Beyoncé Said That She Isn’t Motivated By “Charts And Sales” And Instead Wants To Focus On “Breaking Down Barriers” And Supporting New Artists

Instead, the star said, she wanted to prioritize honing her craft and “hopefully” becoming an “icon” who is still relevant in 20 years.

“My priorities change, now I’m not worried about being number one and selling millions and billions of records because, thank god, we’ve done that,” Beyoncé explained at the time.

“Now I’m working on being a legend and being around for 20 years, 20 more years,” she continued. “I’m working on doing things that are different and not being like every other artist, and working on my art and becoming a stronger, hopefully, an icon.”

And with 20 years now just three years away, it is safe to say that Beyoncé has comfortably achieved her goal.

The album's lead single, "Texas Hold 'Em," made Beyoncé the first Black woman in Billboard’s 80-year history to take the number one spot in their country music chart, and she was widely celebrated for highlighting the Black origins of country music and reclaiming the genre.

The superstar has also been praised for leveraging her influence to spotlight up-and-coming Black artists by collaborating with them on Cowboy Carter.  

For example, it was Shaboozey — who appears on Beyoncé’s songs “Sweet Honey Buckiin’” and “Spaghettii” — that ultimately knocked “Texas Hold ‘Em” off the Billboard top spot, and he is now anticipated to win the coveted Best New Artist Grammy next year. 

The Hollywood Reporter also states that Brittney Spencer, Tiera Kennedy, Tanner Adell, Reyna Roberts, and Willie Jones all earned their first-ever Billboard chart placements after being showcased by Beyoncé.

“When you are breaking down barriers, not everyone is ready and open for a shift. But when I see Shaboozey tearing the charts up and all the beautiful female country singers flying to new heights, inspiring the world, that is exactly what motivates me,” Beyoncé said in a statement. 

“There was a time in my life when charts and sales excited and motivated me. Once you have challenged yourself and poured every ounce of your life, your pain, your growth, and your dreams into your art, it’s impossible to go backward,” Beyoncé added. “I’m very grateful and humbled for the extraordinary success of the new album.”

Responding to a Pop Crave tweet highlighting Beyoncé’s new quotes, one person tweeted: “this is a good mindset to have. we just want good music.”

“Beyonce is no longer interested in making cash or money but to make a global impact in the life of many underprivileged people,” one more wrote. While somebody else added: “she doesn’t need to use charts and sales to prove her status as a legend.”

Others pointed out that Beyoncé’s approach is evidenced by the risks that she takes in her art, with one person writing: “Cowboy Carter is evidence of this approach.She's experimenting with sounds that shouldn't go together and she's taking risks because she's not preoccupied with commercial success.She'll always be successful because she's Beyonce but the success is a byproduct of her creativity.”

“This mindset can be felt in the art that’s created btw,” another user added. 

Somebody else tweeted: “Always for the arts, not the charts, but she’s so good at her art (without any gimmicks), she breaks records anyways.”

While one more concluded: “Charts don’t really matter when you’ve left that large of a cultural footprint.”