Cowboy Carter, meet world. World, meet Cowboy Carter.
Friday, Beyoncé opened the doors on Act II: Cowboy Carter, her eighth studio album and first to lean fully into her country influences. The 42-year-old's new project arrives less than two years after Act I of the planned trilogy, Renaissance, debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 before going on to be nominated for Album of the Year at the 2023 Grammys.
Artists credited on the 27-song Cowboy Carter include 90-year-old Willie Nelson, 82-year-old Linda Martell, 78-year-old Dolly Parton, Miley Cyrus, Post Malone, Shaboozey, Brittney Spencer, Tanner Adell, Reyna Roberts, Tiera Kennedy, Willie Jones, and Beyoncé's younger daughter with Jay-Z, 6-year-old Rumi Carter. It's got Bey's interpretations of Parton's "Jolene" and the Beatles' "Blackbird" as well.
When joining fans in kicking off the 10-day countdown to Act II earlier this month, Beyoncé pointed to the five-year recording process behind the album, which she says is intended to serve as a "continuation" of its predecessor.
"I hope this music is an experience, creating another journey where you can close your eyes, start from the beginning, and never stop," the 32-time Grammy-winner said in a note to fans. "This ain’t a Country album. This is a 'Beyoncé' album."
Expectedly, the album's release is being commemorated with a number of special events at record stores and elsewhere across the country. The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, for example, is holding a Beyoncé Fan Day event that's set to include special artifact pieces from across her career and the careers of some of her biggest influences, a reel of music videos in the facility’s Foster Theater space, and a discussion-focused event with Black Country Music: Listening for Revolutions author Francesca Royster on Cowboy Carter eve.
Could a rock-inspired album from Beyoncé be the one to close out the trilogy? That's been speculated among fans, with said speculation having recently received quite the boost thanks to an interview with songwriter and producer Atia "INK" Boggs. Speaking with Alana M. Yzola for Acknowledge, INK, whose credits include Bey's "16 Carriages," playfully dodged the question when presented with an inquiry of the rock variety.
Buy/stream Act II: Cowboy Carter now on Spotify, Apple Music, Tidal, and wherever music is sold/streamed. Beyoncé's got lyric videos for the songs on YouTube, which you can sample up top and below.
Related Stories
"16 Carriages" Producer Breaks Down the Difference Between Working on 'Renaissance' and 'Cowboy Carter'
She dodged a question about whether the next album will be Beyoncé's rock era.
Beyoncé's 'Act II': What's the Significance Behind 'Cowboy Carter' Title?
Fans are speculating that Beyoncé Knowles-Carter's next album has ties to the country music group the Carter Family.
How Beyoncé Is Igniting a ‘Reckoning’ in Country Music
Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’ is already shaking up country music and bringing new attention to Black artists in the genre, and it hasn’t even dropped yet.
