All about Beyonc's latest album, 'Cowboy Carter'

At long last, Beyoncé is releasing Renaissance Act II.

The superstar teased the project during a surprise cameo in a Verizon commercial that aired during the 2024 Super Bowl on February 11. The ad shows Beyoncé attempting to break Verizon's 5G feature by performing a number of 'internet-breaking' skits — from opening a lemonade stand to putting a “BarBey” spin on Barbie — before ultimately resorting to “drop[ping] the new music”. Soon after the commercial aired, Beyoncé released the first teaser video for Act II on her Instagram.

This is far from the first time Beyoncé's has hinted at new music to build anticipation: she previously teased the arrival of Renaissance in an interview for Harper's Bazaar's September 2021 cover story.

“I feel a renaissance emerging, and I want to be part of nurturing that escape in any way possible,” she said at the time. “I’ve been in the studio for a year and a half. Sometimes it takes a year for me to personally search through thousands of sounds to find just the right kick or snare. One chorus can have up to 200 stacked harmonies. Still, there’s nothing like the amount of love, passion, and healing that I feel in the recording studio. After 31 years, it feels just as exciting as it did when I was nine years old. Yes, the music is coming!”

Ahead, we break down everything to know about the project.

What will the new album be called?

In a 12 March post on the Instagram account for her company Parkwood Entertainment, Beyoncé announced that “Act II” is officially titled Cowboy Carter, and shared promotional limited-edition artwork along with the news.

What will the focus of Cowboy be?

The album will pay homage to the singer's Texan roots — judging from the teaser clip Beyoncé shared on Instagram. The video shows her driving through a desert landscape as banjo strings play in the background, leading many fans to speculate that she'll be shifting gears to release an entire album of country music. The teaser ends with a giant billboard of Beyoncé and the words, "Texas! Hold 'Em" – which is the name of one of the singles.

What songs are on the tracklist?

Beyoncé dropped the track list on 27 March. In addition to already-released singles “Texas Hold ’Em” and “16 Carriages”, Cowboy Carter also promises tracks titled “Ameriican Requiem” and “My Rose.” The track list also confirmed the rumours of a Dolly Parton collaboration, with the country legend’s name and hit “Jolene” included on the list.

What is the release date?

An Instagram video confirmed that Cowboy Carter will officially drop on 29 March.

Are there any visuals?

Yes, Beyoncé has already several images: one, for “Texas Hold ’Em”, shows the singer wearing a metallic bra, chain garter and matching underwear, which she layers underneath a cropped leather jacket. Another, a black-and-white portrait for “16 Carriages”, is more wistful, featuring Beyoncé clad in a cowboy hat and a studded Western-style shirt.

We also have the cover for the album, which shows Beyoncé astride a white horse, in full rodeo gear, including a white cowboy hat and leather chaps.

What inspired the album?

While unveiling the official album art for Cowboy Carter, Beyoncé opened up on Instagram about what inspired the project. Specifically, she seemed to be alluding to her 2016 performance with the Dixie Chicks at the 50th annual Country Music Association Awards ceremony, where, it was rumoured, other country artists were not pleased to see her grace the stage.

“I feel honored to be the first Black woman with the number one single on the Hot Country Songs chart. That would not have happened without the outpouring of support from each and every one of you. My hope is that years from now, the mention of an artist’s race, as it relates to releasing genres of music, will be irrelevant,” she wrote on Instagram. “This album has been over five years in the making. It 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 star also promised there were “a few surprises” on the new album, saying she had “collaborated with some brilliant artists” whom she deeply respects. As a whole, Beyoncé said, Cowboy Carter was a way to challenge herself creatively and also the world’s perception of her.

“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,” she wrote. “I hope that you can hear my heart and soul, and all the love and passion that I poured into every detail and every sound.”

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