Life and Art from FT Weekend

Culture chat: Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter

Apr 5, 2024

FT's music critic Ludovic Hunter-Tilney chats with Lilah and Taylor about Beyonce's Cowboy Carter album, featuring discussions on Black country artists, collaborations with Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, and Post Malone, and Beyonce's career arc in the music industry.

20:22

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Episode guests

Ludovic Hunter-Tilney

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Episode notes

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Quick takeaways

Beyonce's 'Cowboy Carter' album showcases her versatility and influence by topping the country charts with collaborations from legends like Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson.

The album's fusion of country and Western music with Beyonce's unique style demonstrates her career evolution as a genre-defying artist and cultural influencer.

Deep dives

Beyonce's Cowboy Carter Album: Genre Exploration and Impact

Beyonce's 'Cowboy Carter' album, part of her Renaissance Trilogy, marks her first venture into country music after a dance album. With collaborations from country legends like Dolly Parton to Willie Nelson, Beyonce's album made history by topping the country charts, signaling her influence and power in the music industry.

Introduction

2min

Discussion on Beyonce's Cinematic Western Music Album

2min

Exploring the Opening Song and Genre Classification of an Album

2min

Exploring Beyoncé's Album and Impact on the Music Industry

12min

Exploring Art and Culture Desires

3min

Park your Lexus, throw your keys up, and let’s get into Cowboy Carter, the new genre-bending, country-angled album by Beyonce. Here are the facts: it’s the second instalment in her Renaissance trilogy. It features Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Post Malone and Miley Cyrus, and spotlights Black country artists such as Linda Martell. But what was Beyonce’s goal with this album? And how does it fit into her career arc? Lilah’s joined by the FT’s music critic Ludovic Hunter-Tilney and US labour and equality correspondent Taylor Nicole Rogers to chat about the album.

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We love hearing from you. Lilah is on Instagram @lilahrap and we’re on X @lifeandartpod. You can email us at lifeandart@ft.com. We are grateful for reviews, on Apple, Spotify, etc.

Links (all FT links get you past the paywall):

– Cowboy Carter by Beyonce is available to stream now.

– Ludo’s review of Cowboy Carter is here: https://on.ft.com/3U3L0TW

– His review of Renaissance: A Film by Beyonce is here: https://on.ft.com/3J3k54q

– You can follow Ludo on X @ludohunter. Taylor is @TaylorNRogers.

More or Less:

– Taylor wants to see less wellness in culture. For more on the dark side of wellness, check out new FT podcast ‘Untold: The Retreat’ here, or by searching wherever you listen.

– Ludo wants more David Lynch content. Read about David Lynch’s installation at the Milan furniture fair here: https://on.ft.com/3vvcOr7

– Lilah wants to see more pubs in the US. While she was in London she had pints with our producer Lulu Smyth at The Hemingway near Victoria Park and at the The Eagle in Farringdon, and everyone had a swell time. Here’s a list of the FT’s best pubs in London’s West End: https://on.ft.com/4cJz94H

– Relatedly, here’s a great piece, ‘Three Cheers for the pub’, by friend of the podcast Rebecca Watson: https://on.ft.com/4cXv6lN

Read a transcript of this episode on FT.com

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