Natalie Maines addresses backlash over Dixie Chicks’ CMAs performance with Beyonce

Dixie Chicks star Natalie Maines took to Twitter to address the backlash surrounding the group’s performance with Beyonce at the Country Music Association Awards.
The country music trio teamed up with Beyonce to perform the singer’s track Daddy Lessons at the ceremony in Nashville, Tennessee on Wednesday night (02Nov16).
While the performance was raved about by most, it did attract some criticism from some due to the Dixie Chicks’ previous comments about Republican politics and Beyonce’s involvement in the Black Lives Matter movement.
It was then claimed that the Country Music Association (CMA) had pulled footage of the performance from their website following the backlash – allegations the organisation denied.
On Thursday (03Nov16), singer Natalie addressed the controversy with some humorous remarks on her social media page.
When one fan commented that the Dixie Chicks should explore a different musical genre due to the amount of hate in the country music industry, Natalie responded: “We were in Bey’s world not the CMA world.”
She then tweeted: “Hey everybody!The CMA’s just called and asked us to co-host next year’s show with Beyonce. Unfortunately I’ve got a thing that night so, no.”
Another fan then got involved and accused the CMA of “using” the Dixie Chicks to garner attention through their performance with Beyonce, to which Natalie responded: “It’s ok. I used them to fulfill my dream of singing with Bey. (On their dime).”
She concluded with some lyrics from Beyonce’s song Formation, writing: “‘You know you dat B**ch when you cause all this conversation. Always stay gracious best revenge is your paper.’ #Bey #Slay.”
Beyonce and the Dixie Chicks are both considered controversial by some Americans – Beyonce upset many earlier this year (16) by taking a stance against extreme police force by seemingly paying tribute to the Black Panthers movement at the Super Bowl, and the Dixie Chicks came under attack in 2003 when they criticised then U.S. President George W. Bush during a concert in London, telling fans there they were “ashamed” of the leader and his decision to invade Iraq.