Beyonce could rope in more Grammys with ‘Cowboy Carter’

Jaime Rodriguez
·6 min read
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Hurray for Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter”! The genre-bending artist’s eighth solo album has been a success, seeing Beyoncé tastefully step into country music, experimenting with the genre and its motifs. It seems like the wider public was excited for “Cowboy Carter” beyond just longtime fans, as it became the most streamed album in a single day of 2024. As with pretty much every Beyoncé release now, its success prompts the question, will this finally be her Album of the Year winner at the Grammys? I’m not going to jinx anything, so let’s consider more generally how the album will fare, and under what circumstances Beyoncé could take home a few big prizes.

“Cowboy Carter’s” biggest flex is its acclaim, which definitely stems from its originality. The album is currently the most acclaimed of the year, scoring an outstanding 92 on Metacritic. Much of the praise it is getting specifically centers Beyoncé’s reclaiming of country, a genre founded on Black music but which has since been whitewashed immensely. While Beyoncé is no stranger to great reviews, “Cowboy Carter” is actually her most acclaimed studio album on the aggregator, tying “Lemonade.” To top yourself is one thing, but to do it with an eighth album is even more impressive. As such, you can expect voters to be impressed, especially younger voters who might understand what the album is trying to do even more.

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Unlike some albums, though, “Cowboy Carter’s” critical acclaim hasn’t come at the expense of mainstream appeal. The album debuted at number-one, achieving over 400,000 equivalent album units in its first week, a step up from “Renaissance.” Not only that, it’s also got the hit “Texas Hold ‘Em,” which has spent multiple weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100. In addition, Beyoncé notched two more top-10s: “II Most Wanted” with Miley Cyrus and her cover of “Jolene.” It’s likely that all three songs are submitted and nominated at the Grammys: “Texas” to the general categories and Best Country Song; “Jolene” to Best Country Solo Performance; and “II Most Wanted” to either Best Pop Duo/Group Performance or Best Country Duo/Group Performance. She could easily win those nominations, especially in the general field where, best case scenario, she’ll have the support of the pop, R&B, and country/Americana contingents.

But let’s not get ahead of ourselves. The album will face some clear hurdles: perhaps most importantly, how to straddle genres while not being a “traditional” country artist, and at the same time trying to appeal enough to her usual R&B voters so that they don’t turn away from her. Navigating genres can be quite tricky at the Grammys, especially if that field’s voters don’t really accept you as their own. For instance, Olivia Rodrigo was able to get a rock nomination this past year, but before that Miley Cyrus’s “Plastic Hearts” was completely snubbed by those same voters.

In country, Taylor Swift’s recent attempts have been mostly snubbed from the genre, most notably “Red (Taylor’s Version),” which only got one country nomination that was probably due to how much voters loved Swift’s co-songwriter Lori McKenna (the nomination was Best Country Song, a category she’s won more than anyone else and has been nominated for six times overall). But even if country voters accept Beyoncé, she will still need the support from her R&B base, and it’s not clear if her diversion from the genre will be met with support or rejection. For that, we’ll have to wait and see how she does at the BET Awards and especially at the Soul Train Awards.

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On its best day, though, Beyoncé could win big. There’s a real possibility of her taking home trophies in country, Americana, R&B and pop, especially with an album as expansive and creative as “Cowboy Carter” is. Plus, while other artists have failed to pivot into different genres, Beyoncé has already done so successfully. She’s not a rapper, but she has won multiple awards in the rap field. She’s not a rock star, but she has a Best Rock Performance nomination for “Don’t Hurt Yourself.” And she’s not an EDM artist, but “Renaissance” swept both dance/electronic categories. So it’s been proven that Beyoncé can dabble in different genres and be respected within them. That said, if there’s an industry that skews traditional, it is country, so we’ll have to wait and see.

There’s still a lot to be determined with “Cowboy Carter.” The album is surely off to a strong start, but most artists who win Album of the Year do so with albums that include multiple hits that play throughout the year. There’s also its genre placement: while it will likely be submitted to Best Country Album, it might be a better fit in the Best Americana Album category due to its rock and R&B influences. Or the Grammys could do the unthinkable and move it to pop, which would ensure a deserved firestorm of backlash. And of course, it remains to be seen if it will still be top of mind during winner voting.

Billie Eilish and Taylor Swift are set to release new albums too, not to mention already released acclaimed efforts like Vampire Weekend’s “Only God Was Above Us,” commercially successful efforts like Future and Metro Boomin’s “We Don’t Trust You” and albums that have achieved both like Ariana Grande’s “Eternal Sunshine.” One thing’s for sure, though: with all the competition, all the possible outcomes, and all the experimentation that went into “Cowboy Carter,” if it does win, it’ll be perhaps Beyoncé’s most impressive Grammy feat yet.

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