Beyoncé on the second act of ‘Cowboy Carter’: ‘It’s not a country album. “This is the ‘Beyoncé’ album”

Beyhive, rejoice! Beyoncé just released the official album cover for Act II of her “Renaissance” era, titled “Cowboy Carter.” Queen Bey delves into it Instagram post captionsharing her five-year journey in creating this country music, announcing her collaboration on the album, and the way the moment she felt “not welcome” inspired her to take a “deep dive” into the history of country music.

The American-inspired cover shows Bey back on horseback, replacing the holographic horse she rode for the “Renaissance” album with a white stallion wearing a red, white and blue cowboy outfit and holding an American flag. Realizing that the album could be released in 10 days, Beyoncé began her caption by thanking fans for his or her support, which made her the first Black woman to top the Hot Country Songs chart with “Texas Hold ‘Em.”

“I hope that in a few years, the mention of an artist’s race in the context of releasing music genres will be irrelevant,” she wrote.

Beyoncé then gives her followers a peek behind the curtain of the album, saying it was “five years in the making.” She wrote: “This was born out of an experience I had many years ago where I didn’t feel welcome… and it was very clear that I wasn’t. But through this experience, I delved deeper into the history of country music and studied our rich music archive.”

Although the “16 Carriages” singer didn’t specify the event, the Internet quickly deduced that she was most certainly referring to her performance at the 2016 Country Music Awards and the subsequent response. During this time, Beyoncé performed her song “Lemonade” “Daddy Lessons” with country music girl group “The Chicks.”

“The criticism I faced when I first encountered this genre forced me to overcome the limitations that were placed on me,” she continued. “Act II is the result of challenging myself and taking the time to bend and blend genres to create this work.”

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She announced collaboration on the album with “brilliant artists” whom she “deeply” respects. “I focused on this album as a continuation of RENAISSANCE… I hope this music will be an experience, creating another journey where you can close your eyes, start over and never end.” As previously reported by theGrio, country legend Dolly Parton joked last week that Queen Bey might record a cover of her hit “Jolene” as part of an upcoming project.

Beyoncé concluded her caption by saying, “This is not a country album. This is the Beyoncé album.

Act II, “Cowboy Carter,” might be released on Friday, March 29.