On March 29, 2024, Beyoncé released her ninth studio album Cowboy Carter. Like all its predecessors, it was highly anticipated. But there was something special about this album, it was Beyoncé’s interpretation on the country genre. In the middle of the Super Bowl LVIII the singer partnered with Verizon for a commercial, which ended with her saying “Okay they ready, drop the new music.” Immediately fans were taken aback that they received not one but two singles from the superstar, “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages.” Fans were met with something completely different from the singer. An upbeat country song about wanting to enjoy time with a lover, accompanied by a ballad about how hard one must work to achieve their dreams. It has been a known fact that Beyoncé has been planning a three-act renaissance project. With these songs it was clear that she was leaning towards country for Act II, after leaning heavily on house music for Act I. Pivoting genres always puts an artist in a vulnerable position. It’s important for any celebrity to have an image that people can recognize. Especially when it comes to a Black artist entering a space that hasn’t always been accepting.
To understand how we got to the point in her career where such a risk can be comfortably taken with artistry, let’s look back on some of the ways Beyoncé has proven herself to be a pioneer in the industry. Since the 1980’s, music was released on Tuesdays in the American industry. This was due to the charts publishing every Wednesday and wanting to give the music the best chance of charting high. On Friday, December 13th, 2014, the world was stunned when they opened iTunes and saw a 14-track album from Beyoncé. This release was especially unique not only because of the release date, but the method. It was a completely digital release. Beyoncé and other artists like Katy Perry and Kanye West had struggled, in the past, with having their music leaked because of differing music schedules. Dropping new music suddenly was a way to get ahead of it all. Since European markets had their music available at different dates than the American one, new age technology and the introduction of digital music made it so that art could be pirated and spread more easily. What came from this release was record companies taking into serious consideration the idea of releasing music on Fridays to match up, as it would help mitigate the problem of people accessing music illegally early. When Beyoncé was executing the release of this album, it’s clear that a lot of care went into it. There was a desire for people to genuinely digest the music, not just for it to be viral moment that people got over quickly.
Beyoncé has shown herself to be an artist who respects the ones who came before her. Prince’s Purple Rain was not only an album, but a film, linked together. The pair had an electric performance at the 2004 Grammys. To help the rising star with her nerves, Prince had presented her with some advice about keeping her cool. After the performance, she took a page out of the icon’s book. With the release of her sophomore album B’day in 2006, every song had a visual accompaniment. A clear marking of the influence from Prince, but with a Beyoncé spin. Listeners were more inclined to buy the whole album and receive the whole story that was being told.
With her newfound stardom, Beyoncé has been given a platform to allow for lost voices to shine again. Linda Martell had a promising trajectory during the 1960s, being the first Black female to perform at the Grand Ole Opry, an event where massive country stars perform their hits. Unfortunately, Martell decided to leave the country scene due to numerous comments she had received due to the color of her skin and how it affected her sound. Sometimes she felt the need to hide her Blackness, to the point of her label redirecting funds to another artist. Her legacy was left undiscovered for decades, until her feature on Cowboy Carter put her in the spotlight again. It was also because of Cowboy Carter; she gained her first entry on the Hot 100. Being featured on the Hot 100 is a significant highlight for an artist’s career as it signifies mainstream influence. Beyoncé acted as a guiding light for not only the artists featured, but any aspiring musician. It was so difficult for Black people to have mainstream impact in the country scene and now having fought for her spot she has opened the door for so many others to not only claim theirs but receive the flowers they were owed a long ago.
The ever-changing landscape of the music industry means every day, new artists are waiting for their chance to break through and get to the top. Cowboy Carter allowed for so many new Black country artists to introduce themselves. In the new rendition of The Beatles song “Blackbird” titled “BLACKBIIRD” four up and coming Black female country artists were going to be featured: Brittney Spencer, Reyna Roberts, Tanner Adell, and Tiera Kennedy. In this new rendition of the song, all history comes together to make it much richer. Beyoncé, a Black artist from the ‘90s, has given space for the new generation in music, especially in a genre that Black people have been shut out from. The song gave Spencer, Roberts, Adell, and Kennedy a huge platform, allowing all of them to chart for the first time in their careers. Nigerian-American artist Shaboozey was featured on two songs “SPAGHETTII” and “SWEET HONEY BUCKIN’” on the album. Later in the year he was able to achieve the longest running number one song on the Billboard Hot 100. Country music is a space in which Black people have been consistently ignored, even though their contributions to the genre have been significant. So, this achievement means even more with the kind of adversity an artist like him would face. It opens doors for future artists and makes it known that Black people are here to stay in whatever genre they choose to pursue.
With so much focus on creating and delivering a body of work with a genuine message, it’s a wonder that until this year Beyoncé hadn’t received the biggest accolade in music, a Grammy for Album of The Year. It was at the 2025 ceremony that she was finally bestowed the honor, becoming the first Black female artist to do so in 26 years, since Ms. Lauren Hill won in 1999 for The Miseducation of Lauren Hill. This is even more outstanding, when you consider the fact that she is the artist with the most wins and nominations in Grammy history. A fact that her husband, Jay-Z, pointed out in a controversial speech at the Grammy’s last year. This award means so much more when you think about what she set out to do with this album. Entering a space where Black people have not received much recognition, the album also won Best Country album at the Grammys; yet was completely ignored at the CMAs. This type of recognition is so important for future artists and tells the world that Black voices won’t be silenced and can fit in whatever genre they want to.
Art is the bridge between a person’s inner thoughts and the world; anyone should be allowed to create art in the manner that they see fit. With Beyoncé introducing herself into the country genre, despite the adversity, she spotlights the pioneers before her and paves the way for those after her. It takes a lot of confidence to walk into a room knowing people will take any chance to shoo you out. For years, Black people have been ignored in the spaces that they created and been disregarded for the contributions that they made. The song, the album and the impact they’ve made have become yet another reminder that it is entirely within their right for Black artists to demand a seat at the table. Her win for AOTY is a little bit overdue, but it’s wonderful to see that the Academy is ready to celebrate Beyoncé’s incredible artistry. With this new chapter in her discography, Beyoncé is passing on the torch to the next generation, while giving them the encouragement to share their artistic journey with the world.