Beyoncé’s ‘Act II’ Country Album Finally Has a Title

Time to saddle up, y’all: Beyoncé’s upcoming country-inspired album officially has a title, Cowboy Carter. 

The album is set to arrive on March 29 and will serve as the second installment of Beyoncé’s “three-act project,” which began with 2022’s Renaissance. The album was announced with just the title Act II back in February following a big Super Bowl ad, with Beyoncé sharing two singles as well: “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages.”

Little else is known about the album at this point, though Dolly Parton revealed a bit of info in a recent interview with Tennessee outlet Knox News. The country legend said Beyoncé recorded a version of her classic song, “Jolene,” adding: “I think it’s probably gonna be on her country album, which I’m very excited about that… I love her! She’s a beautiful girl and a great singer.”

Following the release of the two singles, “Texas Hold ‘Em” climbed to the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming Beyoncé’s ninth solo number one. Even more notable, “Texas Hold ‘Em” hit Number One on the Hot Country Songs chart, making Beyoncé the first Black woman artist to top that chart. The song was also added to country radio and managed to reach Number 33 on the Country Airplay chart. 

As Rolling Stone previously reported, Beyoncé recorded “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages” with an assortment of crack musicians. The celebrated multi-instrumentalist Rhiannon Giddens played banjo and viola on “Texas Hold ‘Em,” while pedal steel player Justin Schipper, steel guitarist Robert Randolph, and producer/multi-instrumentalist Raphael Saadiq joined her on “16 Carriages.” 

“When we did the first session, I was like, ‘What are we doing?’” Randolph told Rolling Stone. “Raphael said, ‘Here’s what Beyoncé has in her head. And you were hand-picked because you’re the only guy who could do this.’ Beyoncé already had an idea of what she wanted to do. She wanted to do something with some playing, with some country fire. She said she liked the way I make my instrument sound like a singer.”

From Rolling Stone US.