Act two-of-three of Beyoncé’s musical project proves she is just as country as the next.
“Cowboy Carter” shows why Beyoncé is named this generation’s greatest living entertainer. When she released her first two country music singles during the 58th Super Bowl, Beyoncé once again surprised the world with her musical diversity.
The two singles, “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages,” quickly swept up millions of streams on all platforms and secured Beyoncé another record-breaking title: the first Black woman to reach number one on the Billboard Country Music chart.
Although the music continues to gain streams, many listeners are asking, “What does Beyonce know about country music?”
Throughout her career, from the early days of Destiny’s Child to now, Beyonce’s strong suit continues to be the R&B genre. For some, the country shift seems to come from left field, but is the change that shocking for the “Cowboy Carter” artist?
A born and raised Houstonian, brought up by a Louisianan mother and an Alabamian father, the Southern culture is not a foreign one for Beyoncé.
“I did a deeper dive into the history of country music and studied our rich musical archive,” Beyoncé said in an Instagram post. “This ain’t a country album. This is a ‘Beyoncé’ album.”
The origins of country music are rooted in the African sound and Black enslaved people. The banjo, a country music staple, originates from Africa and came to America during the Slave Trade. Enslaved people created music with the banjo along with dances on plantations and properties they were forced to work on.
During the mid-1800s, white performers used the banjo and the music of enslaved people in minstrel shows, using stereotypes against Black people in the performances. These shows popularized country music as what listeners know today.
In her three-act project, Beyoncé reclaims the musical genres black musicians created.
Her first release of the project in 2022, Renaissance, was a club-house music blend. In light of “Cowboy Carter”, many of her fans theorize the third part will be a rock album, another music genre created and influenced by Black Americans.
On her album, Beyoncé features many Black country music artists. Through the album’s release, featured artists have also earned their first number-one titles.
The artists included on the cover of “Blackbird”, Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, Tiera Kennedy and Reyna Roberts, were given another chance in the spotlight at the 2024 Country Music Awards as award presenters.
Beyoncé’s website name has recently been changed to “Been Country,” a nod to the backlash against her recent entry into the country genre. The new website also includes several images of Beyoncé in her Southern culture, re-enforcing her country roots.
As more promotion for “Cowboy Carter” is being continually released, Beyoncé adds more layers to the history of country music, with her work and the unseen history of Black country music.
