Shania Twain believes Beyonce has helped to broaden the appeal of country music

Speaking to the BBC, Shania said: "I love it. I love the expansion of the genre. It just brings it to a bigger audience."

The 'You're Still the One' hitmaker welcomes new and different influences to the country sphere.

She explained: "Johnny Cash was into rock music and was definitely more of a rebel. He wasn't the mama's country boy, apple pie kind of guy. And there were a lot of artists in my childhood that brought more diversity to country. More edge, more rock, more bluegrass, more folk and more soul.

"So, it's great to see that starting up again. I think Beyonce will be somebody that will open up that gate again."

Similarly, Normani recently claimed that Beyonce has been a "revolutionary" force in country music.

The 28-year-old singer - who shot to stardom as part of Fifth Harmony - also revealed that she would love to emulate Beyonce's success.

She told ELLE.com: "Having Beyonce, a black woman in music, taking over the country space is revolutionary. Those are the types of things that I set out to do.

"Now you have country artists who look like us coming out and just being like, 'We've always been here.' I think that it's educational not only for music lovers, but also in the black community. We've pioneered a lot that we don't get recognition for.

"I think that it's just really cool being able to witness Beyonce be fearless and do something that is much bigger than herself."