Beyoncé Explains Meaning Of Her New Album, Cowboy Carter

Beyoncé’s country album is almost upon us, but don’t call it a country album. On March 19, the singer unveiled the cover art of her upcoming album, Cowboy Carter, and explained the record’s meaning in a letter posted to Instagram, saying it’s 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,” she wrote. “But, because of that experience, I did a deeper dive into the history of Country music and studied our rich musical archive.”

While Bey didn’t specify what she went through, she’s likely referring to her performance at the 2016 Country Music Awards with The Chicks, which received hatred from some country listeners. Stage designer Es Devlin revealed in an interview with British Vogue that the Western-inspired visuals on the Renaissance World Tour were born from that experience.

“I think she had a really bad experience at a country music award show, and she wanted to research its African-American roots,” Devlin said. “She discovered that 50 percent 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.”

Beyoncé also addressed the negativity she received while dabbling in country music, saying it motivated this album. “The criticisms I faced when I first entered this genre forced me to propel past the limitations that were put on me,” she wrote. “act ii is a result of challenging myself, and taking my time to bend and blend genres together to create this body of work.”

While she hasn’t revealed the tracklist yet, beyond the first two singles, “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages,” Bey did tease that she had “a few surprises” up her sleeve. “I have collaborated with some brilliant artists who I deeply respect,” she said. “I hope that you can hear my heart and soul, and all the love and passion that I poured into every detail and every sound.”

Beyoncé said she was “honored” to be the first Black woman to top the Country Songs chart with “Texas Hold ‘Em,” thanking fans for the achievement. “That would not have happened without the outpouring of support from each and every one of you,” she said. “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.”

She concluded her letter by saying Cowboy Carter was a continuation of her last album Renaissance. Her goal was to create “another journey” that fans could listen to from beginning to end — with no skips.

“This ain’t a Country album. This is a ‘Beyoncé’ album,” she declared. “This is act ii COWBOY CARTER, and I am proud to share it with y’all!”