Beyoncé is bringing much deserved attention to Black female country artists with the release of her country album Cowboy Carter. Her foray into country music is highlighting and inspiring Black women who are hoping to change the landscape of the genre, in Nashville and beyond.
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No matter what your overall opinion of country music is, it has long been a white male-dominated genre, despite its roots in Black gospel. Women are having to blaze their own trails, work harder, smarter, and longer to be recognized. Especially Black women in the industry. That’s why having Beyoncé—ultimately the biggest artist in music—take a step into a new genre and personally uncover the rich history of country music is so important.
In Nashville, work is being done to alter the landscape of country music through the Black Opry. A three-year-old collective of Black performers in the Americana, country, and folk genres, it’s aim is to amplify their unique voices and talents.
“I’ve always been a huge fan of country music throughout my entire life, and I’ve always felt isolated in that experience,” Holly G, founder of the Black Opry, recently told AFP, via Yahoo News. “Especially as a Black, queer woman, you don’t see a lot of representation—not with the artists, the fans, the marketing material.”
Holly continued, “Once I started Black Opry, I realized we’re all there—we’re just not given the same platform and opportunities as some of our white counterparts.”
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Beyoncé’s Album Cowboy Carter Is Doing A Lot for Black Country Performers
The disparities are an unfortunate reality of country music specifically. One only has to look at the criticism Beyoncé has received for her new album to know that things are unbalanced for Black artists in country. It’s an age-old story. One that has even been told even on The Voice, as contestant Tae Lewis shared his experiences with venue owners not knowing how to market him to audiences in upstate New York.
Conversations surrounding country music, race, and America itself have stemmed from Beyoncé’s album announcement. Everyone and their mother has an opinion on “who should be allowed” to make country music. The hot takes are telling; in some ways it’s replaced the dinner table political argument.
In the official album announcement on social media, Beyoncé shared that the record was inspired by moments where she felt unwelcome in country music. One thinks back to when she performed at the CMAs with The Chicks in 2016. Her appearance at the award show was met with backlash from country fans on social media. The comments were, at the least, concerned with her apparent lack of country music experience. At their worst, they were blatantly racist.
“My hope is that years from now, the mention of an artist’s race, as it relates to releasing genres of music, will be irrelevant,” Beyoncé wrote on Instagram recently.
Trea Swindle of the group Chapel Hart told AFP that there has been an upswing in their streaming numbers since Bey’s announcement. “It’s opening up country music as a whole to a completely new demographic,” she said. The group, whose members are from Poplarville, Mississippi, is frequently faced with claims that they “aren’t country.” To that, Swindle said, “Country is a feeling. Country is a way of life.”
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