Are you ready for ACT 11? Parkwood Entertainment and Beyonce just announced that her new album for Act 11 will be released on March 29th.
Act II: Cowboy Carter will be Beyonce’s eighth studio album via Parkwood Entertainment and Columbia Records.
It is the second installment of Beyoncé’s three-act project conceived during the COVID-19 pandemic, following Act I: Renaissance (2022).
It was announced on February 11, 2024, following a teaser in a Verizon commercial aired during Super Bowl LVIII that starred Beyoncé and actor Tony Hale.
Beyoncé also announced the album’s release date via social media and simultaneously released the album’s two lead singles: “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages”. The album is reported to be influenced by country music.
Beyonce’s Background in Country Music
Beyoncé ventured into the realm of country music with the release of “Daddy Lessons” on her album Lemonade (2016). The track garnered attention with a remix featuring the Chicks, released as a promotional single on November 2, 2016.
Their collaboration reached a pinnacle when they performed the song together at the 50th annual Country Music Association Awards. However, Beyoncé’s presence at the event sparked controversy among some country music fans.
Critics, including Alex Abad-Santos of Vox, attributed this backlash to Beyoncé’s outspoken liberal-leaning politics, questioning her authenticity in the country music genre, and lamenting racially charged sentiments. Notably, the Country Music Association (CMA) faced scrutiny after deleting promotional posts about Beyoncé’s performance, leading to accusations of attempting to appease critics.
The CMA refuted such claims, asserting that Beyoncé’s team had requested the removal of promotional material before the performance.
Despite the acclaim surrounding Lemonade, the album received nine Grammy nominations in December 2016, “Daddy Lessons” was reportedly excluded from consideration by the Recording Academy’s country music committee.
Beyoncé was interested in country; I think she had a really bad experience at a country music award show, and she wanted to research its African-American roots. She discovered that 50 per cent of cowboys were Black, in the 19th and early 20th century, and country music, of course, has been largely appropriated. She wanted to reappropriate Americana and country music from a Black perspective, hence the cowboys and why they are wearing red. They are her eliding those two ideas of redlining in those towns and the cowboys. She made a series of extraordinary films during lockdown [not] out yet.
— Es Devlin speaking to British Vogue in November 2023.[6]
Beyoncé's upcoming album COWBOY CARTER drops 3.29.
Pre-order limited edition boxsets and vinyls: https://t.co/NdEky2tlK3 pic.twitter.com/53Pf20V3fB
— BEYONCÉ LEGION (@BeyLegion) March 12, 2024
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???? Beyoncé announces Act II: ‘COWBOY CARTER’ out March 29th. pic.twitter.com/ITPNY2mnUy
— Pop Base (@PopBase) March 12, 2024
