Beyoncé is dropping her first album slated for the country genre but clarifies “This ain’t a Country album. This is a “Beyoncé” album.
When will Beyoncé’s ‘act ii: Cowboy Carter’ be released?
Beyoncé will release “act ii: Cowboy Carter” on Mar. 29. The first singles she released from the album —— “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages” came out on Feb. 11. “Texas Hold ‘Em” sent Beyoncé to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 —— making her the first Black woman in history to do so in the country genre, per Billboard.
What do we know about Beyoncé’s ‘act ii: Cowboy Carter’ so far?
The music superstar announced she would be dropping new music at the end of a Super Bowl Verizon commercial, sending fans into a frenzy. She confirmed the official announcement on her social media and released the two singles from the album.
“act ii: Cowboy Carter” is the second installment in a series of albums, according to the musical artist, and she hopes to continue the success she gained from “Renaissance,” which was a shift from Beyoncé’s soulful R&B to an electric house disco music. It appears she’s continuing to shift what fans consider Beyoncé’s music with the most recent country shift.
According to Beyoncé’s Instagram post:
- “Today marks the 10-day countdown until the release of act ii,” she wrote in a recent Instagram post. “Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all of the supporters of TEXAS HOLD ‘EM and 16 CARRIAGES. I feel honored to be the first Black woman with the number one single on the Hot Country Songs chart. That would not have happened without the outpouring of support from each and every one of you. 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.”
- “This album has 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. But, because of that experience, I did a deeper dive into the history of Country music and studied our rich musical archive. It feels good to see how music can unite so many people around the world, while also amplifying the voices of some of the people who have dedicated so much of their lives educating on our musical history.”
The album name pays homage to her mother’s maiden name of Carter.
Who will be featured on Beyoncé’s ‘act ii: Cowboy Carter’ album?
In a recent post, Beyoncé confirmed that she would be featuring collaborators on the album, saying, “I have a few surprises on the album, and have collaborated with some brilliant artists who I deeply respect.”
Icon Dolly Parton recently hinted that her legendary song “Jolene” might make an appearance on Beyoncé’s upcoming album.
- “I think she’s recorded ‘Jolene’ and I think it’s probably gonna be on her country album, which I’m very excited about that,” Parton told the Knoxville News Sentinel.
- She also described Beyoncé as a “great singer” and “beautiful,” per CBS News.
- Parton told NPR in 2008 that “Jolene” is her song that has been covered the most.
On Wednesday, Beyoncé released a rodeo poster that fans are speculating could be the track list for the album. She names Parton, Willie Nelson and references “The Linda Martell Show” in the post. “Texas Hold ‘Em,” “16 Carriages” and “Jolene” all got mentioned in the poster.
‘Cowboy Carter’ track list
It’s not clear what order the tracks will appear, but here is a list of what appears to be the track list songs for the album.
- “Texas Hold ‘Em.”
- “16 Carriages.”
- “American Requiem.”
- “Blackbird.”
- “Protector.”
- “My Rose.”
- “Bodyguard.”
- “Daughter.”
- “Spaghetti.”
- “Alligator Tears.”
- “Smoke Hour II.”
- “Just For Fun.”
- “II most Wanted.”
- “Levi’s Jeans.”
- “Flamenco.”
- “Ya Ya.”
- “Oh Louisiana.”
- “Desert Eagle.”
- “Riverdance.”
- “II Hands II Heaven.”
- “Tyrant.”
- “Sweet Honey Buckin.”
- “Amen.”