Lily Allen Calls Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’ Country Music Campaign ‘Quite Calculated’

From Beyoncé‘s “Jolene” cover to Jay-Z’s speech at the 2024 Grammys, Lily Allen has some thoughts about the superstar’s new album Country Carter — particularly its positioning in the country music landscape.

While speaking about the record on her BBC podcast Miss Me? on Thursday (April 4), the British singer-songwriter started by dissecting Bey’s revamped take on the Dolly Parton classic — which finds the “Texas Hold ‘Em” artist singing updated lyrics seemingly about her husband. For instance: “You don’t want no hеat with me, Jolene/ We’ve been deep in love for twenty years/ I raised that man, I raised his kids.”

“I read a comment from Azealia Banks where she was like, ‘Stop talking about Jay-Z as if anyone wants to f–k him,” Allen said, laughing. “Literally, no one’s even looked at him for about 10 years, relax.”

When co-host Miquita Oliver asked Allen whether she personally found the Tidal founder attractive, she replied, “I mean, I’m attracted to power, so yes?”

“But maybe not physically,” added the singer, who is married to Stranger Things star David Harbour. “I don’t want my current husband to get upset, but it’s not really the physical I go for.”

The “Smile” artist went on to knock Bey’s choice to cover “Jolene” on Cowboy Carter, a move that was personally endorsed by the country icon. “It’s very weird that you’d cover the most successful songs in that genre,” Allen mused. “I just feel like it’s quite an interesting thing to do when you’re like trying to tackle a new genre and you just choose the biggest song in that genre to cover. I mean, you do you, Beyoncé, and she literally is doing her. Or is she doing Dolly?”

As far as the Cowboy Carter rollout goes, Allen thinks Bey’s pivot to country has been “quite calculated.” “The front cover is her in a cowboy hat, riding on a horse,” she said, noting that she thinks Jay-Z’s remarks at the 2024 Grammys about the Recording Academy continuously snubbing the Destiny’s Child alum for album of the year were “part of this campaign.”

“She was wearing a blonde wig and a cowboy hat [at the Grammys],” Allen said. “It’s a bit about challenging these institutions that have thus far rejected Beyonce as the icon and institution she is herself.”

“Now she’s the most played woman on country radio. No. 1,” she continued. “She’s coming for that market. I don’t really know why, but then, who am I to question it? Whatever floats your boat.”