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As Beyoncé prepares for the release of her upcoming solo album, “Cowboy Carter,” she teased her fans Tuesday with the new album’s cover, which, like her previous album, shows her sitting on a horse. But unlike that album, “Renaissance,” this time she’s in full rodeo gear, riding a white stallion, ushering in a new era of her three-act project.
It’s been almost two years since she released “Renaissance,” which sparked a world tour and inspired a variety of sequined and chrome looks among her fans internationally. If Act I, as he called that album, paid homage to disco and house music, Act II will surely be his official entry into country music.
Ahead of the album’s release on March 29, members of the New York Times Style department took a close look at the album cover and what it represents for the contribution of African Americans to country music.
Gina Cherelus How do we feel about the album cover? By the way, I love how she and the horse have matching hair. I wonder if it’s the same one from “Renaissance” or a new member of the group. Either way, they’re both amazing.
Melissa Guerrero I always appreciate visual consistency! Which is something we’re definitely seeing in these first two acts, so far.
Maria Solis Since “Renaissance,” she has clearly been trying to reinscribe images of black women into cowboy and Western history, which is a quintessential part of American mythology and fertile ground for patriotic and nationalist symbols.
Cherelus Especially during an election year. It all seems very intentional.
Solis I am also very impressed by his look. She faces the viewer.
Frank Rojas Beyoncé looks directly into the camera with her face forward and really feels like she’s claiming. Her hair is up and she takes care of it.
Cherelus Holding the flag in one hand and the reins of the horse in the other, you are in a position of authority. And with heels!
Red How does everyone feel about the hint of the American flag in the corner?
Cherelus She reminds listeners and fans that her entry into this genre is not as random as many might assume. Country music is black music.
Solis I think when she says this is not a country album but “a ‘Beyoncé’ album,” she remembers the scrutiny she faced from country fans when she released. “Lessons from dad” in 2016. But it also speaks to his particular style of image creation; she is creating her own visual language and her own tradition, even if she relies on these recognizable symbols to do so. And what’s more American than Beyoncé?
Warrior an editor he pointed that the galloping horse evokes the 19th-century photographs “Horse in Motion” by Eadweard Muybridge, which appeared prominently in Jordan Peele’s “Nope” (another medium that nods to black cowboys, but more specifically in Hollywood ).
Cherelus Given the American flag’s associations with the right and how it has recently been personalized to represent conservative passions, I think it’s their way of reminding us that the flag doesn’t belong to a specific group.
Warrior And it’s interesting that the flag is also a little off camera.
Solis I was also thinking “No!” Which brought me to Emma Goldberg’s Styles article from last year about how people keep returning to the American West as a place of reinvention.
Red Melissa, I like that you mentioned black cowboy culture and its history. reminds me what Compton cowboys symbolize: reflecting its time, but also paying homage to its own history and culture.
Warrior Okay, Franco! The group has been deeply rooted in Compton for years.
Cherelus Just like the chrome pieces she wore on the cover of “Renaissance,” the cowboy hat she wears on the cover will definitely be a selling style this year. The band makes me think that on this album they are also influenced by black and southern sumptuous culture. Think: Miss Juneteenth. After all, she’s a Texas girl.
Red And rodeo queens!
Cherelus Since rodeo queens also carry the flag after winning the title, this is probably a direct nod!
It’s fascinating how it’s gotten to the point where Beyoncé seems to think she has to position herself as a cowgirl on a horse, dressed in red, white and blue, holding up the American flag on an album cover to instill in people’s heads that His interest in the country is not a passing fad. This is something she cares deeply about and I can’t think of any other artist on her level that she would have to work so hard to convince.
Solis Beyoncé’s albums are often a snapshot of our times. It evolves along with our culture, to enter the discourse of the moment.
Warrior When I think of Kendrick Lamar’s “Lemonade” or “Damn,” it points to a very specific moment in American history. The same goes for Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On.” There is something powerful about art that is in conversation with current reality.
Red I like what Beyoncé is doing here, creating a space where other people can feel seen, from cowboys and cowgirls to cowboys. (Exhibit A: I brought my cowboy hat from Mexico to the office today for our talk.)
Gina Cherelus, Maria Solis, Frank Rojas and Melissa Guerrero contributed reports.