Beyhive, rejoice! Beyoncé just shared the official album art for act II of her “Renaissance” era, titled “Cowboy Carter.” Queen Bey goes deep in her Instagram post’s caption, breaking down her five-year journey in creating this country effort, teasing collaborations on the album and how a moment in which she felt she was “not welcomed” inspired her to “dive deep” into the history of country music.
The American-inspired cover features Bey once again on a horse, swapping the holographic one she rode for the “Renaissance” album for a white stallion, decked out in a red, white and blue cowboy fit while holding the American flag. Recognizing that the album is 10 days away, Beyoncé kicked off her caption thanking her fans for the support in making her the first Black woman to top the Hot Country Songs chart with “Texas Hold ‘Em.”
“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 wrote.
Beyoncé then gives her followers a peek behind the curtain for this album, saying that it has been “five years in the making.” She wrote, “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.”
While the “16 Carriages” singer does not specify the event, the internet has quickly deducted that she is most likely referring to her 2016 performance at the Country Music Awards and the subsequent backlash that followed. At the time, Beyoncé performed her “Lemonade” track “Daddy Lessons” alongside country music girl group “The Chicks.”
“The criticisms I faced when I first entered this genre forced me to propel past the limitations that were put on me,” she continued. “act ii is a result of challenging myself, and taking my time to bend and blend genres together to create this body of work.”
She teased collaborations on the album with “brilliant artists” whom she “deeply” respects. “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.” As theGrio previously reported, country legend Dolly Parton teased last week that Queen Bey may have covered her hit song “Jolene” on the upcoming project.
Beyoncé concluded her caption stating, “This ain’t a Country album. This is a “Beyoncé” album.
Act II, “Cowboy Carter,” will drop on Friday, March 29.
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