Navigating Country Music as a Black Woman

On Friday, Beyoncé dropped “Cowboy Carter,” her highly anticipated salute to country music. The album sparked new conversations about the forces that define country music and about whether Beyoncé’s turn to country could reshape the industry.

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Beyoncé’s turn to country came from her personal experience of not feeling welcome at the 2016 CMA Awards. Beyoncé’s album, “Cowboy Carter,” has reignited conversations about what country music is, who gets to define the country genre, and if this move for Beyoncé helps to shape and expand the country genre for other Black artists.  

In this episode of “Post Reports,” we talk to Black country artist Rissi Palmer about her experience in the country music industry, the forces that define country music and what Beyoncé’s country music moment means for Black country artists. 

Today’s show was produced by Peter Bresnan and Taylor White with help from Rennie Svirnovskiy. It was edited by Lucy Perkins and mixed by Sean Carter. 

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