Beyoncé

Every time Beyoncé drops an album, it’s an event but Cowboy Carter’s release was about a reclaiming. It wasn’t just a moment for the icon’s most devoted fans, it also opened a dialogue on the roots of country music and who does and who doesn’t get to enter that space without a fight for a seat at the table. For those not in the know about the contributions of Black artists and musicians to the genre’s creation, its sustained presence in the American and global consciousness, and its future, Cowboy Carter was the start of a history lesson. It was also an open door for listeners to learn more about the genre so they could seek out and uplift artists commonly overlooked despite their talent. That’s certainly a reason to celebrate and honor Beyoncé’s achievement and the world’s reaction to it.

Cowboy Carter inspired Beyoncé fans who don’t listen to country music to give the genre a chance and, in doing so, helped to bring recognition to artists like Reyna Roberts, Shaboozey, Tanner Addell, Brittney Spencer, Willie Jones and Tiera Kennedy. Black country music artists have been pouring their love into the genre since the beginning and the cultural acknowledgment of that fact in the mainstream along with listeners, critics and movers and shakers in the industry throwing their support behind these talented people has been a long-time coming.

Happiness. Fans pushed themselves out of their comfort zone with Cowboy Carter, diving into a genre that many of them don’t frequently listen to and might have even written off. But doing so made for a wonderful discovery of joy for those fans as their music horizons expanded and they had fun learning how to line dance and groove to country music. You could see it on the smiling faces of everyone who shared their videos and pictures capturing how happy they were listening to the album.