Michelle Obama Highlighted A Powerful Message Hidden In Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter
Beyoncé has blessed the music industry once again with her album "Cowboy Carter." The album has fans in people all over the world — including former first ladies. Michelle Obama and Beyoncé are friends, and Obama has a close relationship with Beyoncé's mom, Tina Knowles. Obama has always been incredibly vocal with her praise for Beyoncé. "Cowboy Carter" is no different, with Obama taking to X, formerly known as Twitter, to recognize Beyoncé's work.
In her tweet, Obama called Beyoncé "a record breaker and history-maker" and continued, "With 'Cowboy Carter,' you have changed the game once again by helping redefine a music genre and transform our culture. I am so proud of you!"
In the second tweet in her thread, Obama talked about the impact of the album and how it can empower people to celebrate no matter what they've dealt with in the past. "This album reminds us that we ALL have power," Obama added. "There's power in our history, in our joy, and in our votes — and we can each use our own gifts and talents to make our voices heard on the issues that matter most to us." In the third tweet in her "Cowboy Carter" thread, Obama encouraged people to vote in the upcoming 2024 election by referencing the lyrics to one of the album's songs.
Obama echoed the lyrics of Beyoncé's 'Ya Ya' and encouraged people to vote
"The issues that impact us most are on the ballot across the country — from equal pay and racial justice to reproductive healthcare and climate change," Michelle Obama said on X. "And as Queen Bey says at the end of 'Ya Ya,' we need to 'keep the faith' and 'VOTE!'" She then shared the WhenWeAllVote.org link so eligible voters can register if they haven't already. The When We All Vote Instagram page shared a reel with the same message as well.
The Genius annotation about Beyoncé's "Ya Ya" explains how it pays homage to Black artists who performed on the Chitlin' Circuit in the times of American segregation. The lyrics of the track touch on difficult times and uncertainty, but they also reference a lover and are set to an upbeat and danceable tune. As Obama said, it ends with a strong call to action: "We gotta keep the faith ... Ahhhh, vote."
Beyoncé encouraging her listeners to vote is important — the 2024 election is gearing up to be a tense one. This also isn't the first time she's done so. In 2016, she shared a "Get Out the Vote" video on YouTube endorsing Hillary Clinton. She endorsed Joe Biden in 2020 with an Instagram post wearing a Biden-Harris mask.
'Cowboy Carter' has lots of personal significance for Beyoncé
A lot of hard work and dedication went into each song on "Cowboy Carter." The album holds personal significance for Beyoncé since it's partially a response to negativity she's faced. When sharing the "Cowboy Carter" album art on Instagram, Beyoncé briefly described what inspired the album: "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." It's rumored she was alluding to the backlash of her 2016 CMAs performance, from shortly before that year's election. She sang her song "Daddy Lessons" with The Chicks, and it wasn't well received by certain country music fans.
Beyoncé was inspired to study country music after the unwelcome experience. People trying to shut the door to country music on her encouraged her to charge ahead. She continued, "Act ii is a result of challenging myself, and taking my time to bend and blend genres together to create this body of work."
She said that "Cowboy Carter" included "a few surprises" (but there was no Taylor Swift cameo, like some people believed). And though this album honors the impact of country music, Beyoncé quipped, "This ain't a Country album. This is a 'Beyoncé' album." The Beyhive will likely take Beyoncé and Michelle Obama's advice and stream it to the polls and back.