Cowboy Carter: Everything We Know About Beyoncé’s Next Album

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 pre-empt criticism from country die-hards, 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.

Now that “Texas Hold ‘Em” has topped the Country charts, we might be looking at a slightly more open-minded community. As Beyoncé wrote, “I feel honored to be the first Black woman with the number one single on the Hot Country Songs chart. That would not have happened without the outpouring of support from each and every one of you. My hope is that years from now, the mention of an artist’s race, as it relates to releasing genres of music, will be irrelevant.”

“The criticisms I faced when I first entered this genre forced me to propel past the limitations that were put on me. act ii is a result of challenging myself, and taking my time to bend and blend genres together to create this body of work,” she added.

 

 

 

 

 

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Who is featured on Cowboy Carter?

We haven’t gotten any names yet, but Bey did hint at collabs to come: “I have a few surprises on the album, and have collaborated with some brilliant artists who I deeply respect.”