Beyoncé achieved another historic milestone. The “Texas Hold ‘Em” singer made history as the first Black woman to top the Billboard country albums chart with her latest and eighth studio album, Cowboy Carter.
The country-themed album is her eighth to top the Billboard 200 chart, with the single “Texas Hold ‘Em” making Beyoncé the first Black woman to top both the Billboard Hot 100 and Hot Country Songs charts.
According to music and entertainment data analytics company Luminate, Cowboy Carter amassed 407,000 album equivalent units in the United States during its first week, through a combination of traditional album sales and on-demand streams.
The album is a masterclass in Americana culture, addressing the question of who it truly belongs to. Inspired by Beyoncé’s vivid familiarity to the rodeo, Cowboy Carter delves into the precursors of modern country music, shining a light on its roots and the experiences of 19th-century Black cowboys in the West.
“In my process, I typically need to experiment,” Beyoncé shared in a press release statement. “I enjoy having the freedom to explore all aspects of things I love and that’s why I worked on many songs. In fact, I recorded probably 100 songs. After that phase is completed, I am able to piece the puzzle together and identify consistencies and common themes, which allows me to create a solid body of work.”
The album, Cowboy Carter, is blatantly a country-themed installment in the singer’s proposed trilogy series, following the release of its first part, Renaissance in 2022.
The album boasts a star-studded tracklist with country music icons Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, and Linda Martell. The “Ya Ya” singer performed a rendition of Parton’s “Jolene,” collaborated with Nelson on “Smoke Hour,” and paid homage to Martell.
Miley Cyrus, Post Malone, as well as the hip-hop country artists Shaboozey and Willie Jones were revealed as collaborators when the album was released on March 29. The album also includes a feature from her daughter Rumi Carter on the track “Protector.”
The song “Blackbiird” is a reinterpretation of the timeless Beatles tune. This rendition makes history as it brought together four Black female country artists to perform the melody with Beyoncé: Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, Tiera Kennedy, and Reyna Roberts.
With Cowboy Carter, Beyoncé has embraced the opportunity to uplift an undermined and underrepresented group, African-Americans, who played a significant role in creating and influencing the country music genre.
