IN BEYONCÉ WE TRUST

With Beyoncé's new set, Country Carter (Parkwood/Columbia), due 3/29, the superstar has a few choice words for her critics; the Texas native declared on Instagram, "This ain't a country album. This is a 'Beyoncé' album."

She went on to say:

Today marks the 10-day countdown until the release of act ii. Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all of the supporters of "TEXAS HOLD 'EM" and "16 CARRIAGES." I feel honored to be the first Black woman with the #1 single on the Hot Country Songs chart. That would not have happened without the outpouring of support from each and every one of you. My hope is that years from now, the mention of an artist’s race, as it relates to releasing genres of music, will be irrelevant.

This album has been over five years in the making. It was born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcome… And it was very clear that I wasn’t. But, because of that experience, I did a deeper dive into the history of country music and studied our rich musical archive. It feels good to see how music can unite so many people around the world while also amplifying the voices of some of the people who have dedicated so much of their lives educating on our musical history.

The criticisms I faced when I first entered this genre forced me to propel past the limitations that were put on me. act ii is a result of challenging myself and taking my time to bend and blend genres together to create this body of work.

Beyoncé also noted that there are "a few surprises" and "brilliant artists" on the forthcoming set, though she didn't reveal any names. We'll just have to wait for the ride. Read the full post below.