Beyoncé Confirms Country Album Release

Megastar Beyoncé has confirmed that she’ll be releasing a country album next month, announcing Act II – what’s speculated to be the second in a three-part Renaissance series – during a Super Bowl advertising slot.

The Single Ladies singer revealed her big plans to go country yesterday and unveiled two new singles: Texas Hold ‘Em and 16 Carriages.

The former is more of a boom-clap song akin to The Lumineers or Mumford & Sons than what listeners would consider authentic country music, but with references to hoedowns, the respect is there.

Meanwhile, the latter is a stunning track that combines Beyoncé’s penchant for memorable melodies in a poignant, acoustic song. She sounds like a pure storyteller – like she’s always been. You can listen to both singles below.

Beyoncé previously explored country music on her Lemonade track, Daddy Lessons, which she later performed with The Chicks at the CMA Awards in December 2016.

Beyoncé will release Act II on Friday, 29 March.

The singer’s fans believe Act II is the second in a three-part series following last year’s Renaissance. The third part, they speculate, might be a rock album. According to listeners, Bey is paying tribute to genres black artists helped to pioneer with a trio of albums, including house music, country, and rock and roll.

So Beyoncé is really out here reclaiming genres originally rooted in Black music. First house, now country, and then rock & roll (rumored) next

Like I’m just so happy to witness & live in the same lifetime as the greatest musical act of all time SHIT 😭 pic.twitter.com/hQCjCa8oE2

— ْ (@kaypatricktayo) February 12, 2024

Beyoncé is reclaiming black music genres. it was house music on Act I, she’s reclaiming country music for act II and I think act III is gonna be rock and roll pic.twitter.com/oLUM8VVF86

— Bradley 🦋 (@bradleyberdecia) February 12, 2024

Beyoncé is reclaiming our black music genres and bringing em back home. The only ppl she’s influenced by is our black artists before her who created country & house music. I don’t wanna hear other stanbases saying otherwise. Do your research. Happy Black History Month act ii 3.29 pic.twitter.com/m3K6Xm0WVQ

— DameDashBK Hold ‘Em (@DameDashBEYk) February 12, 2024

The way Beyoncé is RECLAIMING genres started by BLACK PEOPLE! With her making Act I, House music, Act II, Country music, AND Act III, which we can assume will be Rock 'n' Roll music, she is showing EVERYONE that Black artists are the BLUEPRINT when it comes to these genres of…

— 𝙱𝚎𝚌𝚌𝚊 ⚡️ (@MJFINESSELOVER) February 12, 2024

Beyoncé isn’t the only star stepping into country music. Last month, Video Games singer Lana Del Rey announced the release of her first-ever country album, Lasso, reportedly arriving in September.

“If you can’t already tell by our award winners and our performers, the music business is going country,” Del Rey said at a pre-Grammy Awards event (per Rolling Stone). “We’re going country. It’s happening. That’s why [producer] Jack [Antonoff] has followed me to Muscle Shoals, Nashville, Mississippi, over the last four years.”

In November, Post Malone confirmed that he was also working on a country album, just weeks after he performed at the CMA Awards with Morgan Wallen and HARDY.

“Country record is coming,” the Chemical singer and rapper said in a Twitch livestream as fans asked him if he’d dip into country music. “I keep singing a song that we made while I was in Nashville, and it's so fucking sick, but it's not out.”