• newsinsightplus.com
• 1980s
• 2011Top
• February 21, 2024
• 0 Comments

BBC HomepageSkip to contentAccessibility HelpYour accountLiveNotificationsHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeMore menuMore menuSearch BBCHomeNewsSportWeatheriPlayerSoundsBitesizeCBBCCBeebiesFoodClose menuBBC NewsMenuHomeIsrael-Gaza warCost of LivingWar in UkraineClimateUKWorldBusinessPoliticsCultureMoreTechScienceHealthFamily & EducationIn PicturesNewsbeatBBC VerifyDisabilityNewsbeatBeyoncé: Renaissance star loved country music as a baby, dad revealsPublished3 hours agoShareclose panelShare pageCopy linkAbout sharingImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Beyoncé’s highly anticipated new album is due to be released next monthBy Luke Wolstenholme & Riyah CollinsBBC NewsbeatIn case you’ve been living under a rock, Beyoncé is releasing country music and it’s already topping charts. Her new hit Texas Hold ‘Em is the first song by a black woman to debut at top spot on the Billboard country chart.The pivot from R&B and pop may have come as a surprise to some but her dad thinks it’s always been in her blood.Dr Matthew Knowles tells BBC Asian Network that as a child Beyoncé would spend time with his parents in Alabama who loved country music.”When Beyoncé was a little baby, and I’m talking two-three years old, she would go down and spend the summer with my parents,” Dr Knowles says.”And her grandfather – my father – loved country music, and he used to sing to her. At an early age, she heard this music.”And when you’re two, three years old, subconsciously music stays in your head,” he says.Dr Knowles, who until 2011 managed his daughter, says he “wouldn’t be surprised” if Beyoncé’s childhood memories played a role in her new direction.The record executive has also previously managed Beyoncé’s sister Solange and her group Destiny’s Child.He says Beyoncé now has the chance to bring a “totally new audience” to the country genre.Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Dr Matthew Knowles used to manage Beyoncé as well as her sister SolangeBeyoncé announced her new album, the second part to her Renaissance project, during the Super Bowl last week with two tracks released immediately.The second track, 16 Carriages, entered the Billboard country charts at number nine and it’s anticipated that the full album – due to be released next month – will be country too.While a full country album will be a first for the Texas-born singer, Dr Knowles points out it’s not her first time at the rodeo.”On a previous album [Lemonade, 2016], there’s a country song Daddy Lessons,” he says.While the song was put forward for the country category at the Grammys, it was rejected by the Recording Academy. Music critics say the genre has an issue with representation, particularly for black and female artists, and a US country station last week had to reverse a decision not to play Texas Hold ‘Em.But Dr Knowles believes Beyoncé’s new direction could change this and introduce a whole new fan base to country music. “The country music industry should really look at that as a plus not a minus, that she’s bringing a completely new audience.”Image source, Wisniewska.fotografiaImage caption, Anna Prasek, known as anMari, won a scholarship to study music in LondonThe businessman and lecturer says diversity in the music industry is heading “in the right direction” but there’s still room for improvement.It’s why he’s launched a scholarship at London College of Contemporary Music in his name for rising stars.The first musician to be awarded the bursary, worth £10,500, is Polish composer, singer and pianist Anna Prasek, known as anMari.”I feel very honoured and grateful,” she tells BBC Asian Network.”It gave me big hope to keep working hard to keep pushing my boundaries and thinking outside of the box, trying something new.”And it’s trying out something fresh which Dr Knowles says caught his attention. “In this world of music, we look for what’s different,” he says. “We don’t need another Beyoncé, we have one. We don’t need another Taylor Swift, we have one. But we do need a new anMari.”‘Beyoncé can open UK country music floodgates’Radio plays Beyoncé after country music outcryBeyoncé announces new album in Super Bowl advertAnd his advice for the next generation of artists is no different to the advice he gave Beyoncé and Solange, he says.”The advice I gave my kids is that if this is your passion, then I’ll surround you with the tools.”You have to be disciplined, patient, but you have to have the passion and the work ethic.”Those two things are critically important,” he says.Listen to Ankur Desai’s show on BBC Asian Network live from 15:00-18:00 Monday to Thursday – or listen back here.Related TopicsCountry musicLondonAlabamaBeyoncéUnited StatesMusicMore on this story’Beyoncé can open UK country music floodgates’Published5 days agoRadio plays Beyoncé after country music outcryPublished6 days agoBeyoncé announces new album in Super Bowl advertPublished12 FebruaryBeyoncé’s mum hits out at skin lightening commentsPublished29 November 2023Beyonce splits with manager dadPublished29 March 2011Top StoriesLive. SNP and Tory anger as Speaker breaks convention on Gaza vote’Dad, please don’t go out’: The Gazans killed as Israel freed hostagesPublished5 minutes agoTrident missile crashes into sea in failed test firingPublished3 hours agoFeatures’Dad, please don’t go out’: The Gazans killed as Israel freed hostages’Premier League caught my online troll. Should I forgive him?’Chris Mason: Gaza vote exposes awkward choices for LabourThe strangers who saved each other’s livesWatch Big Keith’s iconic scotch egg scene from The Office. VideoWatch Big Keith’s iconic scotch egg scene from The OfficeWho is Ruby Franke, the jailed parenting influencer?Christmas cards arrive in February’I was raped more than 100 times by grooming gang’Sewage, floods and rats underscore NHS repair taskElsewhere on the BBCCan Molly keep her life afloat?A moving portrayal of a daughter’s love in the face of her father’s struggleAttributioniPlayerThe Swedish furniture king’s billionaire lifestyleDeconstructing IKEA founder Ingvar Kamprad and his eccentric way of livingAttributionSoundsWhat is it really like to be a monk?’To be a monk is something very vast, very high and very beautiful’AttributioniPlayerHow did a booming computer manufacturer go bust?Commodore computers were huge in the 1980s, so why couldn’t the business adapt and survive?AttributionSoundsMost Read1Boy missing in river is bundle of joy, says mum2The Office actor Ewen MacIntosh dies aged 503Winners of £61m EuroMillions jackpot revealed4’Incredible’ old shipwreck found on Orkney beach5Mystery over persistent mercury levels in tuna6Xbox games coming to Nintendo Switch named7Trident missile test fails for second time in a row8Ex-Post Office chair escalates compensation row9UK sanctions Russia jail chiefs after Navalny death10Don’t dry your iPhone in a bag of rice, says Apple

[ad_1] Dr Matthew Knowles says his daughter was inspired by her grandfather’s favourite country music as a child.