Cowboy Carter: All of the rumoured featured artists on Beyoncé’s new album

Swifties brace yourselves

2 months ago

Beyoncé sent the internet into actual pandemonium today when she dropped the album artwork for her upcoming album Cowboy Carter—Facebook and Instagram actually temporarily went down (still unconfirmed if related) but the Beyhive could do anything.

“Today marks the 10-day countdown until the release of act ii,” she wrote in her caption. “Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all of the supporters of TEXAS HOLD ‘EM and 16 CARRIAGES. I feel honoured 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.

“This album has been over five years in the making,” Beyoncé continued. “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. This ain’t a Country album. This is a “Beyoncé” album. This is act ii COWBOY CARTER, and I am proud to share it with y’all!

So, in case you can’t wait another 10 days to know more about Beyoncé’s eighth studio album, here’s everything we know so far about Cowboy Carter, including rumoured featured artists, track lists and the meaning behind the record’s title:

Right, who are the rumoured artists collabing on Cowboy Carter?

There have been endless rumours about which artists are going to collab with Beyoncé on Cowboy Carter. “I have a few surprises on the album, and have collaborated with some brilliant artists who I deeply respect,” she revealed on Instagram today. “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.”

So far, the biggest names to be referenced by insiders are Dolly Parton, Taylor Swift, Megan Thee Stallion, and Lady Gaga. All huge if true. Twitter is also begging for Miley Cyrus.

Ok, so when is Cowboy Carter actually coming out?

Cowboy Carter will officially drop on Friday 29 March and represents the second act of Beyoncé’s previous era. “I focused on this album as a continuation of RENAISSANCE,” she wrote on Instagram today. “I hope this music is an experience, creating another journey where you can close your eyes, start from the beginning and never stop.”

And why is Beyoncé’s new album called Cowboy Carter?

In Beyoncé’s post today she revealed Cowboy Carter 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.

“Bcause of that experience, I did a deeper dive into the history of Country music and studied our rich musical archive,” she continued. “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.”

Although Beyoncé didn’t specify which experience she was referring to, her stage designer Es Devlin previously revealed to Vogue she’d experienced hate for her Country Music Awards performance with The Chicks in 2016 and the visual for RENAISSANCE had stemmed from that backlash.

“I think she had a really bad experience at a country music award show, and she wanted to research its African-American roots,” Devlin said. “She discovered that 50 percent of cowboys were Black, in the 19th and early 20th century, and country music, of course, has been largely appropriated. She wanted to reappropriate Americana and country music from a Black perspective.”

So, what songs are going to be on Cowboy Carter?

Beyoncé has already released two singles from Cowboy Carter: 16 CARRIAGES and TEXAS HOLD ‘EM, which she thanked fans for supporting so far after one of the tracks was banned from a country music station in the US.

Additionally, Dolly Parton previously revealed Beyoncé had recorded a cover of her biggest single, Jolene, which may well appear on Cowboy Carter, too. Scream.

“I think [the cover] is probably gonna be on her country album, which I’m very excited about that,” Dolly told Knox News. “I love her! She’s a beautiful girl and a great singer.”