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Beyonce's latest project, Act II: Cowboy Carter, is the second installment of her Renaissance trilogy, following the singer's 2022 album Renaissance. On Thursday, March 28, Bey took to social media to announce the complete tracklist for her ninth studio album, which will be released on all DSPs (Digital Streaming Platforms) on Friday.
The tracklist is a Pop-up art poster featuring 27 songs creatively designed as part of the announcement post. Beyonce surprised everyone by posting the tracklist on Instagram without any caption as part of the build-up to Act II: Cowboy Carter's release on Friday.
Act II: Cowboy Carter will include 27 different country and pop-infused songs as part of its official tracklist. All the songs set to be included in this project have been listed below:
- AMERIICAN REQUIEM
- BLACKBIIRD
- 16 CARRIAGES
- PROTECTOR
- MY ROSE
- SMOKE HOUR WILLIE NELSON
- TEXAS HOLD 'EM
- BODYGUARD
- DOLLY P
- JOLENE
- DAUGHTER
- SPAGHETTII
- ALLIIGATOR TEARS
- SMOKE HOUR II
- JUST FOR FUN
- II MOST WANTED
- LEVII'S JEANS
- FLAMENCO
- THE LINDA MARTELL SHOW
- YAYA
- OH LOUISIANA
- DESERT EAGLE
- RIIVERDANCE
- II HANDS II HEAVEN
- TYRANT
- SWEET *HONEY* BUCKIN'
- AMEN
The upcoming album will be distributed to all streaming platforms via Parkwood Entertainment LLC under an exclusive license to Columbia Records and Sony Music Entertainment.
Everything you need to know about Beyonce's Act II: Cowboy Carter
Beyonce (Beyonce Giselle Knowles-Carter) first revealed this album in 2022 when she dropped Renaissance, confirming it as the first installment of a three-project series.
In the announcement post for Renaissance, the singer highlighted how COVID-19 led to her having more time, which, in turn, resulted in Bey exploring greater depths of her creativity. She went on to state:
"A place to be free of perfectionism and overthinking. A place to scream, release, feel freedom. It was a beautiful journey of exploration. I hope you find joy in this music. I hope it inspires you to release the wiggle. Ha! And to feel as unique, strong, and sexy as you are."
The official announcement for Act II: Cowboy Carter came two years later during the 2024 Super Bowl LVIII Broadcast, during which Bey was featured in an advertisement for Verizon, which appeared to hint at her releasing new music soon.
Immediately after her ad aired, the singer revealed the cover art for two songs, TEXAS HOLD 'EM and 16 CARRIAGES, the lead singles for Act II. The post confirmed that the two songs were now officially out and available for streaming, with a caption that read:
"TEXAS HOLD ‘EM and 16 CARRIAGES out now"
A few hours later, she posted the official trailer for TEXAS HOLD 'EM's music video on her social media accounts. The trailer opens with Beyonce driving a taxi through a deserted highway with the radio playing old country songs just as she crosses a sign that reads "entering Radio Country Land."
The clip then transitions to multiple men dressed in traditional cowboy boots and pullovers as they stumble through the heat, walking toward an unspecified attraction in the sky.
It's eventually revealed that this attraction is a massive Yellow billboard of an animated Beyonce scantily dressed in a pink bikini, boots, and cowboy hat. The words "TEXAS HOLD 'EM" are seen written across the billboard.
To support the release of these two new singles, Bey also dropped visualizers on her official YouTube channel.
The first video uploaded for TEXAS HOLD 'EM was a loop of the singer walking towards the camera in an extremely revealing outfit, creatively edited to make it seem as though her left hand is a live weapon since smoke begins to emit from her fingertips.
The second visualizer was for 16 CARRIAGES. It was a simple loop of Bey walking towards a mirror before making eye contact with the camera as she put on a Cowboy hat, symbolizing the switch in her discography. Check out both the lead singles visualizers for Act II: Cowboy Carter below.
On March 19, Beyonce took to Instagram to post the official album cover and a long caption explaining her thought process behind creating this project. She also thanked her fans for their support over the release of TEXAS HOLD 'EM and 16 CARRIAGES.
Bey highlighted how this album took over five years to produce and create, with her wish being that "years from now," an artist's race will no longer be a major factor in determining which genre they should fit into. She ended her caption by saying:
"This ain’t a Country album. This is a Beyoncé album. This is act ii COWBOY CARTER, and I am proud to share it with y’all!"
Act II: Cowboy Carter pre-save links & Merch
Beyonce's upcoming album has been added to her official artist website, which can be visited through the link in her Instagram Bio (https://beyonce.com/).
The website confirms that Act II: Cowboy Carter can be pre-added on Apple Music and pre-saved on Spotify. For fans who use Tidal as their primary streaming platform, they must note that:
"The Tidal Experience is managed by feature.fm"
There's also a disclaimer that states that if any fan registers or "Joins" the email list, they will receive an email confirmation once the album is released to all DSPs.
The Grammy-winning singer has also revealed the associated merchandise for Act II: Cowboy Carter, which is currently listed on her website. These items range from album bundles to physical copies of the album.
The following is the complete list of merchandise available on Beyonce's website (including prices):
- COWBOY CARTER LIMITED EDITION COVER CD BOXSET (BLACK TEE) - $40.00
- COWBOY CARTER LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE COVER CD BOXSET (RED) - $40.00
- COWBOY CARTER LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE COVER CD BOXSET (BLACK) - $40.00
- COWBOY CARTER LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE COVER VINYL (BLUE) - $40.00
- COWBOY CARTER LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE COVER VINYL (RED) - $40.00
- COWBOY CARTER LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE COVER VINYL (WHITE) - $40.00
- COWBOY CARTER LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE COVER VINYL (BLACK) - $40.00
- COWBOY CARTER LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE COVER CD (BLUE) - $12.00
- COWBOY CARTER LIMITED EDITION EXCLUSIVE COVER CD (WHITE) - $12.00
Note* These items are available only for customers in the United States and Canada. Each product is limited to 4 per customer, and all physical copies will be shipped out on March 29, 2024.
Dave Hamelin, Ink, Killah B, and Nathan Ferraro are credited as the producers of Act II: Cowboy Carter. A lot of these individuals are also credited as writers, with Beyonce being the lead lyricist on this project.
Bey's two lead singles did exceptionally well, with TEXAS HOLD 'EM debuting at No.2 on Billboard Hot 100 and 16 CARRIAGES debuting at No.38.
