1. This ain't Texas. 2. Ain't no hold 'em. And here's everything else we know about Beyoncé's eighth album, 'Act II: Cowboy Carter.'
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Saddle up, BeyHive! Here's everything we know about Beyoncé's Act II: Cowboy Carter
All the deets on the 8th studio album from Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter.
By
Lester Fabian Brathwaite
Updated on March 14, 2024
Renaissance may still be heavy in your rotation, but
Beyoncé is moving on to her next act, specifically, the second in a three-act musical project,
Cowboy Carter. Act I, a joyous dance album celebrating Black queer culture, was released on July 29, 2022 and was supported by a
record-breaking world tour that launched the following February. Now, it's time to trade in those sequined cowboy hats for...well, you can probably keep those, since Bey's getting ready to take us to the rodeo as only she can. Here's everything we know about
Act II: Cowboy Carter.
How did we get here?
Entering the third year of this ambitious project, Beyoncé unexpectedly — as if there's any other way —
dropped two new songs directly after her Verizon Super Bowl commercial aired, "Texas Hold 'Em" and "16 Carriages."
When is the release date?
Showcasing the kind of synergy that most Fortune 500 companies could only dream of, shortly after the commercial aired, Beyoncé's website and social media updated with the album's release date, March 29.
What's the vibe?
Act II has long been rumored to be a country album and the first two singles — "Texas Hold 'Em" and "16 Carriages" — as well as the visual trailer Bey shared online all but confirmed the Houston native's twangy leanings.
But why country?
Following the release of the two lead singles,
questions on whether country radio would play the new tracks after an Oklahoma station refused a fan request for the tracks, saying "
We do not play Beyonce' on KYKC as we are a country music station." After the fan outcry across social media, the station added the tracks to their playlist. Still some were quick to criticize Bey for going country, while others
were quicker to point out that country music, like all American popular music, has its roots in Black culture and Bey's out here reclaiming some of that history (and let's not forget the Daddy Lessons remix with The Chicks).
“Country music is based on the music from Africa brought over on the slave ships. And from Europe. With the fiddle and banjo," radio host and former
American Idol mentor Bobby Bones said, noting that other artists had crossed over to country with much less controversy. "So all these dudes yelling ‘that ain’t country’… unless you’re European or African, you ain’t really ‘country.’"
What's the album cover?
BEYONCE/ INSTAGRAM
Bey shared the album cover and title on social media on Match 12, a saddle with a red, white, and blue sash emblazoned with "Cowboy Carter." America has a problem and it's dropping at the end of the month.
Why all the secrecy?
It's Beyoncé, what do you want? Mama loves to keep us on our toes. While pushing ever forward, at the end of the day, Bey's just a good, old-fashioned entertainer, throwing fistfuls of razzle
and dazzle our way. And she's about the only global superstar who can keep multiple secrets at any given time.
What's the third act?
Wouldn't you like to know? And we would, too! A Destiny's Child reunion? Epic diva duets?
Renaissance (Taylor's Version)? The possibilities are endless.
Beg your Parton?
SHIRLAINE FORREST/WIREIMAGE; MICHAEL LOCCISANO/GETTY
According to national treasure
Dolly Parton,
Beyoncé may have covered her 1973 classic, vaguely sapphic other-woman bop "Jolene" and she thinks "it's probably gonna be on her country album" — but don't take her word for it. Parton said she "heard" and "thinks" and "hopes" that Bey has covered the song. Considering how close to her sequined vest Bey keeps these kinds of things, it's perhaps best to take this one with a grain of salt. Not that Dolly Parton is a liar — perish the thought — but it might just not be a straightforward cover.
How did Franklin the Turtle get pulled into this?
GETTY; EVERETT COLLECTION
The internet seemed to think that "Texas Hold 'Em" sounds similar to the theme song from late-90s/early-00s kids cartoon
Franklin — it doesn't, but that didn't stop the composer of that theme song from
weighing in saying basically this ain't no Texas, and this ain't no
Franklin.