Why is Beyoncé Dropping a Country Album?
And more “I told you so”’s from yours truly!
Before I answer that question, I have to ask first: the VIBES have been building up to it for over a year now!
I use “vibes” because it’s not quite widely recognized by anyone who’s well adjusted and considered the “general public,” but as someone with a formerly keen eye on music happenings and selfishly using my own music taste to make observations, I feel like the overall “I listen to everything but country music” sentiment that I, and many others, have grown up with, is finally beginning to melt away.
Much discussion has already been had in musical and academic spaces as to where this phenomenon comes from. Negative associations with country being rural, lower class, and perhaps tied to an ignorant and uneducated group of people. The “twang” of someone’s voice, whether an accent that’s “authentic” or otherwise. The lyrical content — It’s all about beer and horses and traditional American family values and “Don’t Tread On Me.”
I saw some of these attitudes reflected when myriad pop music and culture twitter accounts reported, excitedly, that Lana Del Rey is going to be dropping a country album later in the year – much to fans' chagrin (read the quote retweets). I saw some lamenting, "she just had her biggest release and now she wants to ruin it with COUNTRY?" and general confusion over the declaration. As a somewhat casual fan, I would point to her propensity for lying, but if it ends up being true, I would gesticulate to music as a whole right now, or at least in the circles I observe. I would post tweets with no evidence, but Twitter/X’s search is so messed up, that I can no longer find any of them!
Just now, at the Grammys, we witnessed a historic moment — Singer-songwriter Tracy Chapman returning to the stage to perform her iconic song Fast Car alongside Luke Combs. Chapman, relatively private and widely known and admired for Fast Car — a folksy-acoustic song that focuses on the cycle of poverty, seems to have re-captured the hearts of everyone after all this time. The cameras at the award show panned over the various celebrities and artists who clapped, swayed, or sang along, often tearfully.
Though we all know my thoughts on the spectacle that is the Grammys, I don’t usually engage with the Super Bowl - It’s not something that I’m into. But when I tell you that I had a full body reaction to finding out that Beyoncé was dropping new music from a freaking Verizon ad — and that that new music was two country songs which she released not after, but DURING the game. 16 Carriages and Texas Hold Em’. In the short clip posted on social media, Knowles is depicted on a Billboard in full garb as a preview of Texas Hold Em’ plays. A few songs play in the video, including “Maybellene” by Chuck Berry.
Both songs appear to be a part of Renaissance Part ii — as hinted at on her website. Renaissance - largely lauded as a dance and disco album, an homage to House, Ballroom, and Disco music which contains one of my favorite samples ever - Donna Summer’s “I Feel Love” in Summer Renaissance.
Now, this isn’t Beyoncé’s first foray into country. Real fans remember Daddy Lessons from Lemonade and her (for some reason) controversial collaboration with the (Dixie) Chicks. But the implication here is that the whole album will be country. And something really stuck out to me when I listened to Texas Hold Em’ — the lush instrumentation and great production. Something sounded familiar, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on it. Thankfully, my good friend Gabby pointed it out to me right away.
Rhiannon Giddens is the banjoist (and fiddler!)
Rhiannon Giddens, a multiple Grammy award-winning singer, songwriter, banjoist, and performer in roots and Americana has collaborated with Beyoncé on her upcoming album.
And not to toot my own horn, but this information is something that I saw from miles and miles away and let the record show that I TOLD Y’ALL THIS WOULD HAPPEN!
Well, not literally. But my friends and loved ones have probably heard me say it. And several of my tweets.
Allow me to present my evidence:
First, I would like to introduce 3 scary terms that I’ve seen floating around for a while: Countrygaze, Y'allternative, and Stomp and Holler.
All probably made up as marketing terms or silly online trends, Country-esque sounds, styles, and aesthetics are fashionable once again.
Stomp and Holler began appearing on people's Spotify Wrapped around 2017, usually referring to a user's propensity to listen to artists like The Lumineers, Vance Joy, Of Monsters and Men, and Mumford and Sons – Music that could be classified as folksy, usually highly acoustic and quite literally incorporating the sonic elements of stomps, claps, and yells.
Give these a listen to get an idea of that I’m referring to here:
I argue that we see a revival of Stomp and Holler in the 2020’s with Noah Kahan:
Countrygaze and Y'allternative are a bit newer to the Zeitgeist and I have seen them used sometimes interchangeably, sometimes not.
Countrygaze is the literal combination of Country and Shoegaze. Shoegaze referring to the dreamy, alternative rock genre that incorporates a heavy use of the reverb effect, distortion, and muddy vocals and is associated with the sounds of My Bloody Valentine, Lush, Slowdive, and Cocteau Twins. Combine this with country, and you have the sounds of MJ Lenderman, Faye Webster, Slow Pulp, Angel Olsen, Waxahatchee, and many more. This article serves as a great intro and primer to Countrygaze and also has a couple of useful playlists.
Give this one a listen or look through to get a better idea!
Y'allternative is a cheeky term that seems to refer to country-ish folk, or straight up country, or also countrygaze AND stomp and holler? Y'all let me know when you figure this one out. A spotify playlist refers to it as "Country songs and alt songs that share the same vibe" (Vibes again???). Under Y'allternative, I've seen Tyler Childers, Kacey Musgraves, Brandi Carlile, the Civil Wars (RIP), Zach Bryan, Bon Iver, Orville Peck, Gregory Alan Isakov, Allison Russell, and many more. I’m still getting used to this term as I find it to be a bit too broad. This list is particularly eclectic for reasons I will elaborate on soon.
This is not to box any of these artists into these categories with no room for escape, but rather to point out some current trends. What’s important in showing these is that we are stretching across a lot of genres and areas here. The point I’m trying to make in general is that the artists encompassed, frankly, have been priming their listeners for a long time — whether with pedal steel or banjo — and familiarizing their ears with a “country” sound.
When you’re listening to “All The Good Times” by Angel Olsen or “Stick Season” by Noah Kahan, you’re not really listening to country music, right?
Noah Kahan is of particular interest to me right now. I will admit, I haven’t listened through any of his songs aside from Northern Attitude feat. Hozier. (By the way, Hozier ate him up on his own song. It’s kind of hilarious). But I started thinking about how his music sounds and all of his recent collabs and those collabs’ collabs, and so forth. I created a haphazard mind map
It helped, but it also didn’t. It made Countrygaze out to be a bit of an outlier. What point was I trying to make here? I thought of a better visual — a series of events (slightly out of order) that lead me to believe that this whole thing was a long time coming.
Indie Golden Age (2008-2014, roughly)
Fleet Foxes, Bon Iver, The Lumineers, Kodaline, Sufjan Stevens, Bright Eyes, Feist what a time it was to be alive and to be on Tumblr and Pandora radio — hungry for new sad songs to listen to in your friend’s beat-up Subaru with a fraying aux cord!
Often associated with Indie Sleaze, but not quite as Rock-Oriented
Probably Hipster
Post-recession vibes that reverberated for quite a while
Words like “indie” “folk” “acoustic” come to mind
Lil Nas X and Old Town Road (2018)
He seemed to come out of nowhere with this one, and now is an extremely popular artist
Released in 2019 and then re-released in 2019, he dropped a version with Billy Ray Cyrus!
Campy, tongue-in-cheek, country-esque lyrics and instrumentals over a trap beat, Old Town Road was such a fun and thought-provoking, and even controversial moment
I love this episode of Switched On Pop’s explanation and take on Old Town Road, give it a listen if you have time!
They break down whether or not it’s considered a true “country” song, and why people may or may not feel one way or another
Beyoncé performing Daddy Lessons with the (Dixie) Chicks (2016)
This was at the Country Music Awards in 2016
This NPR article details the performance well:
At opposing extremes were those exultant about the superstar extending her dominance into an additional corner of the musical landscape and those who declared themselves country fans — but likely represented only a small but vocal minority of the genre's listenership — and insisted that she didn't belong there.
This was also a big moment for the (Dixie) Chicks, who for years have received endless criticisms and hatred from their contemporaries, politicians, and the general public alike for their anti-Iraq war stance.
Noah Kahan — Stick Season (2022)
This guy is from VERMONT! I don’t know why this is so funny to me
Just so aggressively stomp-and-hollery
Very Mumford-and-sons strumming and vocal technique
Directly referencing Covid in his lyrics is always a really interesting and bold move to me
He just got really really popular!
All of the people he’s collaborated with — Post Malone, Lizzy McAlpine, Kacey Musgraves, Hozier, Sam Fender, Zach Bryan, Gracie Abrams, Brandi Carlile, and Gregory Alan Isakov!
Morgan Wallen (and controversy) (2021-present)
I found a paper that I wrote for a course in 2021, so I’ll add a few blurbs here. Yes, I am quoting myself.
Morgan Wallen has been having quite a year in 2021. Despite his popularity and seemingly successful career as an up and coming artist in country music, he has been under much criticism for saying a racial slur. He was recently disqualified from receiving an AMA and banned from the CMA awards while simultaneously being up for Album of the Year. He has been written about extensively by many sources, including Pitchfork, Stereogum, and Rollingstone, called out repeatedly on various social media sites, and even made national news in many reputable outlets. The country singer, after having competed on the voice has proven to be immensely popular and seems to have enjoyed quite a bit of commercial success, charting high on Billboard and itunes.
With all of that being said, where does this bring us in relation to Morgan Wallen? Through multiple apologies, Donations to Black-Centered groups, and (what we can only hope to be) genuine expressions of regret, we can only hope Wallen will not be making the same mistake any time soon. He has, however, effectively revived the neverending debate on the meaning of the country genre, what it represents and who it represents. Ultimately, one can assume that this will not be a career ending incident for him, or cause people to question the industry as a whole. He’ll still top the charts, release music, and have successful stadium tours.
Zach Bryan (approx 2022)
Oklahoman country singer who has come onto the scene semi-recently, now has some popular collaborations with Kacey Musgraves, Maggie Rogers, Bon Iver, The Lumineers, and Noah Kahan
Breakthrough Album “American Heartbreak” was quite successful on the Billboard Hot 200
Has a down-to-earth image and has good reviews from Pitchfork and The New York Times
His collabs with some traditionally Indie-folk artists surprised and intrigued me
Tyler Childers (approx 2018)
2017 Debut which the New York Times Describes as “rewriting and recontextualizing rural and Appalachian America and the folks within it, and spreading their stories wide.”
According to that same article, he has sung about racism, queer love, and inclusive faith on separate occasions — a bit out of the ordinary for the “Country” genre at large (Though many have done it before!)
Comes from an Eastern Kentucky background and appears to try to connect his listeners with contemporary issues while simultaneously introducing the issues of Appalachia to his less familiar listeners
Also often described as being more “Roots” and “Bluegrass”
I have been seeing and hearing a lot of him in the last year or so
Tiktok (2022-now)
Will we ever escape this dastardly website? Here are some sounds/songs I’ve noticed became popular.
Big Thief - Vampire Empire
The kids have finally become hip to one of my favorite bands, and for that I am thankful! Watch here
Also the folksy and fun “Anything” by lead singer Adrianne Lenker: here
Faye Webster in general
My GOD tiktok LOVES Kingston…here
Impeccable Pedal Steel
Noah Kahan (again)
This sped up version has them by a chokehold: here...
And everyone losing their minds over the Hozier collab — UMG is making finding audio really annoying, by the way.
Pinegrove (Need 2)
I’ve seen a lot of dance trends, but this one is um. Interesting! Need 2 dance
Bon Iver
That one Bon Iver song featuring st. Vincent that I often see paired with beautiful photos of the Pacific Northwest: here
Ethel Cain:
The Hunger Games - A Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes (2023)
When I saw the soundtrack for this Prequel film to the Hunger Games trilogy, my jaw dropped at some of the artists.
Molly Tuttle? Billy Strings? Sierra Ferrell? This is a Bluegrass Album
Those familiar with the series may recall that the characters depicted are situated in either District 12 or the Covey, and District 12 is supposedly based in rural Appalachia and is known as the group in Panem with the least amount of money, resources, and power.
Though I haven’t seen the film, I did take the time to listen to the album, and the fact that a major motion picture uses this soundtrack diegetically and non-diegetically is major!
These signs kept appearing to me, personally. And this isn’t necessarily going to be accurate or relatable to a lot of people. But trust me, as soon as I saw Rhiannon Giddens’ name on that dang Beyoncé credits list, I swear everything clicked in my brain. Is it a folk revival? A Country Revival? A Newgrass revival? And whatever it is, what are the implications?
My current train of thought is that there is a sense of inevitability to this type of sound with how things are going. We can point directly to late-stage capitalism, probably. But I’m thinking more specifically about the hyper-consumerist practices happening in music right now. The constant online fights about “Which streaming platform is better, Spotify or Apple Music?” Or tiktok introducing its own music charts (only for UMG to take down all of its artists’ music from the site, but more about that in a minute), “girl” and “boy” music and the reintroduction of the gender binary in popular culture, music being tied to aesthetics (“countrygaze” “coquette” “y’allternative” “sad girl music”), Spotify’s insidious yet addicting algorithm that tells you what kind of listener you are and how to find more of that based on what you currently listen to with “daylist” and “spotify wrapped”, the yearning for things that weren’t actually that long ago like shoegaze and 2010’s pop and indie sleaze, the fact that when artists drop new music, they don’t even tell you to listen to it, they just tell you to stream.
When you put it like that, it’s too much to fathom and frankly, too difficult to untangle. Even using social media to try to understand what’s happening proves to be a challenge, as I and many others experience the insane cognitive dissonance on my timeline —- a frightening whirlwind of posts about Travis Kelce screaming at Andy Reid, Taylor Swift’s Jet Usage, Usher’s Superbowl performance, and the bodies of dead children in Gaza all right next to each other.
As a music writer and enthusiast, I feel like there were so many funny, strange, and interesting things that happened last night. On Twitter, I’m already seeing threads and posts honoring and highlighting Black American Country, Roots, and Americana artists, which makes me unbelievably happy, especially during Black History Month. But as a human, I feel horrified in a way that can only be explained by those who eloquently pointed out why Suzanne Collins wrote The Hunger Games in the first place.
I write this last part not to bring the mood down or to shame or upset anyone, but rather to position and contextualize the palpable sense of abject horrors of the world so easily nestled next to the excitement of the American entertainers and consumers, how we got here, and how one is even supposed to react to or digest said information regularly.
To return to vibes, I very firmly believe that we are in a Vibecession (as coined by economist Kyla Scanlon). Something is really weird and bizarre and off-putting in a way that I can’t really pinpoint and I think that extends to music. 10-15 years ago, Beyoncé putting out a country album would have been unheard of, and would have made no sense. Now it’s happening and all I can think is, “Well, duh.” The sheer absurdity of everything that’s currently happening makes it really difficult to be surprised by anything. Naturally, Pitchfork has already declared the whole thing Hokey (they need to worry about the fact that they laid off most of their staff and sold out to Conde Nast, but whatever). We’ve also returned full circle to Pop/R&B-washing black artists who make country songs, as I am writing this, Pitchfork has not designated Texas Hold Em’ as Country and one of Beyonce’s larger fanbases had to call out Apple Music to genre it correctly (which they now have).
Mostly, I’ve decided that this whole thing exists solely to validate all of my predictions about there being a Country/Folk/Newgrass revival among the general public and that there have been signs of it coming for a long time and at the end of the day, my flattered Ego is all that matters.
In honor of Black History Month, I will leave with a great quote from rock pioneer Chuck Berry:
Just cause I'm a black person don't mean I can't sing country music! . . . I got as much country soul as any of you white boys.
Thanks for reading!
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To my 71 (!!) Subscribers, thank you for reading! And to anyone else reading, also think you for reading?? I wish I could update this little newsletter more often!
If this is meandering and inconclusive please note that I am recovering from surgery (I’m ok!) and not enrolled in grad school anymore so I am under no obligation to sound smart!
Cool things to check out while you’re here:
Care For Gaza is an amazing organization on the ground providing aid to people in the Gaza Strip such as Food, Toiletries, and other necessities. They are very reputable and taking donations!
A Twitter thread for more relief for Palestine
An article that talks about Rhiannon Giddens and racism in Country music.
A new exhibit at my amazing former place of work, Michelle Smith Performing Arts Library/Special Collections in Performing Arts, that highlights the work of Boden Sandstrom, sound engineer and ethnomusicologist:
Follow Gabby on Tiktok!