Michelle Obama is part of the BeyHive, too.
On Tuesday, the former First Lady shared a tweet thread celebrating Beyoncé‘s Cowboy Carter, describing the musician as a “history-maker” who has “changed the game once again.” She also encouraged listeners to register to vote, quoting a line on “Ya Ya.”
“With Cowboy Carter, you have changed the game once again by helping redefine a music genre and transform our culture. I am so proud of you!” Obama wrote. “Cowboy Carter is a reminder that despite everything we’ve been through to be heard, seen, and recognized, we can still dance, sing, and be who we are unapologetically. This album reminds us that we ALL have power.”
Obama then transitioned to call for people to use the power of their voices to vote in this year’s election. “There’s power in our history, in our joy, and in our votes — and we can each use our own gifts and talents to make our voices heard on the issues that matter most to us,” she wrote.
“As Queen Bey says at the end of Ya Ya, we need to ‘keep the faith’ and ‘ VOTE!’” she wrote, linking to a website helping folks register to vote, and referencing the outro to “Ya Ya.”
The song referenced by Obama featured a segue track named after Black country legend Linda Martell, who called the song “tune [that] stretches across a range of genres, and that’s what makes it a unique listening experience.” Beyoncé also sampled Nancy Sinatra’s 1965 single, “These Boots Are Made for Walkin,’” on the track.
This isn’t the first time the former FLOTUS shared a message following one of Beyoncé’s releases. A video she recorded after the release of Homecoming became a meme in 2019. “Hey, queen! Girl, you have done it again, constantly raising the bar for all of us and doing it flawlessly,” Obama said in a video clip after Bey dropped her documentary after Coachella.
That same year, Beyoncé penned an essay about Obama, who was listed in Time‘s Most Influential People list. “Loving Michelle Obama wasn’t much of a choice,” Beyoncé said in 2019. “It was something that came naturally, because of how she carried herself. Because she resembled us and was moving in spaces where, as black Americans, we weren’t exactly meant to be, she seemed so powerful.”
Beyoncé and her husband, Jay-Z, have been longtime supporters of the Obamas, especially during President Obama’s 2012 reelection campaign (Beyoncé even sang the National Anthem at his second inauguration). The Obamas, in turn, have been vocal fans of the two musicians, placing their songs on various public playlists. Last July, Michelle Obama was even spotted dancing with Beyoncé’s mother, Tina Knowles Lawson, at a Beyoncé and Jay-Z show in Paris, France.
Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter has had major moments of celebration over the weekend. She received praise from many of her collaborators, including Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, and Martell, and also thanked Jack White for being an inspiration on the record. (He shared photos of a bouquet she sent him on Tuesday.)
