As Beyoncé gears up for the release of her next solo album, “Cowboy Carter,” she teased fans on Tuesday with the new record’s cover, which, like her previous album, shows her sitting on a horse. But unlike on that record, “Renaissance,” this time she’s in full rodeo gear, riding a white stallion, kicking off a new era of her three-act project.
It has been nearly two years since she dropped “Renaissance,” which birthed a world tour and inspired an array of sequined and chrome-heavy looks among fans internationally. If Act I, as she called that album, paid homage to disco and house music, Act II is sure to be her official entry into country music.
In advance of the album’s release, on March 29, members of The New York Times’s Styles desk took a close look at the album cover, and what it represents for Black American contribution to country music.
Gina Cherelus How do we feel about the album cover? Off rip, 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 stable. Either way, they’re both striking.
Melissa Guerrero I always appreciate visual consistency! Which is something we’re definitely seeing in these first two acts, so far.
Marie Solis Since “Renaissance,” she’s clearly been trying to reinscribe images of Black women into the history of the cowboys and the West, which is a quintessential part of the American mythology — and a terrain ripe for patriotic and nationalist symbols.
Cherelus Especially during an election year. It all feels very intentional.
Solis I’m also so struck by her gaze. She’s confronting the viewer.
Frank Rojas Beyoncé is looking directly into the camera with her face forward and it really feels like a reclaiming. Her hair is in the air and she is taking charge.
Cherelus Holding the flag in one hand and the horse’s reins in the other, she’s positioned with authority. And in heels!
Rojas How do you all feel about the hint of the American flag in the corner?
Cherelus She’s reminding listeners and fans that her entry into this genre isn’t as random as many might assume. Country music is Black music.
Solis I think her saying this is not a country album but “a ‘Beyoncé’ album” calls back to the gate-keeping she faced from country fans when she released “Daddy Lessons” in 2016. But it also speaks to her particular style of image making; she’s creating her own visual language and lore, even if she’s relying on these recognizable symbols to do it. And what’s more all-American than Beyoncé?
Guerrero A Redditor pointed out that the galloping horse evokes the 19th-century “Horse in Motion” photographs, by Eadweard Muybridge, which were prominently featured in Jordan Peele’s “Nope” (another piece of media 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 customized to represent conservative passions, I think it’s her way of reminding us that the flag doesn’t belong to one specific group.
Guerrero And it’s interesting that the flag is also a bit off-camera.
Solis I was thinking of “Nope,” too! Which led me to Emma Goldberg’s Styles piece from last year about how people keep returning to the American West as a site of reinvention.
Rojas Melissa, I like that you mentioned Black cowboy culture and its history. It reminds me of what the Compton Cowboys symbolize: reflecting their times, but also paying tribute to one’s history and culture.
Guerrero Agreed, Frank! The group has been deeply embedded in Compton for years.
Cherelus Similar to the chrome pieces she wore on the “Renaissance” cover, the cowboy hat she’s wearing on the cover will definitely be a sellout style this year. The sash is making me think she’s also influenced by Black, Southern pageantry culture on this album. Think: Miss Juneteenth. She is a Texas girl, after all.
Rojas And rodeo queens!
Cherelus Since rodeo queens also carry the flag after they win the title, this is probably a direct nod!
It’s fascinating, how it’s gotten to the point that Beyoncé seems to believe she has to position herself as a cowgirl on a horse, wearing red, white and blue, holding the American flag on an album cover to drill it into people’s heads that her interest in country isn’t a fad. This is something she cares deeply about, and I can’t think of any other artist at her level who would have to do so much convincing.
Solis Beyoncé albums are often a snapshot of our times. She evolves along with our culture, to enter the discourse of the moment.
Guerrero When I think of “Lemonade” or Kendrick Lamar’s “Damn,” it points to a very specific moment in American history. So does Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On.” There’s something powerful about art that is in conversation with the current reality.
Rojas I like what Beyoncé is doing here, creating a space where other people can feel seen, from cowboys and cowgirls to vaqueros. (Exhibit A: I brought my cowboy hat from Mexico to the office today for our chat.)
Gina Cherelus, Marie Solis, Frank Rojas and Melissa Guerrero contributed reporting.
