Beyoncé's 6-year-old daughter, Rumi, makes her music debut on “Cowboy Carter” song 'Protector'

Move over, Blue. It's Rumi's turn.

The Carter kids inherited their parents' work ethic, which became obvious when Beyoncé and Jay-Z's eldest, Blue Ivy, morphed into a backup dancer before our very eyes during her mom's Renaissance World Tour last year.

Now, 6-year-old Rumi Carter — the twin sister of the Carters' son, Sir — makes her music debut on the Cowboy Carter track "Protector," kicking off the song when she asks, "Mom, can I hear the lullaby, please?"

Much like 2013's "Blue," which featured a baby Blue Ivy, "Protector" is an ode to Beyoncé's child, or children in this case. "And I will lead you down that road if you lose your way," she sings in the comforting chorus. "Born to be a protector? Even though I know someday you're gonna shine on your own / I will be your projector."

Beyoncé goes on to declare, "I feel proud of who I am because you need me," later adding, "There's a long line of hands carrying your name, liftin' you up, so you will be raised."

Rumi is just one of the many collaborators on Cowboy Carter, the second act in a musical trilogy that began in 2022 with the utopian dance opus Renaissance. Cowboy Carter is a marked departure from its predecessor, embracing country, rock & roll, and Americana. And yet the album still manages to be defiantly Beyoncé.

More than five years in the making, Cowboy Carter finally dropped March 29 and featured special guests like Miley Cyrus, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, and a host of up-and-coming Black country artists.

Following a divisive performance with the Chicks at the 2016 CMA Awards, in which she "did not feel welcomed," Beyoncé says she "did a deeper dive into the history of country music and studied our rich musical archive." She intended for the new album to amplify "the voices of some of the people who have dedicated so much of their lives educating on our musical history."

But lest we have any doubt, Bey clarified that Cowboy Carter is not a country album. "It's a Beyoncé album," she said — well, now maybe a "Beyoncé featuring Rumi" album.

Sign up for Entertainment Weekly's free daily newsletter to get breaking TV news, exclusive first looks, recaps, reviews, interviews with your favorite stars, and more.

Related content:

• Beyoncé addresses Grammys Album of the Year snubs on Cowboy Carter: 'Take that s--- on the chin'

• From Miley to Dolly to Willie, here are all of Beyoncé's collaborators on Cowboy Carter
  

• Dolly Parton compares Beyoncé's Becky to Jolene on Cowboy Carter: 'That hussy with the good hair'

Read the original article on Entertainment Weekly.