How the Oklahoma-made movie 'Killers of the Flower Moon' inspired Beyonce's 'Cowboy Carter'

The biggest movie ever made in Oklahoma is credited as an inspiration for one of the biggest albums of the year.

Beyoncé released Friday her eighth studio album, the hotly anticipated "Act II: Cowboy Carter," and if listeners think it sounds cinematic, it's with good reason.

In a news release, the all-time record holder for the most Grammy Award wins called each song on her new 27-track collection "its own version of a reimagined Western film."

The Texas native took inspiration from movies including Quentin Tarantino's Oscar winner "The Hateful Eight," the 2017 South African thriller "Five Fingers For Marseilles," the influential John Travolta vehicle "Urban Cowboy," the Clint Eastwood astronaut saga "Space Cowboys," the 2021 Netflix Western "The Harder They Fall" and the fact-based Oklahoma epic “Killers of the Flower Moon," according to the release.

Martin Scorsese's $200 million historical drama is the biggest movie ever made in the Sooner State to date. Filmed in and around Osage County in 2021, "Killers of the Flower Moon" wrangled 10 Academy Awards nominations, more than any other movie made in Oklahoma.

Starring Lily Gladstone, Leonardo DiCaprio and Robert De Niro, "Killers of the Flower Moon" has been heralded for spotlighting a brutal and often-overlooked chapter of Oklahoman and American history: The 1920s "Reign of Terror," a series of ruthless murders of Osage Nation citizens by white people scheming to steal their oil wealth.

How did country music legends, superstar collaborators and Western movies inspire Beyoncé's 'Cowboy Carter?'

For her eagerly awaited "Cowboy Carter," Beyoncé scored contributions from country legends Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton and Linda Martell; collaborated with Miley Cyrus, Post Malone and her daughter Rumi Carter; and covered The Beatles' classic "Blackbird" with fellow Black female country singers Brittney Spencer, Tanner Adell, Tiera Kennedy and Reyna Roberts.

Although she became the first Black woman to top Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart last month after her single "Texas Hold 'Em" debuted at No. 1, Beyoncé recently revealed on Instagram that the album also was influenced of her negative experiences in country music. The post apparently referenced her 2016 surprise performance at the Country Music Association Awards of her "Lemonade" album track "Daddy Lessons" alongside The Chicks. Her appearance was criticized by some fans and artists in the genre.

During the more than five-year process of making "Cowboy Carter," Beyoncé often had her list of inspirational Western films playing on a screen as she was recording, according to the news release. Plus, some aspects of the album's percussion were inspired by the bluegrass vibe of the "O Brother, Where Art Thou?" soundtrack.

"My process is that I typically have to experiment," said Beyoncé, who executive produced the album, in a statement. "I enjoy being open to have the freedom to get all aspects of things I love out and so I worked on many songs. I recorded probably 100 songs. Once that is done, I am able to put the puzzle together and realize the consistencies and the common themes, and then create a solid body of work."

With the reveal that every "Cowboy Carter" song is "its own version of a reimagined Western film," many Beyoncé fans have been puzzling over which album track is specifically inspired by "Killers of the Flower Moon."

Some members of her BeyHive are buzzing that the ballad "Daughter," with its epic storytelling, Catholic imagery and use of the iconic 18th-century Italian opera piece “Caro Mio Ben," is the album track most likely to be inspired by "Killers of the Flower Moon." But at this point, "Queen Bey" hasn't officially revealed which songs coincide with specific movies.

This article originally appeared on Oklahoman: Beyonce's 'Cowboy Carter' was inspired by 'Killers of the Flower Moon'