Following the release of her new country-themed album Cowboy Carter on Friday, Beyoncé sent flowers and cards to Black female country artistes K. Michelle and Mickey Guyton as a token of appreciation for being an inspiration for her over the years.
The pop icon sent a bouquet of white flowers and a thank-you card to Guyton, who is known for country hits like Nice Things and Black Like Me. “Thank you for opening doors for me, queen. Keep shining. Love and respect, Beyoncé,” Beyonace wrote on the card.
Guyton emerged as the first Black female solo artist to be nominated for a Grammy award in a country music category for her 2021 single Black Like Me. The 40-year-old singer, whose genre is a blend of country, pop and R&B, has always been vocal about racial issues.
Acknowledging Beyonce’s gesture, Guyton wished Beyonce well on social media on Saturday. “With opportunity comes possibility. The possibilities are endless with you @beyonce. God gave me an assignment and I followed. May the doors continue to stay wide open,” she wrote.
In her thank-you note for Michelle, Beyonce wrote, “You’re killing it! I love what you’ve been doing and I know it’s not easy to enter a new space. Sending you positivity and respect. I hope to meet you one day. Love, Beyoncé.”
Michelle has recently transitioned from R&B to country music and also released a debut country solo last year titled Tennessee. She, too, thanked Beyonce for her gesture.
“One of the nicest things EVER, I’m in tears. Thank you for giving me my flowers, they are so beautiful. I’m so nervous about FINALLY getting to put out my first country album, and this just fueled the fire,” she wrote on Instagram, thanking Beyonce for motivating her to work on her first fully-fledged country album.
Both Guyton and Michelle have been open about the problems they faced as Black female artists in the music industry. Beyoncé, too, shared how Cowboy Carter was born out of the feeling that she was not “welcomed” in the country scene when she tried to venture into it years back. She opened up about how the criticism hurled at her forced her to “propel past the limitations that were put on her”.
The 16 Carriages singer greeted fans at Tower Records in Tokyo on Saturday for an album signing event for Cowboy Carter. In her pictures posted on Instagram, Beyoncé can be seen sporting a brown latex bodycon dress cinched at the helm by a belt and paired with a matching trench coat.
The 27-track album Cowboy Carter, also known as Renaissance Part II, features collaborations with country music icons Dolly Parton, Linda Martell and Willie Nelson as well as with Miley Cyrus and Post Malone. Both Renaissance Part I and Part II have paid homage to the black community and the country music scene.
