Beyonce Reveals Inspiration for Country Album: She 'Did Not Feel Welcome'

iHeartMedia and Fox Entertainment announced on March 21 that East Hampton resident Beyoncé Knowles-Carter will be honored with the iHeartRadio Innovator Award at the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on April 1, reports the Daily Mail.

Meanwhile, Beyoncé’s new album, Act II: Cowboy Carter, released on March 29.

Queen Bey revealed on social media that the album took five years to make, and it was born out of an experience when the 32-time Grammy winner “did not feel welcome.”

Beyoncé posted, “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 number one single on the Hot Country Songs chart.” She continued, “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.”