Cowboy Carter marks Beyoncé’s foray into a different sound. Contrary to the acclaimed singer’s pop-heavy and R&B-inspired releases, Queen B puts on her cowboy boots with her country-leaning eighth studio album. Her creative experimentation truly paid off, ultimately earning her another round of significant accolades. As of 2025, Beyoncé has won a total of 35 Grammy Awards, including three for Cowboy Carter: Best Country Duo/Group Performance, Best Country Album, and Album of the Year. This achievement makes her the artist with the most Grammy wins of all time. However, despite the record’s success, country singer Gavin Adcock believes the music legend shouldn’t have won any awards in the country categories, as he feels the album doesn’t really qualify as a country record.
Gavin Adcock Says Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’ Isn’t Country Music
Of course, such an achievement comes with plenty of detractors. And for an artist as big as Beyoncé, she isn’t exactly immune to criticism. During one of Adcock’s recent concerts (via The Hollywood Reporter), the country singer — known for tracks like “Need To,” “Unlucky Strikes,” “A Cigarette,” and more — said there were “only three people in front of me on the Apple Music country charts, and one of them’s Beyoncé.” He then went on to say that Beyoncé’s Grammy-winning album “ain’t country music” at all. Adcock later followed up with a video posted to Instagram, captioned “it just ain’t country,” further reinforcing his statement. In the video, Adcock explained that artists who have poured their heart and soul into the country genre shouldn’t be put in a position where they have to witness Beyoncé garner achievements in the country realm “just because she’s Beyoncé.” He said:
“[Let me] go ahead and clear this up — when I was a little kid, my mama was blasting some Beyoncé in the car. I’ve heard a ton of Beyoncé songs and I actually remember her Super Bowl Halftime Show being pretty kick-ass back in the day. But I really don’t believe her album should be labeled as country music. It doesn’t sound country, it doesn’t feel country, and I just don’t think that people that have dedicated their whole lives to this genre and this lifestyle should have to compete or watch that album just stay at the top just because she’s Beyoncé.”
The Beyhive quickly came to Beyoncé’s defense, with one user saying, “You can try to sugarcoat it all you want, but his statement was definitely rooted in racism.” Another commented, “How is Beyoncé not country when she’s from Texas? Is Texas not country no more?” Some also made fun of Adcock’s statement, with one writing, “He ain’t no Divvaaaaaaa,” which is a reference to Beyoncé’s 2009 single, titled “Diva.”
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Beyoncé “Did Not Feel Welcomed” in Country Music — Gavin Adcock Just Proved Why
Beyoncé’s pivot to country music came as a surprise to some, but it made perfect sense, given that the singer was born in Houston, Texas. Still, some have questioned her decision to explore a new sound, Adcock among them. In the days leading up to the release of Cowboy Carter, the “Texas Hold ’Em” hitmaker took to Instagram to share the story behind the album. “This album has been over five years in the making. 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.”
Cowboy Carter wasn’t the first time Beyoncé had faced criticism within country music. In 2016, Bey released the country-inspired track “Daddy Lessons,” off of her sixth studio album, Lemonade. She later performed the song with The Chicks at the CMA Awards, which was later criticized solely because she wasn’t considered a country singer. The backlash led to the removal of the performance from the CMA Awards’ official website.
“The criticisms I faced when I first entered this genre forced me to propel past the limitations that were put on me. Act ii is a result of challenging myself, and taking my time to bend and blend genres together to create this body of work,” the singer wrote in the same Instagram post. She concluded with a bold disclaimer: “This ain’t a Country album. This is a “Beyoncé” album.”
Despite the criticism, Cowboy Carter continues to break records, proving Beyoncé’s place in a world she once said she “did not feel welcomed” in. The album also features tracks like “16 Carriages,” “Bodyguard,” and Bey’s own rendition of Dolly Parton‘s “Jolene,” among others.