Lily Allen has called Beyoncé's new country album Cowboy Carter "calculated" and has questioned the singer's decision to sing Dolly Parton's Jolene.
The 38-year-old London native said on her BBC Sounds podcast, Miss Me? on Thursday, she and 39-year-old co-host Miquita Oliver talked about the 42-year-old superstar's entry into a new genre.
Allen Criticizes Beyoncé's New Country Album
Allen, who is married to David Harbour, said that she initially thought it was a "weird" decision to rework a song as iconic as this one.
She said, "I just feel like it's quite an interesting thing to do when you're trying to tackle a new genre, and you just choose the biggest song to cover. I mean, you do you, Beyoncé, and she literally is doing her. Or is she doing Dolly?"
Lily also takes issue with the idea of Cowboy and believes the song's release was planned. She cites Jay-Z's Grammy speech, in which he criticized the Recording Academy for failing to recognize his wife in the Album of the Year category.
Although Lily can accept that Beyoncé is aiming for the country music industry following her jeering at the 2016 CMA Awards, she thinks the entire campaign appeared "quite calculated."
Furthermore, Lily shifted to discuss Bey's appearance with a slightly shady comment, saying that she has a great team of stylists and hair people and works out a lot, so she was sure she got access to the best trainers in the world.
Salma Hayek Cheers for Beyoncé's New Country Album
On Wednesday, Salma Hayek expressed excitement about Beyoncé's first country album.
The 57-year-old Frida actress shared several photos on social media; two photos featured her with 49-year-old Penelope Cruz, her Bandidas co-star, saying the two had been waiting "20 years" for the album.
Hayek and Cruz were seen in the vintage photos sporting bustiers, guns in holsters, and cowboy hats, all in classic Western attire.
'Dear @beyonce, Penelope and I have been waiting 20 YEARS for this album! FINALLY, it was worth it. #CowboyCarter,' she captioned the post.
In the 2006 action Western film, Salma and Penelope played ladies from two backgrounds in 19th-century Mexico who teamed against a vicious US bank baron (Dwight Yoakam).
Another scene from the film featured Salma riding Penelope's back.
Salma also included two photos of her sporting a Beyoncé t-shirt emblazoned with 'KNTRY Radio Texas,' the fictional country radio station the star created on her album.
She accessorized her Western outfit with blue jeans, aviator sunglasses, and a black cowboy hat.
Salma's 28.4 million followers were ecstatic to see her backing the singer. One even said, "Thanks for standing by the Queen." Don't queens recognize other queens?"
'LEGENDS SUPOORTING A LEGEND,' another wrote. 'Love you even MORE for rocking that Texas shirt,' someone else chimed in.
