Reyna Roberts says singing on Beyoncé’s “Blackbiird” track was a moment she’s “been praying for my entire life.”
“I’m not even being dramatic,” the country star, 27, tells PEOPLE in an exclusive interview to celebrate Black History Month. “Because I know who I am as an artist … I always believed that it would happen one day, I just didn’t know when. And that’s the part that was a shock and surprise.”
“I’m like, ‘I’m going to work with Beyoncé, I’m going to work with Chris Stapleton. I’m going to work with these artists that I love so much and that have inspired me’ — I just don’t know when,” she continues of manifesting her music dreams.
Roberts is joined by Brittney Spencer, Tiera Kennedy and Tanner Adell on “Blackbiird,” a remake of the classic Beatles song featured on Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter album, which won the coveted album of the year award at the 2025 Grammys on Feb. 2. The “Stompin’ Grounds” singer also took to the field with Beyoncé, 43, during the NFL halftime show on Christmas Day last year to perform the song live.
Roberts says it was “incredible” having a chance “to be a part of something that’s bigger than myself and just a small part of [Beyoncé’s] legacy.”
“It was everything that I hoped and imagined that it would be,” she adds of their collaboration.
Beyoncé has always been her “No. 1,” she says, explaining, “And it’s not even because of me being on her project the past year, but she’s always been my No. 1 favorite artist in the world.”
Now that she’s had her pinch-me moment with the former Destiny’s Child member, Roberts is ready to check another music idol off her bucket list: Stapleton.
“I absolutely adore him,” she says. “My other dream is to perform with him one day, hopefully go on tour with him or create music together. He is one of the reasons I wanted to be in country music.”
“As a songwriter, when I listened to some of my favorite albums by him, I just was continuously writing more and more country songs or country rock songs,” she continues of being inspired by Stapleton to discover her niche. “And it’s because of him and his influence and how much I just love his voice and his artistry.”
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While Roberts has yet to share a stage — or a recording studio — with Stapleton, 46, she did get a chance to meet the “Tennessee Whiskey” singer. “He was so kind and so genuine,” she recalls of their interaction. “Thankfully, all the people that I’ve met and that have inspired me have just been absolutely wonderful.”
Reflecting on her experience as a Black woman in the country music space, Roberts noted how a number of big stars — including Reba McEntire, Carrie Underwood and Jamey Johnson — have graciously helped her along the way as she’s built her career. “None of these people knew me personally, but they saw my talent and they gave me an opportunity and a chance,” she says.
Still, she believes the industry has “a lot of work to do” yet. But she pointed to Beyoncé’s triumphant entrance into the genre as “a really good indication” of country music’s positive evolution.
“Look at all that Beyoncé has done, and look at the way that people have responded to her and to the people that she’s added on her album,” Roberts tells PEOPLE. “We still have a lot of things to change and a lot more to progress [to make], but we’re father than where we were.”
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