When Sugarland singer Jennifer Nettles was asked on the red carpet at Sunday's (April 7) 2024 CMT Music Awards if she had heard the Billboard 200 album No. 1 by Beyoncé Cowboy Carter the answer was funny.
“Of course! Who hasn't?” Nettles quipped in horror about the country-leaning collection that secured Bey's eighth No. 1 on the album chart, “What rock are you under if you don't have one?” The band's guitarist Kristian Bush added, “Oh my god, it's about time,” noting that the duo worked with Bey more than 15 years ago when they performed a cover of her song “Irreplaceable” at the 2007 American Music Awards that featured Beyoncé.joining them on stage for the second verse.
“She wanted to do it then,” Bush said of a longtime desire by the Houston R&B superstar to dip her toes into the world of country music. “And we did. We said yes, so we did and I'm so glad it finally came. I'm so happy for her.”
Nettles noted that she was excited that Bey's move to a proper venue “expands” the conversation around genre lines to a new place. “Real artists hate the idea of genre anyway,” he said. “It's a manufactured thing for marketing. He wants to sing what he wants to sing. We want to sing what we want to sing. Everyone wants to write and sing what we want to write and sing and expand on, so let's go! Let her live!”
The pair also spoke about the group's excitement for the just-announced Autumn/Winter 2024 Take Me Home tour with Little Big Town. “All the fans are excited,” Nettles said of the dates revealed on Sunday (April 7). The duo also performed their new single, a collaboration with Sugarland on Phil Collins' 1985 solo single “Take Me Home,” which they performed live at last night's 2024 CMT Music Awards.
from our partners at https://www.billboard.com/music/country/sugarland-praise-beyonce-country-album-cowboy-carter-1235651471/
