Is Beyoncé back? Did she bring Texas along with her? Does she know how to ride a horse? What about Act 2? What will the looks be like?
The fact that the Queen of Pop has never made a mistake and brings with her references from her home state of Texas, we already know… but a shiny cowboy hat, boots and a mechanical bull on stage is unbelievable!!!! The stage becomes a real chic rodeo!
Bey brings captivating lyrics that engage anyone, bold choreography and a lot of charisma, showing that the country deserves global prominence. Did you think I would forget? Duets with other unexpected singers appear, and a bridge between country music’s past and present is created! That’s having power!
According to Queen B, Act 2, a sequel to Renaissance, will be a way of embracing her Texas roots, producing her first country album. Who remembers the email shared on X (formerly Twitter) with thousands of requests to play “Texas Hold ‘Em”? This was because fans wanted more recognition of black voices on stage. And, in fact, black artists did not receive the recognition they deserved in the genre.
On the album Renaissance, Beyoncé claimed the black origins of the house, and now she is trying to show that country has a similar trajectory. Country music is well known for artists who are white men, and this happens with several musical genres, but it was black artists who started this musical style.
Segregation in country music persists to this day, visible in marketing, advertising and the media’s approach, as it was possible to observe when country radio KYKC (one of the most listened to radio stations in the USA) chose to exclude some of Bey’s songs from its programming with the following justification: “We don’t play Beyoncé because we are a country music station”.
The same happened with the song Old Town Road, by black artist Lil Nas X, but it was later removed from the radio. Rolling Stone Magazine said the song had no elements of current country. Some fans of the genre also criticized Lil Nas X because he wore a cowboy hat (an accessory commonly associated with the country movement).
Richard M. Cooper, co-coordinator of African and Afro-American Studies at Widener University in the United States, highlights how country music has become so standardized that its historical diversity has been virtually ignored, leading to questions about why there is a black person being involved in this musical genre, including questions about wearing cowboy hats.
This has been changing over time and, now that Bey has entered Act2 with all of her power, black artists are taking back more space and showing their talent. With her global influence, Beyoncé takes the country to new horizons, winning over fans and showing that there are no limits to her creativity and versatility. It’s worth remembering that the artist was at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 with the single “Texas Hold ‘Em” for two consecutive weeks and legend has it that she will stay until the third, which proves that there is no shortage of talent and exceeded expectations!
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The article above was edited by Camila Lutfi
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