Beyoncé's country era is here. Will it change anything for Black country musicians?

Mar 28, 2024

While the former was inspired to become a musician by a larger-than-life Michael Jackson concert, the latter credits her passion to the soulful Patsy Cline records her mother would play on repeat.

And when at 17 Beyoncé had released her debut album with superstar group Destiny's Child, Sacha was living on her own, working at Tim Hortons and only dreaming about getting behind the mic one day.

The reason is embedded in the industry's history, University of Ottawa assistant professor and country music researcher Jada Watson argues.

While those better reflected the style of music, that "racially encoded structural foundation" has continued to inform which artists are expected to succeed.

And while there are recent public success stories such as Darius Rucker, Kane Brown and Jimmie Allen, those three collectively hold over 90 per cent of airplay given to Black country artists in the United States.

As her next album will be a collaboration with her husband Jay-Z, Beyoncé's direct involvement in country music will likely end or greatly taper off.