Beyoncé has unveiled stunning cover art for her upcoming album Act II: Cowboy Carter, taking aim at critics who tried to tell her she didn’t belong in the country music genre.
“My hope is that years from now, the mention of an artist’s race, as it relates to releasing genres of music, will be irrelevant,” Beyoncé wrote to her 319 million followers on Instagram, next to an image of herself sitting on a white horse, holding an American flag and dressed in a red white and blue getup.
“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.”
The “experience” refers to when Beyoncé performed one of her singles ‘Daddy Lessons’, a country track, at the 2016 Country Music Awards with American country band, The Chicks.
Following the performance, some people in the country community turned their back on Beyoncé, and the song was reportedly rejected by the Recording Academy’s music committee when it was submitted for a Grammy in the country category. The Country Music Association also didn’t nominate the song.
“But, because of that experience,” she wrote, “I did a deeper dive into the history of Country music and studied our rich musical archive.”
“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.”
Black artistry is already woven into country music
Taking a look back at history, some might be surprised to know that country music hasn’t always been as white-washed as it is today. The genre comes from a rich and diverse history, stemming from the 1600s when enslaved people of the African diaspora created the banjo in the Caribbean.
The banjo, along with other stringed instruments, was played by Black string bands and transformed into American folk music, which then became the foundation of blackface minstrelsy– America’s most commercialised and racialised form of entertainment. This influenced every form of popular music that followed, including country music.
While the modern day stereotype of country music might be white and rural, the history of it demands credit be given to Black artists.
Take, for example, Tracey Chapman, the legendary female Black musician whose song ‘Fast Car’ didn’t top Billboard charts until a white male country singer (Luke Combs) did a cover of it.
Now, with her hit single Texas Hold ‘Em, Beyoncé has made a strong statement, becoming the first Black woman to reach No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart.
And yet, even now, some in the country music community are refusing to acknowledge her place in the genre. One radio station in Oklahoma has come under criticism for refusing to play Beyoncé’s Texas Hold ‘Em on their channel. And the former Dukes of Hazzard star John Schneider came under fire from Beyoncé fans after comparing her wide musical range to a “dog… mark[ing] every tree”.
“The criticisms I faced when I first entered this genre forced me to propel past the limitations that were put on me. act ii is a result of challenging myself, and taking my time to bend and blend genres together to create this body of work,” Beyoncé said.
There’s nine days to go until the highly anticipated release of act ii, which will feature the already released hits Texas Hold ‘Em and 16 Carriages.
The renowned singer has hinted at “a few surprises on the album”, such as collaborations with various artists. Many believe she’ll include a reference to Dolly Parton’s ‘Jolene’ on the album, as, last week, Parton revealed that Beyoncé had recorded a cover of the 1973 song.
Already, Beyoncé’s songs and album cover have ignited important conversations around race, American nationalism and patriotism found within the country music genre. Despite this, however, she’s making sure that everyone knows: “This ain’t a Country album. This is a “Beyoncé” album.”