On March 29, Beyoncé released Cowboy Carter, a “country” music-inspired album that has surged on the top billboards. Bringing a new sound to her long history of music innovation, which won her the Innovator of the Year at the iHeartRadio Awards.
“Thank you to iHeartRadio. Tonight, you call me an innovator, and for that I’m very grateful… innovation starts with a dream, but then you have to execute that dream, and that road can be very bumpy. Being an innovator is seeing what everyone believes is impossible. Being an innovator often means being criticized, which often will test your mental strength.”
Audio-streaming service Spotify revealed the album was streamed 76.5 million times on its first day of release, making it the most listened-to new album this year and most-streamed album in a single day in 2024 so far. Since then, it has accumulated more than 213 million streams in about five days on Spotify.
Mrs. Carter has faced criticism for her album, but I think the Benjamins speak for themselves. Although it might not fit the criteria of traditional country music of the past, that isn’t stopping the success….. or the money.
