Billy Ray Cyrus is 'proud' of Shaboozey's record-breaking hit, reflects on 'Old Town Road'
Billy Ray Cyrus says he's proud of Shaboozey for making history within the country music landscape and beyond after "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for a total of 19 weeks — a feat Cyrus is quite familiar with.
The country music legend and Lil Nas X hold the record for the longest-running No. 1 on the Hot 100 for "Old Town Road (Remix)." The Grammy-winning tune spent 19 consecutive weeks in the top slot in 2019. Recently, Shaboozey's smash hit became the only other song to hit 19 weeks at No. 1 on the chart, though they were not consecutive.
Still, this makes the "Cowboy Carter" collaborator's song the longest-leading No. 1 tune on the chart by a solo artist. The obvious: Both records are now held by Black artists with country songs.
"I'm so proud of Shaboozey. I'm proud of Empire," says Cyrus who recently entered a partnership with Empire Publishing, an arm of the label that signed Shaboozey.
Cyrus has not only witnessed the of the effects of exclusion within the country music establishment, he's been a part of history as Black artist Lil Nas X broke barriers within that landscape.
In 2019, Lil Nas X's viral tune "Old Town Road" was removed from Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart. The outlet stated the song didn't have enough elements of modern country music, which raised questions about discrimination. Following the controversy, Cyrus remixed the song with Lil Nas X and the tune immediately took the industry by storm and garnered extreme success, including two Grammy wins for best pop duo/group performance and best music video. It also won musical event of the year at the Country Music Association Awards.
"I told Lil Nas X on the night I met him on Sunset Boulevard when we listened to our mix for the first time together, ‘You’re a light in the world. You’ve got to shine,'” Cyrus tells the USA TODAY Network. "And here's the philosophy. When you're making your music, think of it like this. Don't try to fit in the box. Don't try to fit outside of the box. Approach it like there is no box.”
He says that he's always believed artists like Lil Nas X and Shaboozey could break out and make history in the genre, and that his music reflects that type of optimism. Take for example his duet with music legend Dionne Warwick, "Hope Is Just Ahead," which was written about the Sandy Hook tragedy.
"In the beginning of 1992 — keeping in mind that in '91 I lived in my car — 'Achy Breaky Heart' was No. 1 and the album 'Some Gave All' was No. 1, all genres again," he said. "I don't want this to come off as bragging, but I've been enjoying breaking genres my whole career. It happens to be the only place I fit in."
Cryus says his time touring with Charley Pride had a lasting impact on him.
"In 1992 I was all of a sudden playing in Australia, and I was doing shows with Charley Pride. He was one of the first, along with Carl Perkins and Porter Wagoner, who absolutely took me under the wings," Cyrus says. "He would tell me some of the stuff he had been through. One night he made me cry, and we laughed our way out of it, but they were just great friends."
Pride came to mind when Cyrus heard about Lil Nas X.
"I read that this guy is somewhat the underdog because he's getting a backlash and nonacceptance of the walls that Charley Pride told me about," Cyrus says. "And not only did it kind of piss me off, it also inspired me to go, 'well, do it for Charley.'"
Cyrus says he was also inspired by music legend Johnny Cash, who once wrote him a letter in 1992 about persevering and helping tear down walls.
"I answered every question in my life like, 'what would Johnny do?' And when it came to Lil Nas, I think about Johnny's TV show and how he took down the walls on that show," Cyrus says. "I said no doubt Johnny would say, 'what can I do to help?'"
Cyrus has been vocal about his own challenges within the genre. In 2019 he said his song "Chevys and Fords" was initially rejected by country radio for being "too country." And while the hitmaker thinks music is in a "very wonderful spot where there are no walls," he recognizes there's still a ways to go.
"Country music has come a long way. The CMAs showed themselves that maybe they still have a little bit more work to do, but that's OK," he says. "Like I said about Beyoncé, she didn't need their approval to tell her she's done good. Plus she's going to get plenty of Grammys to make up for that."
Beyoncé received zero nominations for her album "Cowboy Carter" at the CMA Awards, despite its record-breaking success and impact in highlighting Black country artists and the genre's roots. Shaboozey was one of her collaborators, featured on "Spaghettii" and "Sweet Honey Buckin,'" and his career has since accelerated.
The lack of recognition at the CMA Awards was met with criticism from fans, and Cyrus was one of the country music stars to come to her defense.
Prior to releasing "Cowboy Carter" Beyonce? opened up about creating the project and her struggles within the country music genre, referencing her 2016 CMA Awards performance that was met with an icy reception.
For Cyrus, it's all about making music to bring people together, and his single with Lil Nas X still seems to be resonating with fans years later.
"I just saw the Spotify numbers, and I was freaked out that 'Old Town Road' was still getting that many streams," he says. "It's great. That was my goal to make music that all people could enjoy and touch lives around the world."
He released his new single “Remember Why You’re Here,” co-written by James Slater, on Nov. 22. The song dropped after he nearly lost his life — multiple times — and just before Thanksgiving weekend, which he spent singing to and communing with families at a veterans hospital in Murfreesboro, Tennessee.
He says he was inspired to create the tune during a trip to Anguilla to build tennis courts for children. He hopes others feel inspired "to give back, to be happy, to love your fellow man and woman, and dream and dream big."
Follow Caché McClay, the USA TODAY Network's Beyoncé Knowles-Carter reporter, on Instagram, TikTok and X as @cachemcclay.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Billy Ray Cyrus reacts to Shaboozey's record-breaking hit 'Tipsy'
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