beyonce's Her smash country album “Cowboy Carter” debuted on the Billboard 200 chart, becoming the eighth No. 1 album of her storied career.
She also became the first black woman to top Billboard's Top Country Albums chart with the second act of her 27-track “Renaissance” trilogy.
“Cowboy Carter,” released March 29, debuted with 407,000 equivalent album units in the U.S. during the week ending April 4, according to Billboard and music industry data provider Luminate. did.
This album has received rave reviews from critics.
According to Billboard, this is the best debut of 2024 so far and also the biggest since Taylor Swift released “1989 (Taylor's Version)” in November 2023. .
“Cowboy Carter” is a wild, wide-ranging homage to Beyoncé’s Southern heritage, from country legends Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson to current hitmakers Miley Cyrus and Post Malone. Music stars are performing.
Parton shares her take on the album's “Jolene,” drawing parallels between the original story of a lover afraid of betrayal and Beyoncé's personal version, and appears alongside Nelson as a radio host on a fictional broadcast.
The critically acclaimed album is already the most streamed album in a single day on Spotify so far in 2024.
Nashville's gatekeepers have long sought to promote a rigid view of country music, which is overwhelmingly white and male.
destroy that concept
But Beyoncé shatters that notion, taking listeners through the evolution of the country from African-American spirituals and fiddle tunes.
She released the album's first two singles, “Texas Hold'em” and “16 Carriage” during the Super Bowl in February, and announced the full album release date.
She also stylized Paul McCartney's Beatles song “Blackbiird” with a double i spelling to “Act II”.
“I think she does a great version of this song, reinforcing the message of the civil rights movement that inspired me to write it in the first place,” McCartney said in a statement when the album debuted. Stated.
Beyoncé's previous credits include “Dangerously in Love” (2003), “B'Day” (2006), “I Am… Sasha Fierce” (2008), “4” (2011), and “Beyonce” (2013). It topped the Billboard charts in 2007. She starred in Lemonade (2016) and Renaissance (2022).
According to Billboard, the only women with more No. 1s are Swift, Barbra Streisand and Madonna.
Written by Garyn Lambly ©Agence France-Presse
