Whether Blake Shelton is a Beyonce fan or not, he defends her right to make whatever kind of music she wants, including one of her new country-flavored tracks, “Daddy Lessons.”
Several critics have come out saying the song isn’t actually country, but Shelton says it doesn’t matter.
“People that criticize can kiss my a–. That’s what I say,” Shelton tells Entertainment Tonight. “I can’t believe people that don’t contribute to music that criticize music, it just blows my mind and Beyonce — tell them to kiss that a–, is what I would do.”
The most outspoken and visible criticism so far has been from CMT, in which the author of the review, titled “What’s So Country About Beyonce?”, slams the song for not being country enough and not being recorded in Tennessee or written by Nashville songwriters.
“Sure, Beyonce’s new album Lemonade has a song with some yee-haws, a little harmonica and mentions of classic vinyl, rifles and whiskey. But all of the sudden, everyone’s acting like she’s moved to Nashville and announced that she’s country now,” CMT’s Alison Bonoguro wrote on April 25. “If you ask me, this song is no more country than her ‘Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)’.”
It’s clear from his comment, though, that Shelton doesn’t think the harsh comments are warranted. The Dixie Chicks don’t seem to either, as they have even already covered the song live.
Shelton’s not one to stay quiet when he has an opinion, so it’s no surprise he weighed in. He’s one of the bolder coaches on NBC’s The Voice, and his Twitter account is filled with unfiltered commentary. He’s spinning that transparency into a new record following his divorce from Miranda Lambert, titled If I’m Honest, which is slated for release May 20. The album includes a song he wrote with girlfriend Gwen Stefani, which at first he said they were hesitant to do.
“We were at a point where it’s like, ‘Do we want to go there? What will people think?’ And then we finally just got to the point where it’s like, ‘You know what? I don’t give a s–t,’” Shelton says.
Artists Who Have Unexpectedly Gone Country
Lionel Richie
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Lionel Richie
The former Commodore started his amazing solo career with the platinum selling pop single “Endless Love” with Diana Ross in 1981. Then, he dominated pop and adult contemporary radio with “My Love,” “All Night Long” and “Hello” before pitching “Stuck on You” to country radio. The song peaked at a modest No. 24, but his follow-up with Alabama on “Deep River Woman” climbed to No. 10. Prior to his surprise appearance on the country chart, he wrote the huge country crossover hit “Lady” for Kenny Rogers in 1980.
Kid Rock
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Kid Rock
Kid Rock is truly a one-of-a-kind artist. He started out with a rap/hip-hop foundation, which isn’t unusual for someone from Michigan, and he found many rock hits before turning country. Kid Rock’s first foray into the genre was with Sheryl Crow and their insanely successful hit “Picture.”
Uncle Kracker
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Uncle Kracker
Uncle Kracker’s first solo album, Double Wide, included “Follow Me,” which was a popular pop hit. After the release of his second album, the singer became buds with Kenny Chesney. The two began touring together, and Chesney released “When the Sun Goes Down” which featured Kracker as a guest. From there, the Michigan native’s career began to take a purely country turn — he even went on the road with Brantley Gilbert.
Gwyneth Paltrow
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Gwyneth Paltrow
Gwyneth Paltrow never took a full leap into country music, but she has definitely dabbled in the genre. The actress recorded a song titled “Coming Home” for her film Country Strong, and the song was nominated for an Oscar and performed live during the 83rd Annual Academy Awards ceremony.
Aaron Lewis
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Aaron Lewis
Aaron Lewis is most known for being the lead vocalist of the rock group Staind. He helped to found the group, and they released seven albums, including big hits like “It’s Been a While.” But when they stopped making music, Lewis venture into country music, releasing his country debut Town Line, in 2011.
Lady Gaga
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Lady Gaga
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta, better known as Lady Gaga, took the pop music world by storm in 2008 with her debut album, The Fame. Fans fell in love with Mother Monster through her singles “Poker Face” and “Just Dance” and from there, there was no stopping her. Lady Gaga has experimented with other types of music since, including an album of jazz standards with Tony Bennett … and she even made a country version of her song “Born This Way”! We know, it’s shocking.
Bret Michaels
BMB / Poor Boy Records Inc.
Bret Michaels
Bret Michaels is most well known for being the voice (and hair) beyond Poison. But in April of 2015, Michaels dropped his country single called “Girls on Bars.” A few days after releasing it, he revealed that he’d be releasing a new solo album of country songs called True Grit.
Steven Tyler
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Steven Tyler
Steven Tyler is a longstanding legend in rock ‘n’ roll, and the Aerosmith frontman is hoping that luck will continue in country music. In March of 2015, he announced he’d be making his way into the genre, signing with Dot Records and releasing a single called “Love Is Your Name.”
Darius Rucker
Liberty Records
Darius Rucker
Perhaps the biggest country crossover to date, Darius Rucker was Hootie to the Blowfish in the ’80s and ’90s, but he really found his stride when he signed with Capitol Records in 2008, going head first into country music. Today? He’s a staple, making songs like “Wagon Wheel” his own and sharing his “Homegrown Honey.” Where would we be without him?
Bing Crosby
Geffen
Bing Crosby
Billboard launched its country music charts in 1944, and the very first No. 1 single in history belonged to Bing Crosby. The legendary “White Christmas” crooner made a surprise leap onto the country chart with the jukebox favorite “Pistol Packin’ Mama,” written by Al Dexter. According to the Western Music Hall of Fame, which inducted Crosby as a member in 2008, Crosby was responsible for “exposing a large and very receptive audience to Western music and laying the groundwork for its acceptance among fans beyond the country genre.”
Jessica Simpson
Epic
Jessica Simpson
After becoming a pop culture sensation by starring in her own reality series on MTV with then husband Nick Lachey, Simpson landed the role of Daisy Duke in the 2005 movie The Dukes Of Hazzard. Simpson befriended co-star Willie Nelson in the movie, who encouraged her to pursue her passion of recording country music. In 2008, she released a country album called Do You Know that debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s country chart. The first single, “Come on Over,” was a Top 20 hit.
Clint Eastwood
Clint Eastwood
In 1978, Eastwood showcased his love of country music by helping pick the music for his movie Every Which Way But Loose. He was instrumental in selecting the movie’s hit “Coca-Cola Cowboy” for Mel Tillis and its theme song, which was a No. 1 hit for Eddie Rabbitt. In 1980, he inspired another country themed soundtrack for Any Which Way You Can, featuring the hit “You’re The Reason God Made Oklahoma,” recorded by David Frizzell and Shelley West. The biggest surprise came in 1980, when Eastwood actually sang a song with Merle Haggard titled “Bar Room Buddies.”
Bon Jovi
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Bon Jovi
You could almost guarantee that any Bon Jovi fan who was rockin’ out to 1986’s “You Give Love a Bad Name” and “Livin’ On A Prayer” was not listening to Randy Travis and the Judds, the hottest names in country radio at the time. However, as country music evolved and changed, so did the many rock ‘n’ roll fans, who suddenly became a part of country music’s growing demographic. In 2006, Jon Bon Jovi and his band made an easy transition to country with “‘Who Says You Can’t Go Home,” his duet with Jennifer Nettles.
Tom Jones
Hip-O
Tom Jones
A dynamic pop singer who made ladies scream at the swing of his hips, the “What’s New Pussycat?” singer also had a very successful country career. In 1967, he covered the Porter Wagoner hit “Green, Green Grass Of Home.” In 1976, his debut country release “Say You’ll Stay Until Tomorrow” hit No. 1 on the Billboard country music chart. In all, he put 10 songs on country’s Top 40, including “Darlin,” “Touch Me (I’ll Be Your Fool Once More),” “A Woman’s Touch” and 1981’s “Lady Lay Down,” originally a hit for John Conlee in 1978.
Ray Charles
Columbia/Legacy
Ray Charles
As he was making a name for himself by mixing R&B, rock ‘n’ roll, gospel and Jazz, Charles took an unexpected turn in 1962 by releasing the groundbreaking album Modern Sounds in Country And Western Music. The album gave country classics like “You Win Again” and “‘I Can’t Sop Loving You” a new sound and introduced many new fans to the genre. In the early ’80s, Ray released a country duets project that produced the top 10 hit “We Didn’t See a Thing” with George Jones and Chet Atkins and the No. 1 hit “Seven Spanish Angels” with Willie Nelson.
Burl Ives
Decca
Burl Ives
The storytelling snowman from “Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer” started his career as a folk singer, which led to Broadway, TV and the movies. At first, Burl Ives was best known for his 1955 Broadway role “Big Daddy” in ‘Cat On A Hot Tin Roof.’ In 1958, he won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in the movie ‘The Big Country.’ Several projects followed, and in 1962, he was welcomed on country radio with three Top 5 hits.
Julio Iglesias
Sony
Julio Iglesias
Julio Iglesias was an established Latin crooner by the time Willie Nelson asked him to record a duet. While on tour overseas, Nelson discovered his amazingly smooth voice while listening to the radio. The Red-Headed Stranger then began the search for his unlikely singing partner to propose the idea of recording “To All the Girls I’ve Loved Before.” In no time, Iglesias accepted the offer and traveled to the United States to record his vocals. The song rode up the country charts to No. 1 and peaked at No. 5 on the Billboard pop chart.
Jerry Lee Lewis
Charly Records
Jerry Lee Lewis
In 1957, Jerry Lee Lewis rocked his way up the pop charts with “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Going On” and “Great Balls of Fire.” Surprisingly, both of these songs hit No. 1 on the Billboard country charts. Then, after his rock ‘n’ roll success dwindled, he released a successful string of country hits throughout the ’60s and ’70s. In all, the thumpin’ piano player racked up 49 Top 40 Billboard country hits, and even played the Grand Ole Opry.
Cyndi Lauper
Michael Loccisano, Getty Images
Cyndi Lauper
Cyndi Lauper says she’s looking forward to recording an album of country songs in 2016, hinting that it could be an album of covers she’s been singing for decades. She’s eyeing producer Tony Brown to help the project.
John Mayer
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John Mayer
Mayer flirted with country music for years but debuted his first country single in 2017 with “In the Blood,” a powerful song about mama drama. There’s some serious country pain in those lyrics.
