After Beyoncé released Renaissance and revealed that it was the first of a “three-act project,” fans wondered what direction she might go next. And Cowboy Carter is almost here.
Renaissance was dance- and house-influenced, and the cover depicted the singer atop a space-age horse. Well, the horse is sticking around, but the rest is changing for album two. Cowboy Carter is more Americana and country-influenced, and after the releases of singles “Texas Hold ’Em” and “16 Carriages,” it seems like she’s got the genre down pat. Here’s everything we know about the album:
So it’s a country album?
Kinda. Perhaps to preempt criticism from country diehards, or maybe just to avoid being held to arbitrary genre expectations, the mom of three said in a statement on March 19, “This ain’t a country album. This is a ‘Beyoncé’ album. This is act ii COWBOY CARTER, and I am proud to share it with y’all!”
In fact, the album comes from a specific experience that has to do with country music but is also a particularly Beyoncé moment. “This album has been over five years in the making. It was born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed…and it was very clear that I wasn’t. But, because of that experience, I did a deeper dive into the history of country music and studied our rich musical archive,” she wrote in the statement. Consensus is that she is referring to the mixed reception she received after performing “Daddy Lessons” alongside controversial band The Chicks at the Country Music Awards in 2016. The country committee at the Grammys also rejected the song from consideration that year, so she may be referring to the experience of being rejected by the country community at large.
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