The veteran country singer spoke with ET at the 2024 CMT Music Awards.
The Carter girls have to stick together! That's what veteran country singer Carlene Carter told ET's Cassie DiLaura at the 2024 CMT Music Awards in Austin, Texas, on Sunday. The daughter of June Carter Cash and her first husband, Carl Smith, recently made headlines for being one of the many supporters of Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter album, which was released on March 29.
Carlene -- whose mother and grandmother, Maybelle Carter, were members of country music's legendary Carter family -- shared a statement to various outlets defending Beyoncé amid the pushback she's received for tapping into her country roots when she's traditionally viewed as an R&B/pop artist.
The GRAMMY-nominated singer's statement said, in part, "As a Carter Girl myself and coming from a long line of Carter Girls, I'm moved to ask why anyone would treat a Carter this way? She is an incredibly talented and creative woman who obviously wanted to do this because she likes country music. In my book, she's one of us Carter women, and we have always pushed the boundaries by trying whatever music we felt in our hearts and taking spirit-driven risks."
"I am here to let Beyoncé and all those nay-sayers know that I admire and love her and all she does," Carlene continued. "I am delighted to know that Carter spunk is in her just like it's been through nearly 100 years of us Carters choosing to follow our hearts, hearts that are filled with love not just for country music but for all kinds of music. Here's a warm welcome to the Carter Girl Club! It's only a matter of time before those nay-sayers become Bey sayers."
Speaking with ET, Carlene reiterated her support for the "American Requiem" singer, whose surname Carter comes via her marriage to JAY-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter.
"I loved that she came out with her name as Carter because she's married to JAY-Z, and I thought, she's from Texas, she wanted to make a country record, nobody should give her any poo poo about it, you know? But they did and I was like, 'OK, y'all can just shut the hell up because she is Beyoncé and we are lucky to have her even want to be in the vicinity of us,'" Carlene said.
Although she clarified that she wasn't badmouthing the genre, Carlene added that "country music has always been about what is real in life and, from what I understand, this record is very much about her life."
"It may not fit the categories of what people think country is [but] let me tell you, I've been around a long time and country has changed constantly," she continued. "It changes constantly, and it's gone from where she at to where I've been to where my mother's been to my grandmother [and] all the way back again to somebody else that's gonna follow Beyoncé. It's always gonna be there, so that's what country is."
Cowboy Carter debuted at No. 1 on the all-genre Billboard 200 chart, as well as the Top Country Albums chart, after dropping on March 29. The 27-track album includes features from country icons Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton, as well as Post Malone and Miley Cyrus. The GRAMMY-winning artist also made sure to include a host of Black rising stars in country music, including Reyna Roberts, Tanner Adell, Tiera Kennedy, Brittney Spencer, Willie Jones and Shaboozey.
But, to be clear: Beyoncé has declared that Cowboy Carter "isn't a country album, it's a Beyoncé album."
For Jones, who lends his vocals to the track "Just for Fun," the project is an all-American piece of art.
"It's really a history lesson about music and, really, about America," he told ET at the CMT Music Awards. "I love how she really dug her roots deep for this one and brought out all the stops."
He's also been deeply moved by the support of the BeyHive, offering a playful nod to Beyoncé's loyal and vocal fandom.
"All I got to say is, shout-out to the BeyHive," he quipped on the red carpet. "Shout-out to the cocoon, critters, all the caterpillars, all the bees. The Bees be spreading the good news on Twitter."
Roberts, Adell, Kennedy and Spencer's vocals are included in Bey's stunning "Blackbird" cover, and they all came together in person to serve as presenters during Sunday's awards ceremony.
Spencer called it "the most overstimulating experience of my life" to keep her involvement close hold.
"Nothing can prepare you for the Beyoncé effect," she admitted. "So I'm glad that I had some time to myself to kinda, like, you know, just sit in my little solitude in my memory bank."
She also offered heartfelt thanks to the 42-year-old "Texas Hold 'Em" singer.
"Beyoncé, you are the artist of your generation," she remarked. "I love you, thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of his incredible masterpiece."
ET also spoke with Mickey Guyton, who is not included on the album but did -- literally -- get her flowers from Bey, receiving a sweet floral arrangement from the star on release day. The kind gesture included a note thanking Guyton -- who made history as the first Black artist to earn a GRAMMY nomination for Best Country Album -- for making country music more accessible to fellow Black artists.
"There were waterworks, there were knees buckling," Guyton said of the gift. "There was an audible gasp. Yes, yes. it was really, really awesome. To even be acknowledged for what I've done, and it just means a lot."
Hosted by Kelsea Ballerini, the 2024 CMT Music Awards were held at the Moody Center in Austin, Texas, on Sunday, April 7, at 8 p.m. ET/PT. The show aired on CBS and will also be available to stream live and on demand via Paramount+.
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