Chances are, you’ve heard about Cowboy Carter somewhere – on Instagram, chatting with your coworkers, or even watching football. Cowboy Carter is renowned singer-songwriter Beyoncé’s eighth studio album, released in March 2024.
So why is it still making waves now?
Well, we’re here to break that down for you, as we cover:
- The jaw-dropping Cowboy Carter album itself
- The recently embarked-on Cowboy Carter Tour
- The outfits that have stunned millions and revitalized cowboy fashion
What Is Cowboy Carter?
The Album That Won Bey Best Country Album and Album of the Year
Beyoncé’s music is good – we know it, you know it, your grumpy old grandpa knows it. But this time, she’s gone above and beyond. Part II of a trilogy of concept albums redefining Americana, Beyoncé uses this album as a chance to spotlight the oft-overlooked Black pioneers of American music and culture. Blending together many Southern sub-genres of music, the album is presented as a radio broadcast and features many up-and-coming Black country artists.
For some, it may seem like country is a surprising genre for Beyoncé to delve into – but she grew up listening to country music in Houston, as well as regularly attending the rodeo. She’s also been working hard to highlight Black contributions to western and cowboy culture, releasing an Adidas x IVY Park collection of Western fashion in 2021 following her realization of “how much of the Black, brown and Native cowboy stories are missing in American history.”
Beyoncé has also previously released country music – in 2016, she performed Daddy Lessons with the Chicks at the 50th CMA (Country Music Association) Awards in Nashville. Though the song is quintessentially country, and performed by two Texas natives, her performance was snubbed by the CMA, and her promotional clip was removed by the CMA following racist backlash from country fans who disapproved of Bey’s vocal support of the Black Lives Matter movement. Though CMA denied those allegations, claiming the promo was unapproved and removed before the broadcast, the fact remains that the clip was only removed after a vocal minority bombarded CMA with disparaging comments. Despite this, Chicks singer Natalie Maines pointed out that the performance was in the highest rated 15 minutes of CMA broadcast history. The clip was also restored after the public outcry.
Notably, this isn’t the first time the Chicks have been involved in a CMA controversy – in 2003, they were blackballed for critiquing George W. Bush at the start of the Iraq War. Maines states that she had never intended to perform there again, and only returned because it was Beyoncé who invited them (and really, who in their right mind would turn down an invitation to perform with Beyoncé?).
Despite being welcomed and celebrated by the majority, Beyoncé and the Chicks were denounced and pushed down by country fans who viewed country as a white, male, Republican endeavor, making the development of Cowboy Carter even more necessary to highlight country music as an invention of people of color.
This experience seems to be part of what pushed Beyoncé to write Cowboy Carter, and her hard work has definitely paid off – it’s been a critical success, receiving 11 Grammy nominations across multiple genres, making it the third-most nominated album in Grammy history, the most nominated album by a woman, and making Beyoncé the most nominated artist of all time. Cowboy Carter also broke multiple streaming and chart records, and gave several of the featured country artists their first chart entries.
The Cowboy Carter Tour
Watch The Story Unfold Live
The Cowboy Carter Tour – fully titled Cowboy Carter and the Rodeo Chitlin' Circuit Tour, with “chitlin circuit” referring to the venues Black artists could safely perform in under Jim Crow laws – launched on April 28, 2025 in Inglewood, California, but it’s not too late to get your tickets. The tour will be ongoing until July 26, 2025, having its last stop in Paradise, Nevada. Several of the stops on the tour are in cities that were part of the chitlin circuit, though many of the specific historic venues have been demolished.
In fact, the tour has so far broken venue records in five of the eight venues it’s arrived at so far, across the categories of highest gross, highest attendance, most career performances and more. Though there have been some changes to the setlist as the show’s gone on, the setlist itself has been consistently split into nine acts, each with absolutely stunning visuals. But we’ll let you see those for yourself!
The Fab Looks in Cowboy Carter
(And What You Might Want To Wear)
It’s no secret that celebrities influence fashion – we’ve already looked at how cowboy fashion has changed over the last century, and how much of that has been pushed forward by movie stars and musicians, but now it’s time to delve a little deeper into Beyoncé’s contributions. Ever since the Cowboy Carter album dropped in March 2024, Levi’s jeans sales have skyrocketed. Clothing sites such as Vinted and and PrettyLittleThing have also seen dramatic increases for searches for “western,” “rodeo,” “denim,” and cowboy jackets, hats, and boots, with the highest increase being a 600% rise for “cowboy jackets” on PrettyLittleThing. Fans have been wanting to wear what Beyoncé is wearing… but what is she wearing?
NFL Christmas Halftime Outfit
Prior to the tour being announced, Beyoncé performed some of the songs on the Cowboy Carter album at the NFL Christmas halftime show, unveiling this stunning Dolce & Gabbana outfit.
Levi’s
Levi’s has always had a hand in western fashion, so it’s no surprise that Beyoncé has worn them in her performance – in fact, Cowboy Carter even features a song called “Levii’s Jeans.” Levi’s even briefly changed their Instagram name to “Levii’s” to match the song’s stylization. The nod to Levi’s is perhaps due to their support of the (at the time struggling) group Destiny’s Child, Beyoncé’s original group before the artists split to pursue their own solo careers.
Telfar
Levi’s is far from the only denim Beyoncé is outfitted in for the Cowboy Carter Tour – with denim on denim on denim, Beyoncé’s Telfar look was certainly striking. Telfar is a Black-owned, genderless brand that advertises itself as “for everyone.”
Vivienne Westwood
In her final London show, Beyoncé wore this stunning Vivennie Westwood bodysuit, paired with custom thigh-high Partlow boots. Beyoncé has previously worn Partlow in her other country excursions, making them appear to be a trusted brand of hers.
Our Suggestions
For all those fans who want to match the vibe, there are so many different ways to dress for the Cowboy Carter tour – a hat and boots are a must, of course, and many concertgoers are layering denim on denim in unique looks. To top things off, add some rhinestones (if you can’t afford rhinestone-studded clothes, try DIY!), and if you’re feeling adventurous, fringe. On the flip side, some fans go for a red, white, and blue motif to celebrate Americana. Browsing Reddit is also a great way to see what other fans are doing.
And of course, these outfits don’t have to be limited to just the Cowboy Carter tour. Wear them out anywhere! Whether it’s clubbing or going grocery shopping, your cowboy outfit will be sure to turn heads, and you’ll play a vital role in keeping the trend alive. Plus, it’s just handy – all parts of the quintessential “cowboy” look were originally worn for utility.
Now that you know everything there is to know about Cowboy Carter, it’s time to get out there and enjoy it. Blast the album, buy that cowboy fit, and don’t pass up the chance to see Queen Bey live.
