Fans Believe Beyoncé Criticized CMA Awards in Recent Post: Here’s Why

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Since the late 1990s, Beyoncé shared her love for R&B and hip hop as she went on to sell over 200 million albums worldwide. And that was just the start as her music gained her 32 Grammy Awards. Having released numerous albums throughout her time in the spotlight, the icon is preparing for the release of Cowboy Carter. Excited about her step into country music, the singer recently shared a post on social media detailing her journey into the genre and the one moment that started it all. While not sharing too many details, fans are already speculating about the exact moment she discussed. 

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Posting a beautiful picture on Instagram, Beyoncé thanked fans for all the love and support she received over the last few months. Marking a massive step for the artist, she also took a moment to detail the criticism she faced along the way. Part of her post read, “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 welcomed…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.”

Fans Take A Trip Into The Past With Beyoncé

Although Beyoncé kept the post vague about the moment, fans seemed to already have a clue about what she was talking about. Back before she focused on releasing an entire country album, Beyoncé shared her song “Daddy Lessons” on the 2016 album Lemonade. Not even a year later, she found herself on the stage of the Country Music Association Awards alongside The Chicks. Receiving some backlash for her performance, fans believed that moment sparked her drive to go country. 

[RELATED: Maren Morris Rallies Behind Beyoncé Ahead of ‘Cowboy Carter’ Release]

Online, fans shared their thoughts and speculation surrounding Beyoncé’s post. One fan wrote, “Beyoncé’s performance with The Chicks at the 2016 CMA Awards reportedly delivered the show’s highest-rated 15 minutes ever, but they still deleted the performance from their social media amid outcry from racist country music fans. Then she turned that experience into a deeper foray into country music with #COWBOYCARTER — the first taste of which, “Texas Hold ‘Em,” made her the first Black woman with a No. 1 hit on the Hot Country Songs chart. Talk about turning lemons into lemonade.”

https://twitter.com/gibsonoma/status/1770123312657535355?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1770123312657535355%7Ctwgr%5E9a1c847b08dbb9ffd87945938167810caea8167e%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fd-21045807353314578539.ampproject.net%2F2403072016000%2Fframe.html

Not the only fan to see the connection, another person added, “When Beyonceé said ‘best revenge is your paper’, she meant that s**t. The CMA’s pissed her off so bad she made #1 country song. How can you not live?”

While just speculation, be sure to check out Beyoncé‘s newest album, Cowboy Carter, hitting shelves on March 29.  

(Photo by Gareth Cattermole/Getty Images for Disney)

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