Beyoncé is set to release her first-ever country album on March 29th, 2024
R&B superstar Beyoncé is venturing into a new genre of music with her upcoming country album, titled Cowboy Carter, which is planned to be released later this month.
Her first single from the album, “Texas Hold Em,” was inspired by her hometown of Houston, Texas. Despite receiving mixed reactions from the country music community, the song quickly found its way to the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, making Beyoncé the first-ever black woman to do so.
See the video for “Texas Hold Em” below.
Beyoncé shares the inspiration behind her new album
To commemorate the 10-day countdown to the release of Cowboy Carter, the Grammy Award winner shared a lengthy post (below) detailing the inspiration behind the album and giving fans a hint of what to expect. She shares:
“This album has been over five years in the making. It was born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed…and it was very clear that I wasn’t.”
In 2016, Beyoncé performed CMA Awards at the alongside The Chicks (formerly the Dixie Chicks) for a rendition of her song “Daddy Lessons.” This collaboration received backlash from many in the country music community, and Natalie Maines of The Chicks even said that she received negative comments from “racist a–holes.”
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Beyoncé says that the criticism she received from the country music genre inspired her to “propel past the limitations”
Because of that experience years ago, the Texas native says she did a “deep dive” into the history of country music. She continues:
“It feels good to see how music can unite so many people around the world, while also amplifying the voices of some of the people who have dedicated so much of their lives educating on our musical history.”
Additionally, Beyoncé says that the forthcoming album is a result of “challenging myself, and taking my time to bend and blend genres together to create this body of work.”
Watch the performance that inspired Beyoncé to create a country album below!