Mar 29, 2024 - Politics & Policy

Harris hails Beyoncé: "Your music continues to inspire us all"

Shauneen Miranda

Vice President Kamala Harris claps her hands — Vice President Kamala Harris appears in the House Chamber ahead of the State of the Union address on March 7. Photo: Shawn Thew/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images

Vice President Kamala Harris praised Beyoncé's music on Friday after the superstar released her new album, "Cowboy Carter."

The big picture: Beyoncé's highly anticipated album, which dropped at midnight, revived the debate over diversity in contemporary country music, Axios Nashville's Adam Tamburin reports.

What she's saying: "Thank you for reminding us to never feel confined to other people's perspective of what our lane is," Harris wrote in a post on X.

"You have redefined a genre and reclaimed country music's Black roots. Your music continues to inspire us all," she said.

Catch up quick: Beyoncé said the album "has been over five years in the making" and was "born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed," per an Instagram post earlier this month.

The superstar said it was "because of that experience" she "did a deeper dive into the history of Country music and studied our rich musical archive."

Her comments were widely interpreted as a reference to her 2016 performance at the CMA Awards, which was met with a racist backlash on social media, Tamburin also reports.

Go deeper: Beyoncé reveals the story behind "Cowboy Carter" country album

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Harris hails Beyoncé: "Your music continues to inspire us all"

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