{"id":36700,"date":"2024-03-26T15:54:43","date_gmt":"2024-03-26T15:54:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/traklife.com\/music\/?p=36700"},"modified":"2024-03-26T15:54:44","modified_gmt":"2024-03-26T15:54:44","slug":"awaiting-cowboy-carter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/traklife.com\/culture\/awaiting-cowboy-carter\/","title":{"rendered":"Awaiting Cowboy Carter"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As we inch closer to the follow-up to Beyonc\u00e9\u2019s immaculate Renaissance <\/em>(2022), the artist is dropping more clues as to what is to come on the second act of her promised trilogy. Along with the official artwork for Cowboy Carter<\/em>, Beyonc\u00e9 has shared a statement with her fans, declaring: \u201cThis ain\u2019t a Country album. This is a \u2018Beyonc\u00e9\u2019 album.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Cowboy Carter <\/em>Artwork by Blair Caldwell<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the post, she contextualizes the formation of the record and how it has been five years in the making. Beyonc\u00e9 explains how it was sparked from an experience she had \u201cyears ago where [she] did not feel welcomed\u2026and it was very much clear that [she] wasn\u2019t.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Without any specifics, Beyonc\u00e9 is likely referencing her 2016 performance at the Country Music Awards alongside the blacklisted country group, the Chicks. Together, they performed Beyonc\u00e9\u2019s \u201cDaddy Lessons\u201d from her 2016 album, Lemonade<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Despite the show-stopping performance, Beyonc\u00e9 and the award show itself received substantial backlash. The audience took offense to Beyonc\u00e9\u2019s appearance on the show as she wasn\u2019t a \u201ccountry\u201d artist. The vitriol was so great, the CMAs took down the performance from their YouTube page. The message was clear: a black artist was not welcomed on the country music stage\u2013even if she was <\/em>performing country music.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With Cowboy Carter<\/em>, Beyonc\u00e9 is diving straight into the country music genre in the face of the criticisms she has received in the past. As she writes in her statement, she delved into the history of the genre and challenged herself to create her own version of country music.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So far, two singles, \u201cTexas Hold \u2018Em\u201d and \u201c16 Carriages\u201d have been the only glimpses into her vision; yet, they brilliantly showcase her deft abilities to switch gears in her music. The former is a hoedown-style track that you can\u2019t help but to boogie your boots to, and the latter is a powerful ballad that utilizes the storytelling often found in country tracks. Clearly, Beyonc\u00e9 is in full-on country mode\u2013and doing it well. \u201cTexas Hold \u2018Em\u201d is a hit, making her the first black woman with a number one on the Hot Country Songs chart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Not only is Beyonc\u00e9 hitting back at those who criticized her when she “infringed” upon the country music world, but she is also trying to do something greater. As she writes: \u201cMy hope is that years from now, the mention of an artist\u2019s race, as it relates to releasing genres of music, will be irrelevant.\u201d So, yes, this is a BEYONCE record and not just a country record. She is chipping at the racial barriers that have been constructed alongside genres.\u00a0She is creating music that is fully hers–no matter what genre category it may be placed. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Cowboy Carter <\/em>is set to release March 29.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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