The Birmingham Times
Superstar Beyoncé on Christmas Day kicked off her halftime show performance for Netflix with tracks from her critically-acclaimed, groundbreaking album “Cowboy Carter” for the first time in a live setting including the songs “16 Carriages” and “Blackbiird,” which featured Birmingham-area’s Tiera Kennedy during the show.
Kennedy’s voice can be heard on Beyoncé’s eighth studio album, “Cowboy Carter,” which was released earlier this year. The Gardendale, Alabama, native is featured on “Blackbiird” which was part of Beyoncé’s set during halftime of the Baltimore Ravens-Houston Texans game on Netflix.
“I am honored to be part of it,” Kennedy told the Birmingham Times earlier this year, of her performance on Beyoncé’s rendition of “Blackbiird. “It is beautiful that she chose to do this cover on this album [“The Beatles,” also known as “The White Album”, which was recorded in 1968] … I think the message I get behind this album is for us to just be more inclusive of all sounds, all music, and all backgrounds. Genre doesn’t really matter. Everyone’s welcome.”
Kennedy, 27, grew up in Gardendale, just a 15-minute drive north of Birmingham. At 13, she taught herself to play the guitar. She credits her singing voice to God, while crediting her country music “songwriting prowess to what organically flows from her pen.”
She wrote on Facebook this year, “I’ve been in Nashville for almost 8 years chasing this country music dream. There have been a lot of highs and lows along the way and this – being on Beyoncé’s album takes the cake. I grew up listening to her music, practicing her runs over and over.”
She continued, “I couldn’t be more thankful. Thank you Beyoncé for shining your light. This album is so important. It will not only change the future of country music but music as a whole and I cannot wait to watch it unfold.”
Dubbed “Beyoncé Bowl,” the singer enlisted Kennedy, Post Malone, Shaboozey and her daughter Blue Ivy to debut tracks from “Cowboy Carter” on Christmas Day.
Tiera Kennedy’s “I Ain’t a Cowgirl” is available on all streaming platforms.
