Photo: Getty Images
Beyoncé revealed new details about COWBOY CARTER days ahead of its highly-anticipated debut, including collaborations with country music legends Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson. Beyoncé’s post also includes “The Linda Martell Show,” a nod Linda Martell, 82, to the first Black female country artist to play the historic Grand Ole Opry in Nashville, Tennessee.
Confirmation comes shortly after Beyoncé teased “a few surprises,” and collaborations with “some brilliant artists who I deeply respect.” The Houston, Texas-born powerhouse posted a statement about her album — clarifying that it “ain’t a Country album. It's “a ‘Beyoncé’ album” — as she kicked off a 10-day countdown. She said at that time that 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. 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.”
Earlier this month, Parton said in an interview with Knox News — the East Tennessee-based Knoxville News Sentinel, part of the USA TODAY Network — that she believed Beyoncé released her own rendition of “Jolene” on COWBOY CARTER. Parton hailed Beyoncé “a beautiful girl and a great singer,” in that interview. In 2022, the “I Will Always Love You” icon said in an interview with Trevor Noah that she wanted Beyoncé to cover the legendary 1974 hit. Parton said, during the interview with co-author James Patterson about their book Run, Rose, Run, she’s fantastic and beautiful and I love her music. I would just love to hear ‘Jolene’ done in just a big way, kind of like how Whitney (Houston) did my ‘I Will Always Love You,’ to someone that can take my little songs and make ‘em like powerhouses. So, that would be a marvelous day in my life if she ever does do ‘Jolene.’”
Beyoncé, who will receive the iHeartRadio Innovator Award at the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards on Monday (April 1), announced her country-themed project, a follow-up to 2022’s RENAISSANCE, after Usher’s Halftime performance during Super Bowl LVIII. She released the first two singles from the album at that time — “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages” — and made history as the first Black woman to release a single that reached No. 1 on country charts.
“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,” she said in her statement last week. “I focused on this album as a continuation of RENAISSANCE… I hope this music is an experience, creating another journey where you can close your eyes, start from the beginning and never stop. …This is act ii COWBOY CARTER, and I am proud to share it with y’all!”
COWBOY CARTER will make its debut on Friday (March 29).
Fans across the country will be able to watch and find out the all the winners of the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards live as the show will be airing live from the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Monday, April 1st from 8pm-10pm ET live/PT tape-delayed on FOX. The event will also be broadcast on iHeartRadio stations nationwide and on the free iHeartRadio app. And catch all the action from the Yellow Carpet from your favorite artists this year by tuning in to the iHeartRadio Music Awards - On The Carpet Live! Presented by Otezla at 5:30pm ET/2:30PT via iHeartRadio's YouTube, Twitch and Facebook accounts.