A new chapter of Renaissance is here. On Friday March 29th, Beyoncé released the follow-up Act II of her seventh studio album, subtitled Cowboy Carter, after teasing the project back in February during a Super Bowl commercial for a wireless network provider. In it, the singer performed a handful of “Internet-breaking” activities before saying “okay, they’re ready. Drop the new music.”
“The joy of creating music is that there are no rules,” Beyoncé said in an official statement about the album. “The more I see the world evolving the more I felt a deeper connection to purity. With artificial intelligence and digital filters and programming, I wanted to go back to real instruments, and I used very old ones. I didn’t want some layers of instruments like strings, especially guitars, and organs perfectly in tune. I kept some songs raw and leaned into folk. All the sounds were so organic and human, everyday things like the wind, snaps, and even the sound of birds and chickens, the sounds of nature.”
The follow-up project is already one for the books—below, everything you need to know about Cowboy Carter.
What will Cowboy Carter sound like?
Upon the release of Cowboy Carter—which featured two lead singles in “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages”—Beyoncé described that the album “is about genres, all of them, while deeply rooted in Country,” in an official statement.
The 27-track album floats between sounds that Beyoncé grew up listening to: Country, original Rhythm & Blues, Blues, Zydeco, and Black Folk. The musician explained that she once had intentions to release Cowboy Carter prior to Renaissance.
“This album took over five years,” she says. “It’s been really great to have the time and the grace to be able to take my time with it. I was initially going to put Cowboy Carter out first, but with the pandemic, there was too much heaviness in the world. We wanted to dance. We deserved to dance. But I had to trust God’s timing.”
The press release explains that each song is its “own version of a reimagined Western film.” The star reportedly referenced works like Five Fingers for Marseilles, Urban Cowboy, The Hateful Eight, Space Cowboys, The Harder They Fall, and Killers of the Flower Moon. The album is described as something that “undulates from singing cowboy and Blaxploitation to Spaghetti westerns and fantasy” as Beyoncé weaves “between personal experiences, honoring Black history, to exaggerated character building.”
“I think people are going to be surprised because I don’t think this music is what everyone expects,” Beyoncé explained, adding “but it’s the best music I’ve ever made.”
Is there a track list for Cowboy Carter?
On March 27th, Beyoncé posted the Cowboy Carter track list to her Instagram. Fans quickly pointed out the inclusion of “Jolene,” Dolly Parton’s 1973 hit, as well as references to country music pioneer Linda Martell and The Beatles’s “Blackbird.”
Who is featured on Cowboy Carter?
Raphael Saadiq, a frequent Beyoncé collaborator, helped compose, write lyrics, and produce both “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages.” Other names on the production side include Dave Hamelin, Ink, Hit-Boy, Pharrell, Ryan Beatty, and Jay-Z.
Rising country star Tanner Adell features on “Blackbird,” a lively rendition of The Beatles classic. Fellow up-and-comer Shaboozey puts on a lively performance in “Sweet Honey Buckin’.” On “Protector,” Beyoncé’s six-year-old daughter Rumi Carter kicks off the song, saying “Mom, can I hear the lullaby, please?”
Beyoncé teamed up with Miley Cyrus for the first time on “II Most Wanted,” which then transitions into “Levii’s Jeans” featuring Post Malone. There are also snippets from musical legends including Dolly Parton, Linda Martell, and Willie Nelson.
Is there a Lady Gaga collaboration?
Unfortunately, after speculation over a “Telephone” redux, there is no Lady Gaga collaboration on Cowboy Carter.
A short teaser, in which Beyoncé is seen driving through a desert, had fans a potential Gaga feature. The musical icons, of course, teamed together for “Telephone” back in 2009 and fans have been calling for a follow-up ever since.
Are there Cowboy Carter visuals?
Yes! Alongside the Super Bowl commercial, Beyoncé released a handful of visuals—from the wild, wild west teaser to a pair of captivating images for her singles. Now, whether there will be long-form visuals remains to be seen—we’re still waiting on the complete visuals from Act I, after all.
When will Cowboy Carter be released?
Cowboy Carter was released on March 29th, 2024.
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