Of course Beyonce can "play" country

Beyoncé shows off her cowboy side on new album ”Cowboy Carter”. Many were cynical, but the album took off.

PARKWOOD ENTERTAINMENT/BLAIR CALDWELL

Cover of Cowboy Carter, the eighth album by US singer Beyoncé. This album combines a variety of classic American genres, such as country and blues with contemporary R&B and hip-hop rhythms.

music lovers were stunned when the queen of pop and R&B Beyoncé launched album < i>Cowboy Carter on March 29, 2024. On the album containing 27 tracks, Queen Bey—the nickname of her fans—composes and sings country music. He jumped over the imaginary boundaries created by conservative country musicians.

The album Cowboy Carter is the eighth solo album by the singer, born Beyoncé Giselle Knowles. This album is the latest innovation in the music industry. As executive producer, Beyoncé does not waste complete freedom over whatever she wants to make.

In her previous seven solo albums, Beyonce is known for her disco, pop, hip-hop, and R&B style - a realm that is widely explored by other black musicians. However, Beyonce always stands out. Throughout her career, she has won 32 Grammy Awards, both as a solo artist and as a member of the group Destiny’s Child.

Also read: Beyonce Wins Most Grammys

The trophy from the prestigious music industry event is awarded for her famous albums and songs, such as "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)," "Say My Name," "Crazy in Love," and "Drunk in Love." These songs can now be considered as Beyoncé's classic numbers; dynamic, with powerful vocal pulls, and a persona of a strong woman. For almost three decades, Beyoncé has transformed into a goddess of the popular music industry.

New solo female singers are emerging, alongside Beyonce's career. From the Grammy Awards, some of these new divas include Adele - who matched her record by winning six Grammy awards in one night; there is also Alicia Keys, Norah Jones, and Miley Cyrus - who have just won Records of the Year this year.

Beyoncé witnessed all of this while running the Parkwood Entertainment company as a "vehicle" for her career. Having your own company is an invaluable privilege in creating work, even carrying out marketing. The album Lemonade (2016) was Beyoncé's first album in the company—as if it was born from her own womb. The album is in the form of a video work, while the physical format is treated like a souvenir.

During the pandemic, Beyonce became a philanthropist, donating millions of US dollars to Covid-19 relief efforts. Along with that, she thought of innovative ways to approach her music. She conceptualized a work that explores the "roots" of music based on historical notes.

The first product of this concept was born in 2022 with an album entitled Renaissance. This album seems to reveal references to the music genres that Beyonce lives in, namely hip-hop and house music which were developed by the black, working class and transgender communities in the US. This is the first chapter in tracing his musical roots.

PARKWOOD ENTERTAINMENT/BLAIR CALDWELL

In her latest album, Beyonce collaborates with veteran country musicians Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson.

Southern culture

The second half is an exploration of the musical styles he picked up from his surroundings, the State of Texas. Beyoncé was born in Houston, a big city in Texas. He was born to a mother from Louisiana and a father from Alabama. You could say, Houston, Louisiana, Alabama is the epicenter of country music in the US besides Nashville in Tennessee, the southern side of the US.

Whether you realize it or not, patterns of country music and all cowboy culture have always been in the pulse of Beyoncé's creativity. It's just a matter of time when he expresses it. And that time is now. The album Cowboy Carter was a catalyst for the pulse of country music within Beyoncé.

The inspiration for this album, according to Beyonce in the press release, comes from memories of watching rodeo performances as a child. Whenever there was a commotion at the rodeo, the 42-year-old singer said she saw diversity and friendship among country music enthusiasts. There, she also saw black, Hispanic, and Indian cowboys.

Beyonce created a cowboy character named Carter who is black-skinned. Carter destroyed the connotation of "cowboy" which is often interpreted as a former slave, but adept at handling horses and livestock. The image of a skilled human is what Beyonce wants to present.

The narrative begins with the title "American Requiem." Beyonce opens up about her ancestry in this song, revealing that her forebears came from Louisiana and Alabama. She "confesses" how difficult it was for her to break into the country music scene despite being from and having an accent from the southern United States.

So, she once tried playing country music by performing her song "Daddy Lessons" at the 2016 Country Music Association Awards accompanied by The Chicks band. However, people made racist comments about her performance.

“The criticism I received at that time made me try hard to overcome the limits that were presented to me. I challenged myself and this album (Cowboy Carter) is the result. "I spent time and energy combining various genres within the framework of this work (album)," said Beyoncé, quoted by AFP.

I challenged myself and this album (Cowboy Carter) is the result.

Industry dictate

Beyonce is not alone. Several black artists have never been easily accepted when creating country music. Singer Lil Nas X with his song "Old Town Road" featuring banjo riffs and thumb claps on the bass was once removed from the Billboard country music chart after being criticized for being seen as a hip-hop musician based on his skin color.

Rhiannon Giddens, a musician of color who is good at playing the banjo and has the country band The Carolina Chocolate Drops, opened her voice. “Whenever a black artist releases a country song, the comments, judgments and opinions come in fast and sharp. It's time to stop pretending that (country) music is an entirely white tradition. That's a figment of imagination," said Giddens on The Guardians.

Giddens' opinion is reinforced by Charles Hughes, author of the book Country Soul: Making Music and Making Race in the American South. "Artists of color were dictated to by a white-dominated music industry, and a white understanding of country music," Hughes told AFP.

Also read: Blue Ivy Becomes One of the Youngest Grammy Nominees

He fully supports Beyonce's breakthrough in her latest album. "In the last 15 years, Beyonce has embraced and accepted her Texas origins. People who have followed her career are not too surprised by Beyonce's new work. However, there are still those who say, 'Ah, this is not country music,'" said Hughes.

Restricting who can play country music is actually an outdated view. One of the top singers in this field, Keith Urban, comes from Australia. Meanwhile, pop-country queen Shania Twain, whose albums have sold over 90 million copies, is a citizen of Canada. If they, who are not US citizens, are recognized as country musicians, then Beyonce should be able to sit at the same table with them.

Holly G, the creator of The Black Opry that supports black musicians in the country and Americana scene, understands that misperception even though it is misguided. "Country music fans generally see themselves as traditionalists. It is ironic because black people are the ones who discovered country music," she said.

This cynicism, said Holly G, is always present whenever works are considered different and eccentric. "Unfortunately, she (Beyoncé) is more powerful than these cynical people," he said.

Holly G is right. The song "Texas Hold 'Em," the first single from this album, stormed and topped the Billboard country music chart. The album also rose to the top of the Top Country Albums chart. A new history has been written; Beyonce is the first black female artist to enter the world of country music on Billboard. On its release day, this album was the most played on the Spotify platform.

PARKWOOD ENTERTAINMENT/MASON POOLE

Beyoncé worked on the Cowboy Carter album for about five years. This album is a continuation of the previous album, Renaissance (2022).

Various sounds

This album was put together over approximately five years. Beyonce seems to have poured her heart and soul into finding the most authentic sound possible. Here and there, listeners can find various sounds, such as accordion, harmonica, ukulele, pedal steel guitar, mandolin, violin, Hammond B3 organ, banjo, and even washboard. Applause, horse shoe taps, and boot stomps act as additional percussion. This is all supplemented by natural sounds; the rustle of the wind, bird chirps, and rooster crowing.

"I want to return to the real sounds amidst the increasingly advanced artificial intelligence and programming. I don't want the sound of guitar and piano to be too clear. I want it to be organic and natural," said Beyonce, who collaborated with partners such as Pharell, Ryan Tedder, Derek Dixie, Tyler Johnson, and Jay-Z.

Beyonce also invited veteran country musicians Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson. Nelson played the role of a fictional radio announcer who invites listeners to "sit, take a breath, and let their souls wander accompanied by this song." Parton also guides listeners through her hit song "Jolene."

I don't want the sound of the guitar and piano to be too clear. I want organic and natural.

In the song "Ya Ya" which has a disco soul rhythm, Beyonce seems to bring together Nancy Sinatra and The Beach Boys. Meanwhile the number "Sweet Honey Buckin" still has a hip-hop feel; connecting this album with the Renaissance album.

With this variety of styles and sounds, Beyoncé does not claim that the Cowboy Carter album is a country album. “It's a Beyoncé album,” he says, wearing a wide-brimmed cowboy hat on the cover. Yeehaw! (AFP)

PARKWOOD ENTERTAINMENT/BLAIR CALDWELL

Through the album Cowboy Carter, Beyoncé became the first black female artist to successfully penetrate the country song/album ranking on Billboard.