On March 29, 2024, Beyoncé dropped Cowboy Carter, the second installment of her album trilogy. The country-Americana album debuted at number 1 in various countries and broke countless records, including becoming the first album by a Black woman to top the Billboard Country Albums chart. The album also scored Beyoncé her ninth number-one hit.
Considering how well the album was received, Beyoncé fans were filled with shock as Cowboy Carter failed to secure any nominations for the Country Music Awards. It’s not hard to see why they felt she was unfairly overlooked. Let’s delve into how Cowboy Carter impacted the country music landscape.
Beyoncé’s Bold Move Into Country Music
Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Beyoncé Knowles grew up surrounded by all things country. In an Instagram post defending her daughter from criticism of her move into country music, her mother, Tina, mentioned how cowboy culture has played a vital role in her family, as they embraced Western fashion and participated in rodeos. In 2021, the singer’s co-owned brand, Ivy Park, paid homage to her heritage with a rodeo-themed campaign that featured Beyoncé and others dressed in sportive/Western apparel.
Earlier, in 2016, the singer released her 6th studio album, Lemonade, which featured a country song called “Daddy Lessons”; she later released a promotional remix featuring the country band The Chicks. At the Country Music Awards that year, Beyoncé and the Chicks hit the stage to perform the song. A significant number of fans believe that Beyoncé chose to release the remix and perform with the Chicks to mitigate any potential backlash she might face as a minority woman and relative newcomer to the country music scene.
Beyoncé’s Impact On Elevating Black Artists In Country Music
Black artists have always played a pivotal role in country music, though that role hasn’t always been as celebrated and appreciated as it should’ve been. In honor of Black History Month this year, Apple Music curated a playlist, Nashville Sessions: Beyonce Covered, which featured several Black country artists performing their own spins on some of Beyoncé’s biggest hits. Many of the artist’s fan accounts helped promote these sessions, giving those country artists more exposure to wider audiences.
After being featuring on Cowboy Carter, six Black country artists have made history by simultaneously appearing on Spotify’s US daily top artist chart. Billboard also reported a surge in streams of music by black female country artists. With the release of just one album, Beyoncé gave a platform to so many black country artists. One notable example is Shaboozey; his country song “A Bar Song (Tipsy)” became the longest-running number 1 single of 2024.
How Beyoncé Paid Homage on Cowboy Carter
With Cowboy Carter, Beyoncé wanted to pay homage to all that had influenced her love of Western cowboy culture. Her homages began right with the album’s cover art. On the album’s main cover art, Beyoncé paid tribute to all the incredible trick riders out there by sitting on a horse, looking at the camera, and channeling her inner rodeo queen. On the alternative cover, she was dressed like the Statue of Liberty, with her mother’s maiden name written on her sash. The famous statue was a gift France gave to the United States to symbolize and celebrate freedom.
Her character Cowboy Carter paid tribute to black cowboys; she wanted to educate folks about the existence of these cowboys and the way they turned an originally derogatory term for themselves into one worn with pride. She dedicated the album to her late uncle Butch (Roland Martin Buyince) and stated that she used many aspects of his life as an inspiration while producing the album.
Beyoncé also paid homage to Chuck Berry, often credited as the father of rock ‘n’ roll music, by recording the song “Oh Louisiana.” Beyoncé’s song is a reinterpretation of the Berry song of the same name, which was the opening track on Berry’s album San Francisco Dues. Berry’s record is often cited as playing a critical role in facilitating the introduction of music by Black artists to White listeners.
In Conclusion
The influence of country music and its culture has had a profound impact on Beyoncé’s life. She has incorporated not only the history of country music by Black artists but also the broader cultural aspects of Black people in the Wild West into this album. Every reference she includes allows listeners to gain insight into the significant role black musicians played in shaping the genre into its current form.
In turn, Beyoncé has made a significant impact on the culture that served as her inspiration. Regardless of Cowboy Carter‘s lack of nominations for the Country Music Awards, the artist successfully pursued and accomplished her goal of paving the way for numerous Black country artists and enlightening listeners about these artists.
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