During an otherwise unremarkable third quarter of Super Bowl LVIII, Beyoncé announced a forthcoming album, identified as “Act II,” to be released on March 29. The Queen used a cheeky Verizon ad appearance to prove the internet can “B broken” when she said the commercial’s closing words: “Release the new music!”
The Monday after the Super Bowl, I belted “Texas Hold ‘Em” with a hearty alto twang I’ve perfected over the years. Country music has played an important role in my college experience.
I wasn’t innately drawn to the genre while growing up in my home state of Alabama, though its cultural consequence permeated my childhood. My first cat’s name was Reba, my dad would sing “Amarillo by Morning” to me and my brothers most nights before bed, and there’s a prodigious Elvis-angel that tops my family’s Christmas tree each year. Despite my surroundings, I scorned country, folk and blues music as being too down-home for my refined young taste, and I resented being in a state thousands of miles from the esteem of places like New York and Los Angeles.
In the second grade, the first album I downloaded on my iPod Touch was Beyoncé’s 2008 hit “I Am… Sasha Fierce,” which rocked my world and catalyzed my unabashed love for pop. Beyoncé was the greatest influence on my understanding of popular culture and remains my favorite artist to this day. Her image and body of work feature unparalleled cultural literacy — she is nothing if not referential to and reverent of the preexisting artistry that informs her craft.
2022’s “Renaissance” is a testament to the artist’s love and knowledge of dance, house and R&B, featuring collaborations with titans like Grace Jones and Big Freedia to celebrate and continue the tradition of 1970s Black and queer musical stylings. Beyoncé’s cultural expertise shines amid a contemporary pop music industry that prioritizes commercial appeal over creative adroitness.
Over February break, my younger brother and I discussed Beyoncé’s rumored turn to country music. My brother, Andrew, expressed his trepidation, to which I replied, “When has she ever steered us wrong?”
I can empathize with Andrew’s hesitation as someone who didn’t “like” country music until my first year at Middlebury. In 2020, as I was adjusting to the vastly different social and physical climate from where I grew up, songs by artists like Dolly Parton, The Chicks, Patsy Cline, Tanya Tucker and Loretta Lynn became totems I held on to remind me where I’m from and who I am. The Southern women I heard in my headphones were surrogates for my mom, grandmother, aunts, cousins and friends for whom I was homesick. To be a Southern woman is to have integrity, class and great humor — qualities that Beyoncé also demonstrates in spades.
I think my brother, many of Beyoncé’s fans and especially her critics are coming to grips with the relevance of country music and their preconceived notions of both the genre and Bey herself. To many, country music is the tacit recommendation of beer, denim and white patriotism. There is a longstanding cultural discomfort surrounding the genre, which I would venture to say is reflective of the longstanding discomfort surrounding the American South.
Despite Beyoncé’s frequent referral to her connection with and pride in her hometown of Houston, the culture at large often forgets that Beyoncé’s work is representative of Southern artistic excellence. I believe many of her fans would prefer to view Beyoncé as having moved on from the South into a higher-brow, urban-centric standard of artistry.
“Beyoncé’s foray into country is something I’ve been waiting for since her collaboration with The Chicks on ‘Daddy Lessons,’” said longtime Beyoncé and country fan Stephanie Crocker ’24. “It’s unfortunate for her to already be receiving pushback from the country community, but listeners should remember where this genre originated.”
Those contesting Beyoncé’s approach to country now and back in 2016 have been reminded by writers like Taylor Crumpton that Beyoncé has always been country. A conversation about genre conventions that situates Beyoncé as an interloper is trite and beside the point. The question at hand is not, “Is Beyoncé really country?” but rather, “Is country really Beyoncé?” To which I would answer, I sure hope it’s about to be.
The two lead singles from “Act II,” “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages,” are prime forerunners that signal Beyonce’s commitment to her roots and to championing the crucial but oft-overlooked Black influence on the country genre. “Texas Hold ‘Em” plays like a modern hoedown with its uptempo beat and soulful vocals. Beyoncé is no stranger to a stomp-and-holler, danceable track as seen in her previous hit “Daddy Lessons.” The track’s impressive banjo and viola riffs are played by Rhiannon Giddings, who has long advocated for the recognition and appreciation of Black country musicians. The lyrics bring levity to the rugged realities of the South. Tornados and heat waves aren’t all beer and skittles, but for Beyonce, they are no reason not to hit the floor.
Where “Texas Hold ‘Em” offers a distraction from hardship, “16 Carriages” is a rich indulgence of the struggles that come with a high-profile career. The track is an outstanding reconciliation of the bravado found on songs like “Bow Down” and “Diva” with the resentment of fame detailed on the hit “Pretty Hurts.” Beyonce’s veteran industry status has finally allowed her to belt out a reflection on the life of normality she missed out on and mourn the childhood of a girl who grew up too soon. The line “at 15, the innocence was gone astray” is a beautiful antidote to 2008 “Diva” and its line, “Since 15 in my stilettos, been struttin’ in this game.” Though both sentiments ring deeply true to Beyoncé’s career, it’s immensely gratifying for the artist to occupy a moment where she can deliver a nuanced, full-bodied country ballad about the travails of her road to stardom.
If “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages” are any indication of what’s to come on “Act II,” listeners can expect an album that asserts the merit and the Blackness of country music and will likely put a fine point on just how interconnected those two qualities are. With horses, sequined cowboy hats and boots baked into the aesthetic of “Renaissance,” the road to a bottle-blonde, countrified “Act II” is paved with Beyoncé’s signature cultural eloquence. As a longtime fan of Beyoncé and a more recent fan of country, I truly can’t wait.
Catherine Goodrich '24 (she/her) is an Arts and Culture Editor.
She previously served as a staff writer. Catherine is an English major and Film minor hailing from Birmingham, Alabama. She is the prose editor for Blackbird Literary Arts Journal and works concessions at the Middlebury Marquis where she's developed a love of trivia.
