Beyoncé stunned fans at her Paris show on Thursday night when she made a major change to her setlist and brought out a very special guest.
The mother of three added the song “II Most Wanted” to the Cowboy Carter show, marking the first time she had performed it for the crowd, and announced that her friend Miley Cyrus would be joining her in a show-stopping duet.
A special surprise
“Paris, France, I have to say I’m very grateful to be on the stage. We have a very special show for y’all,” Beyoncé told the crowd.
“I love y’all so much. I’m super excited because I wanted to do something very special for you guys,” she added. “Give it up. I’m so grateful to sing with you, Ms. Miley Cyrus.” The pair wore matching shimmering gold outfits as they sang their song, which was released in March 2024.
The track even won the Grammy for Best Country Duo/Group Performance, just one of many awards that Beyoncé nabbed on the night for her groundbreaking Cowboy Carter album.
Miley co-wrote the track after Beyoncé asked if she wanted to collaborate on her latest album.
“I wrote that song, like, two and a half years ago,” the “Flowers” singer told W magazine. “My mom would always go, ‘I love that song so much.’ So when Beyoncé reached out to me about music, I thought of it right away because it really encompasses our relationship.”
“I told her, ‘We don’t have to get country; we are country. We’ve been country.’ I said, ‘You know, between you being from Texas and me being from Tennessee, so much of us is going to be in this song.’ Getting to write a song, not just sing, for Beyoncé was a dream come true.'”
A family affair
Beyoncé will wrap this chapter of the tour on June 22 and return to the US to complete the final round of shows, ending on July 26.
The Cowboy Carter tour has garnered incredible attention in recent months thanks to a stellar performance from her eldest daughter, Blue Ivy, and a sweet appearance from her youngest, Rumi.
This is the second time that Blue Ivy has joined her mother on tour, after making her debut during the Renaissance Tour and dancing up a storm to great acclaim. She now serves as another of Beyoncé’s backup dancers, while her sister appears on stage each night to be serenaded with the song “Protector” by her mom.
Genre-bending
The “Crazy in Love” singer has received both incredible praise and a sea of backlash for her decision to make a country album, despite mixing genres from the beginning of her career.
“Whether it is R&B, Dance, Country, Rap, Zydeco, Blues, Opera, Gospel, they have all influenced me in some way,” she told GQ. “I have favorite artists from every genre you could think about. I believe genres are traps that box us in and separate us.”
She continued: “I’ve experienced this for 25 years in the music industry. Black artists, and other artists of color, have been creating and mastering multiple genres since forever.”
