With her many wins at the 2025 Grammys, Beyoncé took home an award in Best Country Album making her the first Black female artist to win in this category. Her album Cowboy Carter is the Grammy winner’s first country album and included many rising Black Country artists many of who should be on your radar especially if you were among the many that enjoyed the blend of country, western, pop and soul this year. Being a Houston native Beyonce’s southern roots have not only been represented through her music but also in her fashion. From chic white cowgirl hats to the Levi-inspired denim on denim looks, they all captured fashion girlies’ eyes and are appearing on fashion mood boards like mine.
Americana and Black Fashion
I was among the many that raced to Levi stores after watching the campaign ad Beyoncé starred in, where she sported classic Levi jeans and stunted in a denim rodeo had. Many held back tears after watching the inspirational promotional video she appeared in to introduce the USA Olympic stars for the summer’s 2024 Paris Olympics. At the Olympics, she showed off Black Americana culture at its finest. Black fashion has categorized and reworked many modes and western style is no exception. Beyoncé’s icy white and silver studded chaps may accentuate the arising trend, but they bring homage to the loud and eccentric style of rodeo queens and their dramatic pose we love to see. If you’re like me and want to steer your style to something a bit more Cowboy Carter-inspired consider investing in a pair of all-white or vintage brown cowgirl boots or butt hugging 501 Levi jeans. Beyoncé’s style dazzles and inspires us all but it also opens up the conversation on representation for Black America as well as its history in western culture. African Americans have a deep-rooted history in the rodeo circuit but women specifically made way in cowhand, rancher, and breeder professions following the 1863 Emancipation.
Black History in Country Music
As for country music, the Black community lacks much recognition in the genre as it spread to white audiences who rebranded it, making it what it is known as today. For instance, I bet many don’t know of the first, commercially successful, Black female country artist, Linda Martell. Beyoncé shouted out Martell in her acceptance speech at an award show as Martell had a major role in the production of Cowboy Carter, and Beyoncé’s album spent 2 weeks at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot country songs chart in April of last year. In addition, her features with today’s black country artists leave us wanting more from this once Black-led genre. Yes, I’m talking about the “A Bar Song (Tipsey)” singer, Shaboozey, who also had an appearance at the Grammy Awards Ceremony, but Beyoncé also featured four other rising country stars all who happen to be Black women. Tanner Adell, Tiera Kennedy, Reyna Roberts and Brittney Spencer all appear on Cowboy Carter’s “Tyrant” and you may recognize them from their amazing addition to Beyoncé’s entrance to the NFL Christmas Day halftime show in Houston. They describe their roles in the album’s success as a large progressive step in introducing music lovers to this musical space. Tiera Kennedy at the time of the album’s release had just split from her record label and was struggling within the industry, but after Cowboy Carter was released, Martell’s numbers shot up too. These women play a significant role in the country music scene and continue to make music while bringing hope that their presence leads to normalcy and acceptance in the genre in the future.