advertisement
Country

Beyoncé Welcomes the World to Her Rodeo With ‘Cowboy Carter’: Stream It Now

The second act of Queen Bey's "Renaissance" trilogy is now here.

Beyoncé 'COWBOY CARTER'

Beyoncé 'COWBOY CARTER'

Blair Caldwell

There’s a new sheriff in town, and her name is Cowboy Carter. On Friday (Mach 29), Beyoncé finally unleashed her eighth solo studio album in its entirety.

The Grammy winner first introduced her Cowboy Carter era with a pair of country singles — “16 Carriages” and Billboard Hot 100 chart-topper “Texas Hold ‘Em” — released during the 2024 Super Bowl. While both singles are undoubtedly country tracks, they were mere teases of the sonic odyssey Queen Bey embarks upon throughout her new LP. One thing is for certain: she wasn’t lying when she said, “This ain’t a country album. This is a Beyoncé album!”


advertisement

With assists from a star-studded cast of collaborators — including Miley Cyrus, Post Malone, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Linda Martell, Tanner Adell, Willie Jones, Raphael Saadiq, The-Dream, Shaboozey and more — Beyoncé spends the 27-track record staking her claim across country, funk, hip-hop, rock and more. Formatted in the style of radio program, several spoken word interludes introduce the album’s different sequences, making for a well-balanced mixture of introspection, humor and fearless exploration.

Cowboy Carter marks the second act of a “three-act project” Beyoncé recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic. The first installment, Renaissance, debuted atop the Billboard 200, helped Beyoncé become the artist with the most Grammy wins in history, housed a pair of Hot 100 top 10 hits in “Break My Soul” (No. 1) and “Cuff It” (No. 6) and spawned a record-breaking tour and accompanying box office-topping documentary concert film.

Although Beyoncé crafted Cowboy Carter as “a continuation of” Renaissance, she did note that the album was inspired by an unsavory event several years ago — likely her controversial performance of “Daddy Lessons” alongside The Chicks (fka The Dixie Chicks) at the 2016 CMA Awards.

Throw on your cowboy hat, secure your belt buckles and dig into Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter now.

advertisement

This article was first published by Billboard U.S.

advertisement
Sum 41
Courtesy Photo

Sum 41

Rock

Sum 41 Release Two Swan Song Spotify Singles Ahead of Final Performance at 2025 Junos

The stripped back version of hit "Landmines" and cover of Rage Against The Machine's "Sleep Now In The Fire" are available now on Spotify as the pop-punk veterans prepare for their last bow.

Sum 41 are making some final noise before they call it day.

The Canadian pop-punk icons have released two Spotify singles ahead of their final broadcast performance at the 2025 Junos this Sunday, March 30.

keep readingShow less
advertisement