Anticipation for Beyoncé‘s upcoming album is at all-time highs and now, it looks like we might know what it’ll be called. While it was introduced to the world as “Act II” of a purported three-act project that includes the dance-themed Renaissance (or “Act I”) and the country-themed new album, fans checking out Beyoncé’s online shop today may have gotten a glimpse at its proper title: Cowboy Carter. Photos of the merch available for pre-order include T-shirts emblazoned with the slogan alongside Beyoncé with country western-style big hair and cowboy attire, as well as vinyl records bearing the words “Act II” and “Country Carter” on their covers. You can check them out here.
The first inkling that Beyoncé’s next album might be country actually came with the release of Renaissance. Ahead of its release, it was rumored that the album would incorporate both dance music and country. When it was actually released and featured a heavy focus on the former — and absolutely none of the latter — it confirmed that the country music was probably being reserved for future parts of the overall project. Then, during this year’s Super Bowl, Beyoncé teased the upcoming “Act II” with a promo that ran on Instagram at the same time as her Verizon commerical premiered on TV. She capped off the ultra-coordinated announcement with the release of two singles, “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages.”
While Beyoncé’s impending pivot to country was met with enthusiasm by the BeyHive, not everyone approved. The switch has seen its fair share of critics including those in country radio, who resented the intrusion from a perceived “outsider” — this despite Beyoncé’s well-known Texas upbringing and as-yet genreless output to date. That didn’t stop “Texas Hold ‘Em” from charting in its intended genre, nor from peaking at No. 1 on country charts.
The controversy has inspired plenty of discourse on the subject of genre; you can check out Uproxx’s feature on genre here and our feature on Black women in country music here.