Beyoncé Shares Message Revealing Inspiration For ‘Cowboy Carter’ Country Album

After becoming the first Black woman to achieve a #1 single on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, Beyoncé shared a message of gratitude for the historic accomplishment. The global superstar revealed the inspiration behind her upcoming country album, Cowboy Carter, which will be released on March 29.

Beyoncé explained work on Cowboy Carter began five years ago. The album, which carries the title Act II, is the second installment in an album trilogy that began with her 2022 album, Act I: Renaissance.

In February, Beyoncé issued the first two singles off Cowboy Carter, “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages.” She topped Billboard’s Hot Country Singles chart with “Texas Hold ‘Em” and earned a second Top 10 entry with “16 Carriages” reaching #9.

Steel guitarist Robert Randolph played on “16 Carriages.” Along with Randolph, the album includes contributions from banjo player Rhiannon Giddens, multi-instrumentalist Raphael Saadiq, keyboardist Khirye Tyler and pedal steel guitarist Justin Schipper, among others.

Beyoncé’s recently shared message regarding Cowboy Carter partially explained the inspiration behind the forthcoming album:

“[Cowboy Carter] 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. It feels good to see how music can unite so many people around the world, while also amplifying the voices of some of the people who have dedicated so much of their lives educating on our musical history.

“The criticisms I faced when I first entered this genre forced me to propel past the limitations that were put on me. act ii is a result of challenging myself, and taking my time to bend and blend genres together to create this body of work.”

Beyoncé added that listeners can expect the album to include other surprises and collaborations. Directly addressing the move to a new genre, the message end in part with a clarifying statement from Beyoncé.

“This ain’t a Country album,” Beyoncé wrote. “This is a ‘Beyoncé’ album.”

Read Beyoncé’s full note and listen to “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages” below:

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[Correction: An earlier version incorrectly identified a co-producer of Cowboy Carter that was an error.]