Beyoncé is facing fresh questions online after an old video resurfaced in which she appears to say, 'I don't listen to country music. I never have.' The clip has been shared again after her historic Grammy wins for Cowboy Carter, with some viewers asking how the singer went from saying she did not listen to country music to becoming one of the genre's biggest award winners.
The video has also resurfaced at the same time as newly released footage involving Beyoncé and Michael Jackson has drawn attention online. However, the country music clip needs some context, as its original date and setting have not been clearly confirmed by major news outlets.
The Resurfaced Beyoncé Clip
In the short clip being shared online, Beyoncé is heard saying, 'I don't listen to country music. I never have.' The statement has led some social media users to question whether her later move into country music was a sudden change in direction.
Another clip has surfaced of Beyoncé saying she doesn’t listen to country music.
— BlackMedia__ (@BlackMedia___) August 18, 2026
“I don’t listen to country music. I never have.”
This resurfaced after unseen footage of her sitting on the lap of adult film director Marc Schaffel while on the phone with Michael Jackson has the… pic.twitter.com/y7NvzEWWxm
No strong public record currently confirms when the clip was filmed or what question Beyoncé was answering. That makes it difficult to know whether she was talking about country music as a genre, her personal music habits at the time, or something more specific.
The clip should therefore be viewed as an old statement being discussed again, rather than proof that Beyoncé has always rejected country music. Her later comments about Cowboy Carter show that her relationship with the genre became much more serious over time.
Her Country Journey Started Years Earlier
Beyoncé's country journey also dates back to 2016. She performed 'Daddy Lessons' with The Chicks at the Country Music Association Awards, but the performance received a mixed response from some country music fans.
That moment became an important part of the story behind Cowboy Carter. The Associated Press reported that the backlash helped fuel Beyoncé's effort to reclaim country music's Black roots and create more space for Black artists in the genre.
The album was therefore not simply Beyoncé deciding one day to become a country singer. It grew from years of questions about who gets to be part of country music and whose history is remembered when people talk about the genre.
'Cowboy Carter' Changed the Conversation
When Cowboy Carter arrived in 2024, Beyoncé worked with several major country and roots artists. The album included names such as Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Linda Martell, Miley Cyrus, Post Malone and Shaboozey, along with several rising Black country artists.
The project also became a major success beyond country. 'Texas Hold 'Em' reached the top of the country chart, making Beyoncé the first Black woman to top Billboard's country music chart, according to the Associated Press.
Rather than treating country music as a closed box, Beyoncé used the album to show how many different sounds can exist inside the genre. The Recording Academy said the album looks at the Black roots of country music while bringing together several American music styles.
Beyoncé Makes Grammy History
The biggest moment came at the 2025 Grammy Awards. Cowboy Carter won Best Country Album, making Beyoncé the first Black woman in Grammy history to win the award. The win was part of a much bigger night for the singer. Beyoncé also won Best Country Duo/Group Performance with Miley Cyrus for 'II Most Wanted' and later won Album of the Year for Cowboy Carter.
Her Grammy speech also addressed the idea of being placed inside one genre. Beyoncé said that 'genre is a cold word' that can keep artists in one place, while thanking the country artists who accepted her album.
So, Did Beyoncé Contradict Herself?
At first glance, the resurfaced clip and Beyoncé's Grammy win may seem like a clear contradiction, but artists can change their tastes over time. While the singer may have once rarely listened to country music, she later explored the genre, studied its history and found her own way to blend it with her sound through Cowboy Carter.
Beyoncé's career has crossed R&B, pop, hip-hop, dance, rock, folk and country, making it hard to place her in just one musical box. Her Grammy speech also reflected this approach, as she encouraged artists to follow what they are passionate about and thanked the country artists who welcomed her into the genre.
For now, the resurfaced 'I don't listen to country music' clip remains an interesting part of Beyoncé's past, but its exact context is still unclear. What is clear is what came next: Cowboy Carter became a Grammy-winning country album and helped Beyoncé make history.
