No, Beyoncé didn't change her name to Baines. Just one day after showing off the eye-catching album art for her upcoming album Cowboy Carter , the singer shared a limited-edition cover on Instagram. The new artwork shows her smoking a cigar and posing naked as if she were the Statue of Liberty, covered only by a red, white and blue ruffled sash.
Bey proudly wears a belt that reads "Second Act," a nod to Renaissance cowboy Carter as the second part of her three-act project, and "Beyincé." Yes, you are not mistaken.
Some fans were confused by the misspelling of Beyoncé's name. But what looks like a misspelling is actually a completely intentional reference, steeped in family history.
Who is Baines?
If you didn't know, the singer was named after her mother, Tina Knowles, whose maiden name was Beyoncé. "My name was Celestine Beyoncé, and at the time, it wasn't a cool thing to have this weird name," she told the In My Heart With Heather Thomson podcast in 2020 said. "I wish my name was Linda Smith because those are cool names."
While Knowles' maiden name is spelled "O" on legal documents, most of her relatives have a version of the same surname spelled "I" on their birth certificates — all Due to a clerical error. "I think my brother Skip and I are the only two people who have Beyoncé," she said.
One day, Knowles asked her mother why her family's last names were spelled differently, revealing the heartbreaking reason why she couldn't change her last name.
"My mom's response to me was, 'This is what they write on your birth certificate,'" she recalled. "So I said, 'Well, why don't you argue and get them corrected?' She said, 'I did it once. The first time, I was told I'm glad you got your birth certificate. Because, black people used to not get it. birth certificate."
As a result, Knowles' relatives still use the surname "Beyincé" to this day, including her nephew Larry and niece Angie. Fans may recognize the latter as a cast member and co-writer on Bey's early hits, including "Naughty Girl" and "Get Me Well."
As Bay explores country music's black roots in "Cowboy Carter ," she rediscovers her family history in the process and turns a potential injustice into a powerful statement of identity.
The limited-edition cover of "Cowboy Carter" is only available for pre-order on Beyoncé's website and is available in multiple CD and vinyl versions, all in keeping with the all-American red, white and blue aesthetic. Each variant comes with an exclusive bonus track and a different back cover.
