Although Beyoncé declared that her most recent album “ain’t a country album,” it seems that someone neglected to inform the charts of this.
According to Billboard, the diva has made history by being the first Black woman to debut at No. 1 on the Top Country Albums chart with her album “Act II: Cowboy Carter.”
Additionally, Beyoncé’s latest album is the number one album on the Billboard 200 Albums chart for the ninth time. When “Texas Hold ‘Em,” one of the album’s launch songs, peaked at number one on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart in February, she also made history.
The achievement comes at a time when there is controversy around Beyoncé’s claim that she is not a country music performer. Beyoncé’s latest album defies genres by fusing pop, country, R&B, zydeco, and other sounds, but she has the credentials to call herself a country music artist anyway.
Houston, Texas, where she was up, has long been home to a strong country music culture. Beyoncé’s family hails from the American South as well. Her mother, Tina Knowles, is from Galveston, Texas, while her father, Mathew Knowles, was born in Gadsden, Alabama, as she sings in the famous song “Formation,” her rendition of “Daddy, Alabama/Mama, Louisiana.” Louisiana is where her extended family hails from.
Should it be argued that Beyoncé doesn’t have a history in country music, how about two of the genre’s biggest stars?
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Australia-native Keith Urban performed his song “Straight Line” on Sunday night at the 2024 CMT Music Awards. Having won nine of their prizes over the years, he is well-known to the country music-focused awards event.
Not to mention the several more Grammys and Country Music Association honors that Urban has received in the country music categories since his 1991 debut.
Should that fail to captivate you, consider Shania Twain.
With over 90 million records sold worldwide, the self-proclaimed “Queen of Country Pop” is among the most successful female artists in the country music industry. Twain was born in Canada.
Others have also gained recognition in the country music industry, such as Twain’s fellow Canadian, K.D. Lang. There should be plenty of room at the table for Beyoncé if their music demonstrates that country music is not geographically restricted. This is especially true considering that Beyoncé has stated that the “Cowboy Carter” album “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.”
Nevermind. It appears like Queen Bey has constructed her own table.
