K. Michelle On Beyoncé’s New Country Album: “I Will Be Supporting Her Like I Always Do”

People love to act as though two artists can’t peacefully co-exist without being pitted against one another, and K. Michelle proved to be a class act after experiencing this on Sunday night (Feb. 11).

After Beyoncé broke the internet with the news of act ii, which is a country album, one Twitter user wrote, “Has anyone checked on @kmichelle? Bey will bring pressure to Country music.”

The retired R&B singer, who now performs as her country alter ego, Puddin’, responded, “Why would anyone need to check on me? I’m one of the greatest African American country singers of all time with no album even out.”

Though this person wasn’t the only one expressing similar “concerns,” the Memphis native continued, “Yall been mentioning me ALL night. I’m just happy to be spoke about in my genre. I love Bey and will be supporting her like I always do.”

After she released her final R&B album, I’m The Problem, K. Michelle promptly returned as Puddin’ for the release of “Tennessee.” Of her country music pivot, she explained to VIBE, “Country is something that I think is a lifestyle and it’s something that I do. So that’s always in me and it’s something that’s going to be presented.”

Unfortunately, she has already experienced racist reactions in being a country artist along with Monica and Lil Nas X. The latter’s smash hit, “Old Town Road,” was removed from Billboard charts for “not being country enough,” but was reinstated when Billy Ray Cyrus was added to the remix. Even when Bey dropped “16 CARRIAGES” and “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM,” the songs were initially listed under Pop before DSPs updated it to the proper metadata as country tracks.

Fans are predicting, though, that Bey’s three-act release is a reclamation that Black Music is American music as one tweeted, “Black people created house music. Black people created country music. Black people created rock music. BABY, THIS IS THE RENAISSANCE!”

act ii is slated for release on March 29.