Everything
Beyoncé knew exactly what she was doing when she arrived at the Grammy’s in head-to-toe custom Louis Vuitton rancher gear ahead of the release of Cowboy Carter. No bragging hype, just a subtle hint at what was to come and in one day of the album’s dropping, Cowboy Carter has achieved the title of the most-streamed album in a single day on Spotify for 2024.
This marks a significant milestone as it’s the first country album to earn this distinction on the platform this year. The album’s release was highly anticipated, following the success of Beyoncé’s single “Texas Hold ‘Em,” which climbed to the top of the U.S. Top 50 chart with over 200 million streams.
Her first official foray into the country genre Cowboy Carter is, in many ways, a cultural magnifying glass being held up by Beyoncé to the country music industry after its response to her performance of “Daddy Lessons” with the then Dixie Chicks at the CMAs in 2016. (Although Daddy Lessons was on Lemonade it could seamlessly fit into the tracks of Cowboy Carter.)
With an impressive 27 tracks, the album equally impressively features a mix of collaborations with icons such as Dolly Parton, Miley Cyrus, Post Malone and Willie Nelson, among others. The collaboration list reads like a who’s who of the music industry, blending talents across genres to create a rich, diverse listening experience.
The release has sparked a flurry of excitement among fans and on social media, celebrating Beyoncé’s daring venture into country music—a genre she has previously expressed feeling marginalised from. In her own words shared on Instagram, Beyoncé described the album as a challenge to herself to transcend genre limitations and merge musical styles into a cohesive body of work.
Amazon Music reported that Cowboy Carter has also broken records, marking Beyoncé’s most significant album debut on the platform. It achieved the highest number of first-day streams globally among all her albums, setting a new record for first-day streams of a country album by a female artist on Amazon Music.
Tracks like “Jolene,” “II Most Wanted,” and “Sweet Honey Buckin'” are part of this eclectic album, showcasing Beyoncé’s versatility and innovative approach to music. The album features a blend of new and familiar voices, including a touching duet with her daughter Rumi and appearances by new stars in the country scene. From heartfelt odes to motherhood to lively collaborations with country legends and modern stars, “Cowboy Carter” exemplifies a collaborative spirit, making it one of Beyoncé’s most memorable records to date.
