Beyoncé has shared the cover art for her forthcoming album, Cowboy Carter, while sharing details about her transition to making country music.
The “Texas Hold ‘Em” singer took to Instagram on Tuesday (March 19) to share the visual, which features her sitting sideways on a galloping white horse. In the shot, she can be seen holding an American flag while dressed in a red, white and blue leather suit adorned by a sash that reads “COWBOY CARTER.”
She accompanied the photo with a lengthy caption, in which she wrote: “Today marks the 10-day countdown until the release of act ii. 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.”
She also wrote about how long she has been working on the project
“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 42-year-old also reflected on the backlash she faced and how it made her want to work harder rather than quit.
“The criticisms I faced when I first entered this genre forced me to propel past the limitations that were put on me,” she wrote. “act ii is a result of challenging myself, and taking my time to bend and blend genres together to create this body of work.
“I have a few surprises on the album, and have collaborated with some brilliant artists who I deeply respect. I hope that you can hear my heart and soul, and all the love and passion that I poured into every detail and every sound.
She concluded: “I focused on this album as a continuation of RENAISSANCE…I hope this music is an experience, creating another journey where you can close your eyes, start from the beginning and never stop.
“This ain’t a Country album. This is a ‘Beyoncé’ album. This is act ii COWBOY CARTER, and I am proud to share it with y’all!”
Earlier this week, it was announced that the “Hold Up” singer was continuing to dominate the UK charts as “Texas Hold ‘Em” led the singles tally for the fourth consecutive week.
Culture Vulture
Behold that horse she’s riding on is called confusion and her attire points to where she’s bringing it to. AMERICA!
The devil will stop at nothing until there is nothing. Creating chaos and leading the blind into a fake war to do his biding.
Their issue isn’t that you’re black, it’s an issue of authenticity. You’re an R&B singer appropriating something that you’ve never been a part of. Just the same as people wouldn’t be happy if Taylor Swift put out a rap album and then was lorded as being better than everyone else. Not that
Yeah I had to go listen to the songs and that’s the exact feeling I got. It’s just Beyoncé on a country tune lol
Beyoncé needs to ride in on her supposed victimhood to get recognition. She is not doing this cause she loves that art form. This is one of those; “if you don’t like this, you’re racist” type moves. Like many other moves being made largely in the entertainment industry. Whether it be movies, games, or music. What happened to talent?
True story: solace Knowles is a know witch craft practitioner people have seen her shopping at a warlock store in LA no joke on Christ so what do you think jay and bey do?
Pandering to the whites after years of claiming that they don’t care about blacks. Yeah, they’ll welcome you right in girl 😐
Gospel could have been interesting like a christian community support oh yes it might be a challenge give her a run for her money lets hear those vocal chords high and low
Beyonce want to change peoples perception but would sexuality or religious belief have any hinges on what she described
Why is this women lying about everything!
let me guess, country music was really started by black people and was subsequently stolen and taken over by the nasty backward whites. Beyonce is here to save the genre and reveal to everyone the primacy of her blackness! Behold! The Queen of Country Music! Beyonce Cowboy Carter!