Beyoncé's dropped her country album Cowboy Carter on March 29 but it was no secret that some folks were not for the pop and R&B star to crossover into the country realm. The 32-time Grammy winner alluded to the unwelcomed feeling she felt about five years ago seemingly referencing her time at the Country Music Awards (CMAs) in 2016.

“This album has been over five years in the making,” Beyoncé wrote in part on her Instagram captioning a photo of the official album cover art. “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. 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.”

What Normani Thinks Of Cowboy Carter

Beyoncé, Cowboy Carter

Normani is with the majority who felt as though Cowboy Carter not only was a result of Beyoncé's immersive talent but gave a shoutout to Black country artists, and the history of country music in general.

“Having Beyoncé, a Black woman in music, taking over the country space is revolutionary. Those are the types of things that I set out to do. Now you have country artists who look like us coming out and just being like, ‘We’ve always been here.’ I think that it’s educational not only for music lovers, but also in the Black community. We’ve pioneered a lot that we don’t get recognition for. I think that it’s just really cool being able to witness Beyoncé be fearless and do something that is much bigger than herself,” Normani told Elle in her April feature.

Normani is also set to release new music herself, the singer released “1:59” featuring Gunna on Friday (April 26) and her debut solo album Dopamine will drop on June 10.  Fans have been awaiting for her to drop the album since 2018 when she tweeted, “I have my album title y’all.”  However, in between she has just released two singles: “Wild Side” ft. Cardi B and “Fair.”

“I think that there’s a false narrative that because of how long this process has taken, that means I don’t care, or that means I’m more interested in doing other things than putting this body of work out. Nobody wants this project to come out more than me. I think that at the end of the day, if I stand behind this wholeheartedly, it doesn’t matter what the world thinks,” she tells the publication.

The former Fifth Harmony singer also revealed that she has been supporting her parents who were both diagnosed with cancer but are doing well now. She says that “Dopamine represents the highs and the lows I’ve endured. It’s been such an emotional roller coaster” adding that, “This body of work really is just a representation of my resilience.”