‘This ain’t a Country album. This is a “Beyoncé album,”‘ the hitmaker declared on social media, promoting the release of the collection which dropped at midnight Friday.

‘This album has been over five years in the making. It was born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed…and it was very clear that I wasn’t,’ the Grammy winner wrote on Instagram March 19.

Fans linked that to the singer’s 2016 appearance at the Country Music Association Awards, where she performed Daddy Lessons with The Chicks.

After the performance, Beyoncé was hit with racist backlash online.

‘But, because of that experience, I did a deeper dive into the history of Country music and studied our rich musical archive,’ she said referring to the contribution of Black musicians and singers to the genre.