Cowboy Carter

Cowboy Carter
Beyoncé with long white hair sits reverse side-saddle atop a white horse. Her cowboy outfit is in the colors of the American flag, which she holds, only the red and white stripes visible.
Standard cover
Studio album by
Beyoncé
ReleasedMarch 29, 2024 (2024-03-29)
Recorded2019–2024[1][2]
Studio
Genre
Length78:21
Language
  • English
  • Italian
Label
Producer
Beyoncé chronology
Renaissance
(2022) 		Cowboy Carter
(2024)
Alternative cover
Alternative cover used on initial vinyl and CD releases.
Alternative cover used on initial vinyl and CD releases.
Singles from Cowboy Carter
  1. "Texas Hold 'Em"
    Released: February 11, 2024
  2. "16 Carriages"
    Released: February 11, 2024
  3. "II Most Wanted"
    Released: April 26, 2024

Cowboy Carter (also referred to as Act II: Cowboy Carter) is the eighth studio album by American singer and songwriter Beyoncé, released on March 29, 2024, via Parkwood Entertainment and Columbia Records. A concept album, Cowboy Carter is the second of a planned trilogy of albums, following Renaissance (2022). Beyoncé conceived Cowboy Carter as a journey through a reinvention of Americana, spotlighting the overlooked contributions of Black pioneers to American musical and cultural history.

Mostly labeled a country and Americana album, Cowboy Carter blends together diverse Southern sub-genres that Beyoncé listened to when growing up in Texas, including zydeco, rock and roll, folk, rhythm and blues, pop, psychedelic soul, and bluegrass. Conceptually, the album is presented as a radio broadcast by a fictitious station called "KNTRY Radio Texas", with country singers Dolly Parton, Linda Martell, and Willie Nelson acting as disc jockeys. The album's songs feature lesser-known Black country artists such as Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, Tiera Kennedy, Reyna Roberts, Shaboozey, and Willie Jones. The music is driven by a range of acoustic instruments played by musicians including Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney, Nile Rodgers, Jon Batiste, Robert Randolph, Gary Clark Jr., and Rhiannon Giddens.

Cowboy Carter was met with universal acclaim upon release; critics felt that the album's genre experimentation, expansive scope, and eclectic references aided an ambitious reimagining of Americana and country through the lens of their Black roots. The album increased the listenership of country music, drove cultural conversations on Black musicians' place within the genre, boosted the careers of rising country artists, and increased the popularity of Western wear and culture. At the 67th Annual Grammy Awards, Cowboy Carter earned eleven nominations (including Album of the Year and Best Country Album), making it the second-most nominated album in Grammy history.

Cowboy Carter debuted at number one in several countries and broke several chart and streaming records. In the United States, Cowboy Carter became Beyoncé's eighth consecutive number-one album on the Billboard 200 and the first album by a black woman to top the Top Country Albums chart. Two co-lead singles—"Texas Hold 'Em" and "16 Carriages"—supported the album, with the former becoming Beyoncé's ninth number one single in the United States and the first country song by a Black woman to top the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot Country Songs charts. "II Most Wanted", a duet with Miley Cyrus, was released as the third single.

  1. ^ Price, Joe (March 22, 2024). ""16 Carriages" Producer Breaks Down the Difference Between Working on 'Renaissance' and 'Cowboy Carter'". Complex. Archived from the original on March 22, 2024. Retrieved March 23, 2024.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference pitchfork1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).