Beyoncé’s latest ground-breaking album Act ll: Cowboy Carter has been setting new records every day since its release last month. When it hit the number one spot on the Billboard country albums chart last week, it made Beyoncé the first Black woman in history to reach the top position since the chart began in 1964.
It also hit No.1 on the Billboard 200 chart and has been in the top spot for the most weeks of any of her albums since a decade ago, when her self-titled album lasted three weeks at the top.
Debuting at No. 1, Cowboy Carter marks the 42-year old’s eighth No.1 album, and first foray into country music. This week, with the album’s songs featured across the Billboard charts, she has doubled her total number of hits on a single genre tally.
According to the industry data and analytics firm, Luminate, the album secured a total of 407,000 equivalent album units in the US in its first week.
In late February, Beyoncé scored her first hit on the popular Country Airplay chart, with her single Texas Hold ‘Em, which is featured in Cowboy Carter. It made her the first Black woman to top the chart — historically dominated by white artists.
This week, her second song to land on the Country Airplay chart, Jolene launched at No. 56, racking up the highest number of audience impressions across every country radio station in the US. Beyoncé’s version of the Dolly Parton classic has in fact become the most successful version on Billboard’s country radio chart.
Earlier this month, she won the Innovator Award at the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards.
In her acceptance speech, she described her journey towards becoming an innovator as one that “can be very bumpy.”
“Innovation starts with a dream,” she said. “But then you have to execute that dream.”
“Being an innovator is saying what everyone believes is impossible. Being an innovator often means being criticised, which often will test your mental strength. Being an innovator is leaning on faith and trusting that God will catch you and guide you.”
“So, to all the record labels, every radio station, every award show, my hope is that we’re more open to the joy and liberation that comes from enjoying art with no preconceived notions.”