Nathan Carter has admitted that Beyonce's new country album Cowboy Carter isn't his "cup of tea", but says he hopes it will bring a new generation of fans to the genre.
Appearing on CountryWide on RTÉ Radio 1 on Saturday, the country music singer told presenter Brenda Donohue of his initial reaction to the release: "I've got to be totally honest and say it wouldn't be my cup of tea, but I think whatever Beyonce touches turns to gold and it can only be a good thing for the genre.
"It's getting people talking about country anyway, that's for sure, like it did whenever Taylor Swift first came on the scene.
"It's as far away removed from Philomena Begley or Billie Jo Spears as anything is, but it's getting people talking about the genre, which is only a good thing."
The singer, who is originally from Liverpool but has made his home in Co Fermanagh, said he wasn't too enamoured with Beyonce's take on the Dolly Parton classic Jolene.
"For me, Dolly's version of Jolene, as she wrote it, is perfect in every way. I don't know why you would change it to be honest," he shared.
"I can understand why Dolly would obviously be happy with Beyonce doing whatever she wants to it because it's great business wise, clearly, and it's drawing attention to Dolly’s back catalogue now as well."
"I don't know if you can call it country at all. It's more rap influenced and pop driven," he continued of the album. "But obviously there's a banjo in the background! But you know, there's that many styles of country music now.
"If you go to listen to the top ten in Nashville, which I don't really do, to be honest with you because I love the older stuff, but the whole genre has shifted, which now makes the Beyonce thing sound more country.
"Country means many things to many people. It's not Johnny Cash and Willie Nelson and Merle Haggard. It's all different types of mixed mix genres together.
"I’m sounding very old fashioned! It's very hard to move with the times, but I do get it. And I think everybody to their own, I prefer Dolly and I prefer Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash to the newer crop of country singers that are out there at the minute, but that's just me."
However Carter agreed that it's wonderful that a black female artist is offering her take on country music and bringing it to a global audience.
"I really do. I think that's only a good thing," he said. "I remember touring with Charley Pride and he did chat when he was alive about the struggles he had as a black man in country music. It was horrific for him. The record company would never post a picture of him, they just had a general cover for an album, because he was black.
"To think from that 40 years ago to now, Beyonce being number one in the country charts as a black woman, the first ever black woman, it's unbelievable and shows how far we've all come in the music industry.
"And as you say, she's entitled to do whatever she wants country wise, because she is from Texas, the capital of country music really.
"It can only be good for the genre and hopefully will bring a new generation to listen to that style of music."
