Why People Are Wild for the West
If Lana Del Rey and Beyoncé have anything to say about it, the country craze is here to stay.
At one point or another, we’ve all heard a friend, who claims to listen to “everything”, make a pretty damning music declaration: “I’ll listen to anything but country.”
Well, the line for the “anything but country” folks has just gotten blurrier— over the past few weeks, the genre has gotten a boost from two outsiders: Beyoncé and Lana Del Rey, who both announced upcoming country albums.
Gone are the days when country music was exclusively for CMA viewers (seriously, who watches those?) In recent years, country music has found itself trickling into the mainstream through unique outlets, finding new audiences in genre-bending artists like Kacey Musgraves.
In addition to the music itself, aesthetics formerly displayed exclusively by country lovers have also been in Vogue, most notably shown through last year’s massive cowboy boot trend. In addition to the rainbow of cowboy boots on everyone’s feet, the trend cycle was also responsible for last year’s “coastal cowgirl” trend, which fused the traditional Southern flair with an East Coast charm. (Imagine if Cape Cod and Texas had a child- linen, denim shorts, and metal statement belts.)
Both Beyoncé and Lana Del Rey have incorporated country influences into their music and persona too. Beyoncé’s 2022 album Renaissance paid homage to Black ballroom culture but also notably featured cover art depicting the singer in a cowboy hat, atop a massive metallic horse. The BeyHive openly embraced the country vibe, with the singer’s summer tour filling stadiums of fans decked out in opulent silver cowboy hats and boots.
So far, Queen Bey has unveiled two singles: “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages”. Both songs are notably distinct from the rest of her discography and serve as a pointed reminder of her Texan roots. Moreover, we are witnessing a reclamation of the genre’s African American origins that are often overshadowed by the underrepresentation of Black artists in modern country music.
Lana Del Rey, who also recently announced an upcoming country record, has been having her own renaissance over the past few years, especially with albums like Blue Banisters and Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd? Country music frequently uses emotional ballads as a storytelling medium, which is perfect for Lana’s poetic lyricism. Her upcoming album Lasso is set to be released in September, leaving fans excited to see her interpretation of the genre.
Overall, the recent resurgence of country music has given its aesthetic a major reputational facelift, and these upcoming albums, which will expose a massive amount of new fans to the genre, are sure to help.
Your “I’ll listen to anything but country,” friend might need to pipe down— like it or not, the country craze has barely begun.
Well, the line for the “anything but country” folks has just gotten blurrier— over the past few weeks, the genre has gotten a boost from two outsiders: Beyoncé and Lana Del Rey, who both announced upcoming country albums.
Gone are the days when country music was exclusively for CMA viewers (seriously, who watches those?) In recent years, country music has found itself trickling into the mainstream through unique outlets, finding new audiences in genre-bending artists like Kacey Musgraves.
In addition to the music itself, aesthetics formerly displayed exclusively by country lovers have also been in Vogue, most notably shown through last year’s massive cowboy boot trend. In addition to the rainbow of cowboy boots on everyone’s feet, the trend cycle was also responsible for last year’s “coastal cowgirl” trend, which fused the traditional Southern flair with an East Coast charm. (Imagine if Cape Cod and Texas had a child- linen, denim shorts, and metal statement belts.)
Both Beyoncé and Lana Del Rey have incorporated country influences into their music and persona too. Beyoncé’s 2022 album Renaissance paid homage to Black ballroom culture but also notably featured cover art depicting the singer in a cowboy hat, atop a massive metallic horse. The BeyHive openly embraced the country vibe, with the singer’s summer tour filling stadiums of fans decked out in opulent silver cowboy hats and boots.
So far, Queen Bey has unveiled two singles: “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages”. Both songs are notably distinct from the rest of her discography and serve as a pointed reminder of her Texan roots. Moreover, we are witnessing a reclamation of the genre’s African American origins that are often overshadowed by the underrepresentation of Black artists in modern country music.
Lana Del Rey, who also recently announced an upcoming country record, has been having her own renaissance over the past few years, especially with albums like Blue Banisters and Did You Know That There’s a Tunnel Under Ocean Blvd? Country music frequently uses emotional ballads as a storytelling medium, which is perfect for Lana’s poetic lyricism. Her upcoming album Lasso is set to be released in September, leaving fans excited to see her interpretation of the genre.
Overall, the recent resurgence of country music has given its aesthetic a major reputational facelift, and these upcoming albums, which will expose a massive amount of new fans to the genre, are sure to help.
Your “I’ll listen to anything but country,” friend might need to pipe down— like it or not, the country craze has barely begun.