PITTSBURGH (PTTP)- Beyoncé’s first country album, Cowboy Carter was released today. The singles of the album, “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages,” were released during the Superbowl last month. The album, also referred to as Act II, is the second of Beyoncé’s trilogy project that began with Renaissance in 2021.
This album’s release is one example of artists switching genres this year, particularly to country. We asked Gina Ferraro, Midday Host for Dayton’s Country 103.9 FM, why crossovers are popular this year: “I think that it’s just about getting more people to hear your music, and if it can crossover- do it! In both directions, from country to pop and pop to country.”
Country’s popularity is also rising amongst younger demographics, potentially due to the pop music crossovers. Mina Beach, the Promotions Director at WPTS Radio and a student herself, said: “Young people will always want to do something that’s different, they’ll always want to do something that’s controversial, they’ll always want to do something that’s super expressive. So that’s why it’s coming back, at least in my opinion.” And as for genre crossovers, this isn’t the first time they’ve happened.
Shania Twain famously crossed genre lines from country to pop with her 1997 album, Come On Over, which was an international success. Ferraro stated, “For me, in my lifetime, I remember when Shania crossed over, and I was like ‘What? You’re allowed to do that?!’ And then I realized- there are no rules.” Ray Charles, an R&B singer, released Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music in 1962, and may have been one of the first artists to do so. Carrie Underwood continued this tradition in the early 2000s, followed by Taylor Swift in the 2010s.
When inquiring about why country’s grown so popular, Beach commented: “This is a time of American political unrest. And country music, originally, is born out of political unrest. Like these are protest songs; these are union songs. People have had enough of what’s going on, that they’re going back to their roots of what it means to be a political country artist.” Ferraro offered a simpler answer: “I think that country music can be so lovingly written and told, and the stories can just speak to you. And if you give it a chance, you’re going ‘Oh my gosh, that’s what I’m going through.’ It’s a connection.”
“Texas Hold ‘Em” debuted at the top of the Hot Country Songs chart, making Beyonce the first black woman with a number one country song in Billboard’s history.
Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter album cover.
Credit: Parkwood Entertainment/ Columbia Records