Beyoncé singing country music? Understand what the singer’s new ‘country era’ means

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Singer announced ‘2nd act’ of the ‘Renaissance’ project. New work should celebrate country’s black roots, after artists accused of racism dominated US charts. g1 Ouviu – Beyoncé’s Releases After a visit to Brazil in 2023, Beyoncé decided to sing country music. Not that the two things are exactly related, but the foreshadowing of a supposed country era for the singer opened up space for all kinds of jokes including the American superstar in the genre most listened to by Brazilians. Between memes with a cowboy hat and the Festa do Peão de Barretos, what is a fact: On the 11th, Beyoncé announced on social media “Act 2” from the album “Renaissance”, which will be released on March 29th. Two tracks from the new work were released: “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages”, both with a strong country influence, country music from the United States — it is also one of the most popular there. ‘Act 2’, by Beyoncé, will be released on March 29th Reproduction Why did she choose country? “Act 2” will be Beyoncé’s eighth studio album. “Renaissance” will have, in total, three parts. The first, released in July 2022, was nominated in the Album of the Year category at the 2023 Grammy Awards. In the first act, Beyoncé took to the dance floor to claim the black origins of house, a style of electronic music born in the early 1980s, in an underground scene made by and for black and LGBT+ people from Chicago (USA). The result is a festive repertoire that celebrates fun as resistance. The references range from soul to afrobeats and even a carioca funk influence appears in “America Has a Problem”. Beyoncé on her debut ‘Renaissance’ tour in Stockholm, Sweden Reproduction/Instagram Details about “Act 2” have not yet been revealed. But, following the same reasoning, the album should disprove the myth of country as the only “white” popular music in the United States. In the 1920s in the South and Southwest of the USA, modern country was born from the crossing between European instruments (such as the violin and harmonica) and the African banjo. The influence of African-American blues was also fundamental in the construction of the style’s sound. Over time, however, black participation was erased from country history. The American Old West itself, where the style was consolidated, was whitened by Western books and films, which excluded thousands of black cowboys from the past. Initial plugin text The video in which Beyoncé announces the release of the album makes reference to “Paris, Texas”, a 1984 film directed by Wim Wenders, and to the AM radio stations that spread country across the USA in the 1950s. Visually, the singer also incorporated elements of the Western aesthetic: at the 2024 Grammy ceremony, this month, she appeared wearing a Stetson hat, one of the strongest symbols of the American Old West. Beyoncé’s exaltation of country’s black roots comes just after a year in which songs of the genre, released by white artists accused of racism, dominated the American charts. “Try That In A Small Town”, by Jason Aldean, is the most emblematic case. The song entered the most listened to list shortly after becoming the target of a barrage of racial criticism in July. The track’s music video, which was edited and deleted from Country Music Television’s YouTube channel, featured real footage of the Black Lives Matter movement and, at the same time, scenes of criminals in action. Beyoncé during the Luar fashion show, in New York, on February 13, 2024 in New York City Michael Loccisano/Getty Images North America/Getty Images via AFP What are the new songs like? “Texas Hold ‘Em”, the first single from “Act 2”, is a danceable country song, with banjo as the main star. The song features Rhiannon Giddens, an American folk musician known for projects that span the history of black music. In 2023, she won the Pulitzer Prize for composing the opera Omar, based on the memoir of a man who was enslaved in the United States. American musician Rhiannon Giddens, who collaborates with Beyoncé on the song ‘Texas Hold ‘Em’ Creative Commons “16 Carriages” is an epic ballad in which Beyoncé reflects on her own career, since her adolescence. From what she has heard so far, the singer’s new work appears to be elegant, with a concept different from anything she has ever done, but still with much of the identity that Beyoncé has built over almost three decades of her career. The most nominated artist in Grammy history, she has never won the coveted Album of the Year trophy. Judging by Taylor Swift’s four wins in the category, the awards show likes an artist with a country track record.

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