As Beyoncé prepares to release her next solo album, “Cowboy Carter,” she teased fans Tuesday with the new record’s cover, which, like her previous album, shows her sitting on a horse. But unlike that record, “Renaissance,” this time she’s in full rodeo gear, riding a white stallion, ushering in a new era in her three-act oeuvre.
It’s been almost two years since the release of ‘Renaissance’, which spawned a world tour and inspired a series of sequined and chrome looks among her 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.
Ahead of the album’s release on March 29, members of the New York Times Styles desk took a close look at the album cover and what it represents for Black American contributions to country music.
Gina Tserelus 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 some new member of the stable. Either way, they’re both impressive.
Melissa Guerrero I always appreciate visual consistency! Which we certainly see in these first two acts, so far.
Marie Solis Since the “Renaissance,” she has clearly sought to rewrite images of black women in cowboy and Western history that are an essential part of American mythology—and a ground ripe for patriotic and nationalist symbols.
Cherelus Especially during an election period. Everything is very intentional.
Solis I am also so impressed by her look. It faces the viewer.
Frank Rojas Beyoncé looks directly into the camera with her face forward and it’s really like a recovery. Her hair is in the wind and she takes charge.
Cherelus Holding the flag in one hand and the horse’s reins in the other, she is poised with authority. And with heels!
Rojas How do you all 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 accidental as many might assume. Country music is black music.
Solis I think saying that this isn’t a country album, but “a Beyoncé album” brings back the gate-keeping that country fans faced when it came out. “Lessons Dad” in 2016. But it also speaks to the particular style of image making. creates its own visual language and traditions, even if it relies on these recognizable symbols to do so. And what’s more American than Beyoncé?
Guerrero A Redditor pointed out that the galloping horse alludes to Eadweard Muybridge’s 19th-century “Horse in Motion” photographs, which featured prominently in Jordan Peele’s “Nope” (another piece of media that nods to black cowboys, but more specifically to Hollywood ).
Cherelus Given the American flag’s associations with the right, and how it has recently been adapted to represent conservative passions, I think it’s her way of reminding us that the flag doesn’t belong to one particular group.
Guerrero And interestingly, the flag is also slightly off-camera.
Solis I was also thinking “No”! Which led me to Emma Goldberg’s Styles piece from last year about how people keep coming back to the American West as a place of reinvention.
Rojas Melissa, I love that you brought up black cowboy culture and its history. It reminds me of the one that the The Compton Cowboys symbolize: reflecting their times, but also paying homage to one’s history and culture.
Guerrero Agreed, Frank! The team has been deeply embedded in Compton for years.
Cherelus Similar to the chrome pieces she wore on the cover of ‘Renaissance’, the cowboy hat she’s wearing on the cover will definitely be a sellout style this year. The sheet music makes me think that he is also influenced by the culture of the black, southern artists on this album. Think: Miss Judeteenth. She is a Texas girl after all.
Rojas And rodeo queens!
Cherelus Since rodeo queens also fly the flag after winning the title, this is probably a direct nod!
It’s fascinating, how it got to the point where Beyoncé seems to think she needs to position herself as a cowgirl on a horse, wearing red, white and blue, holding an American flag on an album cover to drill it into the heads of the people she cares about. country is not fashion. 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’s albums are often a snapshot of our times. It evolves with our culture, to enter the discourse of the moment.
Guerrero When I think of Kendrick Lamar’s “Lemonade” or “Damn,” it points to a very specific moment in American history. Ditto Marvin Gaye’s “What’s Going On.” There is something powerful about art that is in conversation with current reality.
Rojas I love 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 into the office today for our conversation.)
Gina Tserelus, Marie Solis, Frank Rojas and Melissa Guerrero contributed to the report.