Beyonce was joined onstage at the NFL Halftime show by four other Black female artists, namely, Brittney Spencer, Tiera Kennedy, Reyna Roberts, and Tanner Adell. The five of them delivered a rendition of the 1968 hit, Blackbird, originally by the Beatles.
The event took place at the NRG Stadium on Christmas Day, December 25, during the halftime of the Houston Texans vs. Baltimore Ravens game. During Wednesday's event, Beyonce was also joined onstage by Post Malone, her daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, and Shaboozey.
As for the four Nashville-based, country-singing women, many are now inquisitive about their backgrounds, voices, and more. As reported by The Tennessean, in the last few years, these women have been named the CMT Next Women of Country at some point. They have also rendered the national anthem at sports events or been the face of a magazine.
"We're here and we're starting to come together and we're starting to be ... a big force and a big voice," Adell says. "And like I said, we've been here, we've been growing, we've been working and there was a key that was missing. But I think it just fit into that door and unlocked it."
Here's all you need to know about Brittney Spencer, Tiera Kennedy, Reyna Roberts, and Tanner Adell as they join Beyonce on-stage
Tanner Adell
Per the Rolling Stone, Tanner Adell is an up-and-coming country star. She dropped her debut album just last summer, titled Buckle Bunny, and her guest appearance on Cowboy Carter is a product of her own manifestation. In February, not long after Beyonce dropped the first two singles of the album, Adell took to X to tweet:
"As one of the only black girls in country music scene, I hope Bey decides to sprinkle me with a dash of her magic for a collab."
When the whole album dropped in March, she took to X to thank Knowles-Carter:
"You can expect a long sappy post tomorrow, but for tonight I just wanna say thank you to Beyonce.”
Speaking with BET about her debut album, the singer dished the deets on her inspiration:
"People started calling women Buckle Bunnies to try and break their spirits or tear them down or whatever for wanting to look cute,” said Adell. “I’ve been called a Buckle Bunny multiple times. So, for me, it was a no-brainer. I wanted to take the term and turn it on its head into something fun.”
As for the one line "Looking like Beyonce with a lasso on," she fangirled over Queen Bey:
“When I think about the kind of career that I have, the kind of community that I want to create and the strength of that community in sisterhood, Beyonce is the model for that,” said Adell. “I feel like she raised me.”
Adell's first brush with fame came with her 2022 song, Love You a Little Bit. The following year, her debut album propelled her to new heights of fame, and just this April, she dropped her single, Whiskey Blues.
Brittney Spencer
Country singer-songwriter Brittney Spencer caught the attention of the world in 2021 when she delivered her rendition of Highwomen’s Crowded Table. That same year, she performed Martina McBride’s Independence Day at the 2021 ACM Honors. The next year, she took to stage alongside the Brothers Osborne to close the 2022 Academy of Country Music Awards.
Not long after she lent her voice to Blackbiird, she sat down for an interview with Business Insider in April 2024. Reflecting on the moment she got the invitation to join Beyonce, she recounted:
"It stopped me in my tracks. I didn't do anything the rest of that night. I had to just take it all in. And quite honestly, I'm still taking it all in."
Much like Adell, Spencer, too, gave a shoutout to Beyonce with her 2023 single, Bigger Than The Song.
"To put your love on top like Beyoncé at my church on Sunday, when Maren starts singing that tune / Oops, you did it again like Britney, with a voice like Whitney singing, 'I will always love you.'"
Reyna Roberts
Reyna Roberts, known for her Bad Girl Bible album, is a singer-songwriter cum pianist. Her career gained momentum in 2020 when she dropped the album, Stompin' Grounds. That same year, she made appearances on NFL’s Monday Night Football. The following year, Jamey Johnson designated her as the opening singer for his 2021 summer tour.
She dropped her debut album in September 2023, which featured hits such as Miranda, He Gon' Be a Problem, and Country Club. Speaking with BET in March 2024, Roberts reflected on what drove her to select music as a career:
"For me, it was never a question about pursuing music. I've always felt like God put me here to be an artist, to create music, to be a performer, and hopefully, to inspire others,” she explained. “I've always known that I wanted to be a singer and I’ve been writing songs since I was 16 in high school. That’s when I started to realize within a few years that most of the songs I was writing were country songs.”
As for how she feels about Beyonce and her latest foray into country music, she told the outlet:
"I believe Beyonce being in the genre will help so many more people be introduced to our music. I’ve gained more than 120,000 new fans on social media because of her new songs,” she said. "I'm hoping that she would bring me, Tanner Adell, and Britney Spencer, on tour with her because a country tour would be revolutionary!”
Tiera Kennedy
Kennedy is widely known as the host of The Tiera Show by Apple Music. However, she has also opened for Kelsea Ballerini and Danielle Bradbery in the past, in addition to making her own country music. Just last month, she dropped her own rendition of Beyoncé’s single, Texas Hold ‘Em.
Per The Tennessean, she reflected on when her love for music took root:
"From a young age, I've always loved music," Kennedy says. "And I remember in elementary school, actually, that was like my first memory of being on a stage. (I had) a 'Little Mermaid' solo — an Ariel solo — in elementary school. And that was the first time that I'd ever sang in front of anybody except for my parents."
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On how she feels about Blackbiird, here's what she told the outlet:
"I think about the little girls listening to music in their bedroom and wanting to do country music, and this moment I feel like they can dream of doing that and not have any doubts in their mind that they can."
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