No, that’s not a typo on Beyoncé’s latest album cover.
On Wednesday, the singer unveiled the limited edition artwork for her upcoming Cowboy Carter album, the second act in a trilogy of albums that began with 2022’s Renaissance.
The special cover, only available for purchase on Beyoncé’s website, depicts her holding a cigar, wearing long beaded braids, and a sash that reads, “act ii BEYINCÉ.”
It turns out, there’s a lot of history behind that specific spelling.
As pointed out by journalist Brooklyn White-Grier on X (formerly known as Twitter), “Beyincé” is the last name of Beyoncé’s maternal side of the family. White-Grier also notes that the Cowboy Carter era is about “legacy” and “honoring those who paved the way.”
Beyoncé’s mother, Miss Tina Knowles, explained the history behind the surname herself on a 2020 episode of the In My Head with Heather Thomson podcast.
"A lot of people don't know that Beyoncé is my last name. It's my maiden name," said Knowles, per People. "My name was Celestine Beyoncé, which at that time was not a cool thing to have that weird name. I wanted my name to be Linda Smith because those were the cool names."
Due to a clerical error, some of her family members have their surname spelled as “Beyincé.” Tragically, their last names couldn’t be corrected on the legal documents due to historical discrimination against Black people.
"It's interesting — and it shows you the times — because we asked my mother when I was grown. I was like, 'Why is my brother’s name spelled B-E-Y-I-N-C-E? You know, it’s all these different spellings,'" Knowles added.
"And my mom's reply to me was like, 'That's what they put on your birth certificate.' So I said, 'Well, why didn't you argue and make them correct it?' And she said, 'I did one time. The first time, and I was told ‘Be happy that you're getting a birth certificate’ because, at one time, Black people didn't get birth certificates."
As reported by Complex’s Jaelani Turner-Williams, race and history seems to be informing the Cowboy Carter album based on a statement Beyoncé made on her Instagram on Tuesday.
"It was born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed…and it was very clear that I wasn’t. But, because of that experience, I did a deeper dive into the history of Country music and studied our rich musical archive," Bey wrote, hinting at the reception of her 2016 CMA Awards performance of “Daddy Lessons” with The Chicks that was subject to backlash from conservative audiences.
"It feels good to see how music can unite so many people around the world, while also amplifying the voices of some of the people who have dedicated so much of their lives educating on our musical history," she added.
Beyoncé’s Act II: Cowboy Carter album, featuring "Texas Hold'em" and "16 Carriages," will be released on Mar. 29.
