With the release of “Cowboy Carter,” Beyoncé’s eighth solo album and the one that finds her exploring — and testing — the boundaries of country music, much of the early conversation has centered on whether the country music industry would rally around her.
Rather than being feted with a welcome party, Beyoncé has been met largely with shrugs.
Beyoncé is Black, and a woman, two groups that contemporary Nashville has consistently marginalized and shortchanged.
Contemporary mainstream country music often feels like a closed loop of white male storytelling.
Which is why whether or not Beyoncé and Nashville can find common cause is, in every way, a red herring.
Persons:
Cowboy Carter, ”, hurrahs, Beyoncé
Locations:
Texas, Nashville