Lily Allen has revealed that she is “trying some stuff out” with country music, after criticising Beyoncé‘s recent move into the genre.
Speaking on her Miss Me? podcast, Allen previously shared her thoughts on Beyoncé’s version of Dolly Parton’s classic track ‘Jolene’ from the star’s new album ‘Cowboy Carter’.
“It’s very weird that you’d cover the most successful songs in that genre,” Allen explained. “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.”
She continued: “I mean, you do you, Beyoncé – and she literally is doing her, but why is she doing Dolly?”
During an appearance on the latest episode of Nick Grimshaw and Angela Hartnett’s Dish podcast, Allen said she was currently exploring country and western music while working on new material.
“I’m just making some space for some music, for some music to reveal itself,” she explained (via The Standard).
“It’s not an album… it’s just, yeah. I’m just, you know, trying some stuff out [to] see if it works. I do love country and western music. And also I feel like with my writing, it’s quite storytelling, sort of like narrative-led music.”
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Allen added: “Because I don’t feel things, so it’s never about emotions. So… yeah, and country and western music lends itself quite well.”
It comes after Allen revealed that she had been working on new material in Nashville, Tennessee – which is known as the country music capital of the world.
“There’s so much legacy [in Nashville],” she said. “I have to say it’s quite intimidating being here. People are really talented.”
Allen’s fourth and latest studio album, ‘No Shame’, was released in 2018.
Earlier this month, Azealia Banks responded to Allen’s criticism of Beyoncé – telling the singer and actor to “sit this one out”. She also accused the ‘Smile’ artist of past racist comments.
Banks herself has hit out at ‘Cowboy Carter’, saying that Beyoncé was in “white woman cosplay”. She had claimed earlier that the singer was “setting herself up to be ridiculed” by venturing into country.
Lana Del Rey is due to release a country album called ‘Lasso’ later this year. Elsewhere, Post Malone (who features on the ‘Cowboy Carter’ song ‘LEVII’S JEANS’) has teased his own move into the genre.
Beyoncé recently became the first Black woman to achieve a US Number One country album with ‘Cowboy Carter’. In February, she became the first Black woman to reach the top spot on the US country chart with her single ‘Texas Hold ‘Em’.