BeyoncΓ© made history with her highly-anticipated act ii follow-up, COWBOY CARTER. The Texas-born powerhouse broke records and initiated conversation about what defines country music when the country-themed project arrived last month.
Now, a soon-to-premiere documentary special will delve into βthis reckoning in the genre, straight from the country music capital of the world.β Call Me Country: BeyoncΓ© & Nashvilleβs Renaissance, produced by CNN FlashDocs and streaming on Max, will make its debut on Friday (April 26). The documentary will include in-depth discussion and interviews with Rhiannon Giddens β who played banjo on βTexas Hold βEm,β one of the first tracks to release when BeyoncΓ© announced her album earlier this year β Brothers Osborne, Rissi Palmer, Aaron VanceΒ andΒ Denitia, plus analysis from experts of the genre TourΓ©,Β Larisha Paul,Β Chris Molanphy,Β Kyle Coroneos,Β Keith Hill, and Co-Directors of the Black OpryΒ Holly G.Β andΒ Tanner D, per CNN and a Warner Bros. Discovery press release on Tuesday (April 23). Watch the trailer here.
COWBOY CARTER released on March 29. The album βarrived during a revolution within country music as the latest arena of the culture wars in America,β reads the press release. βSome in the industry are welcoming more diverse artists, while others stick to a much narrower view of a genre that predominately centers around straight, white men.Β Call Me CountryΒ examines the impact of how high-profile artists like Lil Nas X and BeyoncΓ© are challenging the country music status quo, and how Black artists in Nashville have been laying the foundation for this transformation for some time.β
BeyoncΓ© announced her country-themed album afterΒ Usherβs Halftime performance during Super Bowl LVIII. She released βTexas Hold βEmβ and β16 Carriagesβ at that time, and made history as the first Black woman to release a single that reached No. 1 on country charts. BeyoncΓ© previously explained thatΒ COWBOY CARTERΒ βwas born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomedβ¦and it was very clear that I wasnβt. 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.β
The 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards Innovator Award recipient collaborated with genre-spanning artists, including legendary country singers and rising stars on the 27-track project. BeyoncΓ© featured Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Linda Martell β the first Black female country artist to play the historic Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee β Miley Cyrus, Willie Jones, Post Malone, Shaboozey, Rumi Carter, and βBlackbiirdβ quartet Tanner Ardell, Brittney Spencer, Tiera Kennedy, Reyna Roberts.
βThis ainβt a Country album. This is a βBeyoncΓ©β album,β BeyoncΓ© said ahead of her albumβs debut. βThis isΒ act ii COWBOY CARTER, and I am proud to share it with yβall!β