Beyoncé's Country Crossover: 'Cowboy Carter' Ignites Genre

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Superstar singer-songwriter Beyoncé released her country-centric eighth studio album “Cowboy Carter” at midnight, the second in an album trilogy after 2022’s “Renaissance.” The release follows the success of single “Texas Hold ‘Em,” which became the first track by a Black woman to top Billboard’s country music chart last month.

Beyoncé’s adoption of country music styles comes amid a broader surge in popularity in the genre, which has increased with music streaming services.

In 2023, country music streams grew 23%, driven primarily by Gen Z and millennials eschewing genre classification and led by musicians like Morgan Wallen and Luke Combs. Major acts Post Malone and Lana Del Rey have also announced country albums in recent months.

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Black pop artists, including Ray Charles, Tina Turner, and Darius Rucker, have crossed over into the predominantly white country music world. Music historians have long credited Black musicians with pioneering core elements of the genre.

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Douglas Pilarski is an award-winning writer & journalist based on the West Coast. He writes about luxury goods, exotic cars, horology, tech, food, lifestyle, equestrian and rodeo, magazine features, and millionaire travel.

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