyoncé’s mother Tina took to her official Instagram account recently to defend her daughter against critics who have been questioning Beyoncé’s claim to country music.
She shared a compilation of country-style photos of the ‘Crazy In Love’ singer. “We have always celebrated Cowboy Culture growing up in Texas. We also always understood that it was not just about it belonging to White culture only. In Texas there is a huge black cowboy culture. Why do you think that my kids have integrated it into their fashion and art since the beginning,” she wrote.
In addition to being the first Black woman to top the Country charts, she has also become the first woman to top both the Hot Country Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hip Songs charts since these run-downs began in 1958. The only other artists to have led both charts are Justin Bieber, Billy Ray Cyrus, Ray Charles and Morgan Wallen.
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