'Cowboy Carter': The Album Everyone’s Talking About

In this week’s 52INSIGHTS we’re discussing all things ‘Cowboy Carter’. After five years in the making, Beyoncé is back with vengeance and we’re here for it… But is everybody? Who has a claim to ‘country’ as a genre? And what does Azealia Banks have to do with it?

WHAT’S ALL THE FUSS ABOUT?

Beyoncé's much-anticipated album "Cowboy Carter," the second instalment of her trilogy project, dropped on March 29th, and it's already breaking records. Making history is no new feat for Queen Bey - she currently holds the most Grammy awards in history at a staggering 32 wins. This album is no different. Prior to “Texas Hold ‘Em” no Black woman had ever topped the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. 

Some might say it's a calculated move to capitalise on the genre's current popularity. With streams of the genre increasing a staggering 23.7%, this trend has certainly been captured by youth audiences with the #countrymusic on TikTok boasting 29 billion views on 2.5 million posts. But critics are raving about the album's authenticity. Beyoncé, a Texas native, (“This is how they made me, Houston, Texas, baby”) isn't just putting on a twang; she's exploring the genre and reclaiming a space for Black voices in country music's often exclusionary past. Beyoncé's Texas roots and family history are steeped in the genre's traditions, with Beyoncé’s own mother stating that “In Texas there is a huge Black cowboy culture. Why do you think that my kids have integrated it into their fashion and art since the beginning?”. 

The desire for reclamation comes from a place of experience, with the singer posting the album launch on instagram with the caption: “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”. Some speculate that this references the 2016 Country Music Award CMA’s performance with ‘The Chicks’, which was met with gross, deplorable and downright racist responses. This is more than a record shattering album, this is a fight over the politics of country music. 

COUNTRY MUSIC POLITICS

On the surface the controversy surrounding the stars' foray into country music is highlighting the deeply political identity often associated with country music, with Vox suggesting that at a surface level, these reactions can simply be put down to incongruous political stance. Beyoncé’s stance on rights being distant from contemporary conservative ideals of the country music scene. However, country music has a long and troubled relationship with race. The 2016 Country Music Awards serves as yet another example of this. "Cowboy Carter" forces the industry to confront this history and question who gets to ‘claim’ country music. 

Politics aside, some fans are taking Beyoncé at her word, understanding that “This ain’t a country album this is a Beyoncé album”, the words projected onto various museums in New York, in a guerilla style album promotion. The key takeaway here being that Beyoncés music transcends the confines of genre. Amongst all the online chatter surrounding the singer's latest album, the “This is a Beyoncé album” excitement is taking hold, with one tiktok user praising the album versatility.

“This woman,she has a track called spaghetti, sings opera in italian, raps, covers the beatles and dolly parton, has got willie nelson deejaying for her, there's a duet with hannah montana” TikTok user “beyoncebeytwicebeythrice” 

THE POWER OF COLLABORATIONS

Did we forget to mention the collaborations? Cowboy Carter is a masterclass in creative collaborations. The list includes top names like Miley Cyrus, Post Malone, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Linda Martell, Tanner Adell, Willie Jones, Raphael Saadiq, The-Dream and Shaboozey. 

Speaking on that Dolly Parton cover, the controversial rewrite of Joleen, was received well by the country icon, with the star posting on her instagram: “Wow, I just heard Jolene. Beyoncé is giving that girl some trouble and she deserves it! Love, Dolly P”. The post is in reference to the controversial lyric rewrite from “I'm begging of you please don't take my man” to a stark warning, “I’m warnin’ you, don’t come for my man”. Dolly Parton is just one of the many country music insiders to praise the artist, with country star Maren Morris telling them to “Drag them, Queen” in reference to Beyoncé not feeling comfortable in the country music scene. 

These comments are welcome in an industry that can sometimes feel shrouded in negativity. For example, artists making sweeping statements about quitting with Lizzo posting “I Quit” on instagram in reference to the negativity she receives (nothing to do with Beyoncé). However, some industry players are notorious for adding to the negativity themselves with notorious personality Azealia Banks calling the themes of Cowboy Carter “redundant”, and hinting at in-authenticity of the Miley Cyrus collaboration “"We know those two are not kicking it on the regular."

BRAND TAKEOUTS 

Do The Unexpected: We don’t expect you to create Grammy-winning campaign soundtracks or overthrow Beyoncé’s hold on the music industry, but it is important to understand the culturally-led, fast paced nature of the entertainment industry right now. There is enormous power in doing the unexpected - like Beyoncé’s Guggenheim projector takeover, to take charge of messaging and inspire fans to adopt your own mantra: “This is a Beyoncé Album”.

Creative Collaborations: The power of well orchestrated creative collaborations has never been clearer than in the discussion surrounding ‘Cowboy Carter’. The collaboration between Beyoncé and Dolly Parton was the perfect welcome into the country music scene, and her support helped land the hotly anticipated album.

Cowboy Culture: The power of the cowboy culture aesthetic hasn’t been lost on advertisers, with brands hopping on the cowboy-inspired visual trends. It’s important to be authentic if or when doing this. Think about how you can collaborate with communities like the Compton Cowboys who live this culture daily.