Tiera Kennedy Discusses New Song and Collaboration with Beyonce “Blackbird.”

Tiera Kennedy took her broken wings and learned to fly.

The young country star has experienced a new surge in fame and fortune since her appearance on the US television series Beyonce‘S Cowboy Carter. Kennedy – along with Brittney Spencer, Reyna Roberts And Tanner Adell – helped Beyoncé deliver a transformative rendition of the Beatles’ “Blackbird,” transforming the song into something Paul McCartney had imagined it this way when he wrote it in 1968. Kennedy’s lead vocals close out “Blackbird” and she also sings with Beyoncé on “Tyrant.”

“I feel like she raises the bar with every album, and I don’t think anyone will ever outdo Beyoncé,” Kennedy said Us weekly exclusively ahead of the release of “I Ain’t a Cowgirl,” her new single. “She is a living legend and working with her is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I can’t believe I can say I got to work with her. I appreciate and respect her so much as an artist, and collaborating with my favorite artist in the world is super cool.”

Kennedy added that her collaboration with Beyoncé helped introduce her music to countless new listeners.

“It’s really great that this is happening now and that all these new fans have found my music,” Kennedy said. “My goodness, it was truly a divine thing the way it all turned out.”

However, Kennedy couldn’t reveal too many details about how she became involved Cowboy Cartershe told Us that the opportunity to sing on the project came at a low point in her life. Kennedy had gotten out of her record deal and was at a crossroads in her career.

“Part of me was relieved because now I can put out music that’s truly me and I can fully say what I want to say,” she said Us. “But it’s also about losing a record deal, so it’s kind of scary.”

“At that moment I thought, ‘God, I have no idea what you have planned, but I’m in.’ And I just trusted that he did everything for a reason,” she continued. “And then a few months later [Cowboy Carter] happened, and it was really like… I don’t know, I feel like now, with everything that happens, there’s always going to be these lows. But the way it happened, I just think, ‘God, I know there’s a reason for this, even when I’m at my lowest low.'”

It was during one of these “lowest times” that Kennedy wrote her new song “I Ain’t a Cowgirl.” Released on Friday, April 26, the song finds Kennedy facing her fears while pursuing her dream. “I’ll wrestle with fear, cry my last tear / And stare straight in the face tomorrow / There’s nothing that’s going to stop me / I’ll grab life by the reins,” she sings. In the chorus, she adds, “I’m not a cowgirl, but I will be today.”

“I felt like my career just wasn’t going the way I wanted it to and I felt like I wasn’t quite capable of being the artist I wanted to be,” Kennedy explained of her new song . “And it was really hard. Music is my whole life, and it wasn’t going right. This affected the rest of my life and I was actually the most depressed I had ever been. And I wrote this song out of both brokenness and hope that one day things would get better. I didn’t know how, I didn’t know when, but I trusted, and I knew I had to trust in God and trust in myself to be able to get through this.”

Kennedy also said that “I Ain’t a Cowgirl” was the first time she turned to raw, emotional songwriting. “I usually write happier, happier songs,” she said. “But I really felt it and had to express it in this song.”

she said Us that sharing this more intimate side of herself with the world was cathartic. “It’s special and scary at the same time because it’s such a vulnerable song,” she said. “But every time I sing it goes through my head the same way, and I think that’s the goal of music: to get people through whatever they’re going through.”

With the recent debate over who can and can’t be country, “I Ain’t a Cowgirl” has unintentionally taken on a second meaning. “There are so many layers,” she noted. “It has both meanings. … It’s like, “I haven’t stood up for myself for so long, but today I will.” And then there’s the literal meaning of, “I’m not a cowgirl, but I will be today.”

“Because that’s true, who gets to decide who is a real cowgirl or not?” She continued. “I look at the cowgirls and cowboys that are out there really doing their thing and really doing their job, rain or shine. And as for me, I look up to it. That’s what I want to achieve in my journey: out there, rain or shine, living life and working hard and going for what I want at the end of the day.”

Kennedy noted that the new song’s release “kept getting delayed,” but it now feels like it’s coming out at the “perfect moment” — and she doesn’t plan on wasting this good timing. she said Us that her debut album will be released in the fall, after reworking it and adding the vulnerable and angry songs that weren’t there before.

“I feel like I can perform as a more authentic artist,” she explained. “Because no one is always happy. You feel all the emotions, and I really wanted them to come across in my music.”

“The last few weeks have been absolutely crazy and we’ve been working from morning to night trying to get things done, but I’m loving it,” she added. “Having an idea and being able to just implement it without having to answer anyone is the best feeling. Plus, it was really cool to see how people related to it. It’s fun to talk to people one-on-one and have real conversations with people who love my music and who I’ve never met. It’s the best feeling.”

Thanks to their commitment in Cowboy Carter, more people were introduced to Kennedy. Which song on Beyoncé’s new album is her favorite (aside from the ones she sings on) is something Kennedy has to consider. “I love every song on the album,” she says. “It kind of depends on the day which is my favorite day. “Tyrant” is always a top favorite, and I agree with that song, so I’m biased – I’m sorry. But if I had to pick my favorite song today, it would probably be “Ya Ya.” It’s a jam.

“I can’t even put my finger on what this song is about; it’s so different,” she added. “It’s so different and the whole song is just a mood. And I can’t dance, but it makes me want to get up and dance.”

“I Ain’t a Cowgirl” is out now.