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Nightclub disco crowd with arms and hands in air under blue lighting with performers on stage in Liverpool
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The Rise Of Underground House: How Artists Like Fisher & Acraze Have Taken Tech House, Other Electronic Genres From Indie To EDC
From Drake and Billie Eilish to Beyoncé, major pop acts are using house music influences and producers in their hits. This current trend is bringing the sounds of the underground — including tech house — to mainstream audiences.
GRAMMYs/Jul 8, 2022 - 04:53 pm
When Claude VonStroke first heard "Bad Guy," the GRAMMY-winning single by Billie Eilish, his initial thought was, Billie Eilish made a house track. And if anyone knows house tracks, it’s the long-time producer and DJ.
The beat in "Bad Guy" consists of a four-on-the-floor kick drum and offbeat high-hats. The tempo is 135 — which is a bit fast, but still well within the range of house music — and the bassline plays a prominent role. Remove Eilish’s vocals and the trap break at the end, and the song would fit very well in the catalog for VonStroke's label Dirtybird Records.
Over the past 17 years, VonStroke (real name Barclay Crenshaw) has released over 250 house albums, singles and EPs on Dirtybird. Practically all of those releases share the same basic foundation as "Bad Guy," yet Crenshaw’s productions have never reached the elevated status of the Eilish hit.
However, that's not Crenshaw’s goal. He would rather keep house music in grimy, underground clubs and off TikTok; in same the environments where Black and gay people found the freedom to express themselves when they were creating dance music culture decades ago.
But the times are changing: house music is on the way to Eilish’s status.
While house-centric artists like Calvin Harris have reached pop culture heights before, they were unable to carry the entire genre with them. But in this current rise in popularity, house music is not just a pop trend — it’s a community affair, just as it was in the pure underground era. That community is now large enough to raise house music to the mainstream without sacrificing its values, including uniting people on the dancefloor as equals.
Crenshaw arguably helped launch house music into the mainstream in 2017, when Dirtybird released the two debut works from the Australian artist FISHER. A single "Ya Kidding," and the now classic track, "Stop it"(from his EP, Oi Oi) contain groovy yet heavy basslines, affected spoken word hooks, and foghorn-driven drops — elements of a style that is generally referred to as "tech house."
Unlike the disco-tinge of pure house music and subtler styled deep house, the raw, bass-driven sound of tech house has been fueling the appetite of the dance music community — who have only become more ravenous for events post-lockdown. The subgenre cracked the barrier between underground and mainstream, and made 2022's Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas the biggest yet, with 166,000 people attending the festival each day.
Yet Dirtybird's FISHER releases were the first swings of the hammer: "Stop It" went from No. 50 on Beatport's Overall Top 100 chart to the No. 1 position within a week of release. The track then stood in the top two positions until January 2018 and remained on the chart until February 2019. The track’s spoken hook, "Moving up and down, side to side, like a rollercoaster," became the house version of "With my mind on my money and my money on my mind," the infamous hook in Snoop Dogg’s G-funk classic "Gin & Juice."
"Those tracks changed the industry," says Crenshaw over Zoom from his home studio in Los Angeles. "I’m glad to have been able to bring that out to the universe. It’s an A&R thing. We figured out what was going to work on the dance floor for the next three years."
Tech house producers have enjoyed persistent and immense success in the more than five years since FISHER's debut: UK house artist James Hype’s 2022 single "Ferrari" was signed to Universal; tech house ascendant John Summit is running his own label and party series, Off The Grid; Black Book Records boss Chris Lake is sold out multiple nights of curated events at the massive New York venue, Brooklyn Mirage.
These artists are finding success while rejecting the pop music influence that engulfed the EDM boom of the 2010s. In this period, EDM figures like Avicci and Calvin Harris experienced massive popularity for their sensationalized synths and newfound big room sound, quickly signing to major labels and featuring on tracks by major artists such as Rihanna.
However, FISHER proved that underground house music can reach that level of success without pop influence. His 2018 single, "Losing It" — which has no vocal feature and was released on his own label, Catch & Release — was nominated for Best Dance Recording at the 61st GRAMMY Awards. The track also earned platinum certification from the Australian Recording Industry Association and peaked at No. 1 on the Billboard Dance Club Songs chart.
"[Tech house] is…doing the kind of numbers that we saw with EDM, but the sensibilities are slightly different. There’s something innately a little bit more underground-leaning than what happened with EDM," says house music producer and DJ Anna Lunoe, who hosts danceXL on Apple Music. "I think what we saw with EDM is that it imploded on itself because it was like 'Oh great. Let’s go completely pop.'"
From her home in Sydney, Australia, Lunoe continues: "You’re seeing guys like Chris Lake that are completely independent. That own all their records. All their masters. [Lake] always talks about how he doesn’t actually release that much music," Lunoe says. "It’s very much an ethos, it's a scene, and it’s a community that he’s really nourished."
That community was 80,000 strong during Chris Lake’s set at EDC Las Vegas 2022. For many of those same fans it’s not about following the latest radio bangers; it’s about being a part of something bigger than themselves. That same spirit has existed since the genesis of house music.
"It’s always been a gathering of family, of people," says DJ Minx, real name Jennifer Witcher, from her hometown of Detroit. "The family that you can create just by playing the music for people."
Witcher has been actively DJing and producing house and techno music in Detroit — one of dance music’s founding cities — since the ‘80s, but she has seen a stark resurgence in her own career in the past "five or six years," as she says, which happens to be right around the time Dirtybird debuted FISHER.
One positive result of that resurgence came at the most recent edition of Movement Electronic Music Festival, held in Detroit over Memorial Day Weekend.
Witcher has played numerous editions of Movement since it launched in 2006 and in 2022 she hosted her own stage for the first time, an experience she simply described as "ridiculous." She also had her first official release on Planet E, the label run by fellow Detroit legend Carl Craig, which just celebrated 30 years.
The house community has supported Witcher as both an artist and a human being, which was fully apparent after she came out as gay in June of 2021.
"When I came out I was so worried. I thought I was going to lose everything. Everybody’s going to be done with me, but things for me kind of quadrupled," Witcher says. "So I think that in order for it to continue to grow the way it is growing we need to keep doing what we’re doing. Stop hiding and be out there and let it be known that we are definitely here."
Artists like Kaleena Zanders are finding great success in house music, showing that women and queer artists are present and driving the tech house scene.
"Even more Black people are starting to get into tech house which is really important. I love that Black people are being returned to their own movement," Zanders tells GRAMMY from Los Angeles. "It’s nice because you have people like Duckwrth doing that. I’m very happy with the place that it’s at right now."
Zanders is another Black, queer, female artist in the dance space. She made a name for herself as a vocal artist singing on numerous house tracks, and now has more than 20 million Spotify streams. As a DJ, Zanders has played sets at major festivals like EDC Las Vegas and Governor’s Ball.
But being a vocalist first and knowing the power of connection vocals have with an audience, Zanders sees the opportunity to ride the house music wave to true pop stardom…just like Billie Eilish.
"I definitely want to be a huge pop star or dance star. Whatever that means. Basically just celebrity vibes," Zanders says.
One pure house artist who is surely on his way to celebrity vibes is Acraze, real name Charlie Dunker. His track, "Do It To It," — which samples the 2006 single of the same name from the R&B group Cherish — is set to be as big as any record from Eilish, without any sort of pop influence.
After being released in August 2021, "Do It To It," hit No. 3 on the Billboard Hot Dance/Electronic Songs. At the time of writing, "Do It To It," has over 433 million streams on Spotify, 3.3 million videos on TikTok, and 7 million Shazams. It’s even been in a Pepsi commercial.
With numbers like that, major labels were sure to take notice (Acraze recently signed a deal with Capitol Records). A&Rs could put Dunker in the same position as Calvin Harris, throwing an illustrious pop singer on a feature to guarantee worldwide attention.
But no matter what may happen in the future, producers from the underground era like Crenshaw consider this mainstream success a good thing. "Because some [house music] is seeping into mainstream culture it’s helping everyone. All boats rise with the tide," he says
Beyoncé and Drake are helping to raise the tide as well. Beyoncé’s latest single, "BREAK MY SOUL" borrows from house music in a similar manner to "Bad Guy," and Drake tapped four producers from the house and techno realm on his recently released album, Honestly, Nevermind.
Nine of the tracks on Honestly, Nevermind were produced by Keinemusik bosses &ME and Rampa, the 2022 GRAMMY winner Black Coffee, and Gordo, the recently rebranded house project from the open format electronic artist Carnage. Together these four producers imbue Drake’s voice with various subgenres like piano house and melodic techno.
"Bad Guy," by Billie Eilish was her own take on pop music with house as a foundation. Honestly, Nevermind shows Drake adapting his style to that of the underground — or at least what used to be underground. Soon his millions of fans will be a part of the community surrounding this music, and there’s no telling where the sound will go from there.
Planet E's Carl Craig On Keeping Dance Music Black & Expansive New 'Planet E 30' Album
Colombian singer Shakira performs with Argentine record producer and songwriter Bizarrap on the Sahara Stage during the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival in Indio, California, on April 12, 2024
Photo: VALERIE MACON / AFP) (Photo by VALERIE MACON/AFP via Getty Images
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Coachella 2024 Weekend 1 Recap: 20 Surprises And Special Moments, From Billie Eilish & Lana Del Rey To Olivia Rodrigo With No Doubt
Weekend 1 of Coachella 2024 is a wrap, and the internet can’t stop talking about it. Here are 20 surprises and special moments from Coachella so far, including inspired team-ups, wackadoo moments in the clutch, and much more.
GRAMMYs/Apr 15, 2024 - 09:11 pm
It may be hard to believe, but Weekend 1 of Coachella 2024 is already over. Clearly, time flies when you’re having fun — particularly when beholding the world’s leading artists, convened in the Indio desert in California.
If you weren’t there, the festival was filmed, of course. You can enjoy Coachella from the comfort of your own home, sans-sunburn, undrenched with champagne.
As you survey Coachella’s sold-out first weekend, read on for 20 performances, debuts and moments that surprised and touched us from Coachella Weekend 1.
Lana Del Rey's Headlining Set Brought Out GRAMMY Winners Billie Eilish, Jon Batiste & Jack Antonoff
After rolling deep up to her desert set on a fleet of motorcycles for her Friday performance, Lana Del Rey infused her iconic sad-girl pop persona into every facet of her Gatsby-esque performance.
Her headlining set also included some special GRAMMY-winning guests: Jon Batiste and 2024 Producer Of The YearJack Antonoff both accompanied on piano, while Billie Eilish joined her idol on stage for duet performances of "Ocean Eyes" and "Video Games." Sharing a moment with her hero on stage at the end of the set, Eilish declared, "This is the reason for half you bitches’ existence, including mine.”
Tyler, The Creator Brings Out Childish Gambino, A$AP Rocky, Kali Uchis and Charlie Wilson
Saturday's main stage event kicked off with a ruckus 80-minute set by creative magnet Tyler, The Creator, who transformed the stage into an ever-changing desert scene to host fellow performers.
First up, Childish Gambino hit the stage to perform a duet of "Running Out of Time," before A$AP Rocky joined for a performance of two tracks, "Potato Salad" and "Who Dat Boy."
Tyler admitted he once saw both as rivals, but now considers them friends. Kali Uchis also returned to the desert stage with Tyler for a quick appearance as well as legendary singer/songwriter Charlie Wilson, who made an unexpected appearance to accompany Tyler on a laid-back version of "EARFQUAKE."
No Doubt Made Their Grand Re-Entrance (With Olivia Rodrigo!)
Social media is currently abuzz at the allegedly unresponsive audience for Blur — but what’s a viral, out-of-context clip supposed to prove, anyway? Whatever the case may be, after their rollicking set, Damon Albarn and company declared that the Britpop icons were entering another hiatus.
Bizarrap Brought Out Shakira
Mega-watt Argentine producer Bizarrap brought his BZRP Music Sessions to the Coachella stage and included a surprise appearance from superstar Shakira.
Shakira and Bizarrap won the Latin GRAMMY for Song Of The Year at the 2023 Latin GRAMMYs for "Shakira: Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53," a featured track on her fresh-out-the-trap album, Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran.
Billie Eilish Threw A Special “Billie & Friends” Party & Hyped Up The Crowd With The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside”
After surprising fans during Lana Del Rey's Friday set, Billie Eilish treated fans and special guests to a preview of her new album, Hit Me Hard and Soft at the Do LaB Stage on Saturday night.
The previewed songs were well-received by an enthusiastic set of attendees who were introduced to yet-to-debut tracks "“Lunch,” "L’Amour De Ma Vie," and "Chihiro."
"Yo Gabba Gabba!" Showed Up To The Aquabats’ Pool Party
Christian Jacobs, lead singer of the Aquabats, co-created the "Yo Gabba Gabba!" TV show — and the colorful cast of costumed characters showed up to their pool party! This marks yet another example of ska picking up at Coachella — see the transcendent No Doubt and Sublime performances.
Sublime Made Their Coachella Debut With Jakob Nowell
As you may have read, Sublime are back, against the odds — not with Rome, but with Jakob Nowell, original Sublime frontman Bradley’s son. (It must be said: Bradley died at 28, ending the band’s original run; as he takes the guitar and mic, Jakob himself is 28.)
Speaking of the guitar — he wielded his old man’s, in an emotional and electrifying set that proved these songs’ durability and beyond.
Vampire Weekend Brought Paris Hilton Onstage To Play Cornhole
Dance/electronic sensation Dom Dolla returned to Coachella for a charged set featuring festival first-timer Nelly Furtado who joined to perform their GRAMMY-nominated track, "Eat Your Man."
Furtado gave her all during the rousing performance, a testament to the duo's synergy after Dom Dolla brought the singer out of a six year hiatus to work together on the song.
Sky Ferreira Made A Surprise Appearance With Kevin Abstract
If Sky Ferreira seems like an unlikely candidate to belt out a Lady A hit, think again. The singer/songwriter brought newfound heft to the five-time GRAMMY winners’ classic hit, “Need You Now,” with Kevin Abstract.
Does this foreshadow a reappraisal of the country mainstays’ catalog? Once the dust settles re: the ska revival, we’ll have that conversation.
Kesha Showed Up To Rock With Reneé Rapp (And Diss A Certain Disgraced Rapper)
Billie EilishPhoto: William Drumm
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Billie Eilish's New Album 'Hit Me Hard And Soft': Everything We Know About Release Date, Close Friends Campaign & A More Eco-Friendly Release
On May 17, Billie Eilish will release her third studio album with brother Finneas — a release that emphasizes sustainability. Read on for everything about 'HIT ME HARD AND SOFT,' from the singer's eco-conscious production to innovative cover art.
GRAMMYs/Apr 8, 2024 - 10:20 pmBillie Eilish has announced her third studio album, HIT ME HARD AND SOFT out May 17.
Fresh off a sweeping set of award wins for Song Of The Year and Best Song Written For Visual Media at the 2024 GRAMMYs and Best Original Song at the Oscars for her hit single, "What Was I Made For?" from the Barbie soundtrack, Eilish is swapping Barbie pink for submerged shades of blue.
Her new album, another collaboration with brother Finneas, comes almost three years after her sophomore effort, 2021's Happier Than Ever.
Ahead of the official press announcement and Instagram post on Monday, Eilish unleashed a viral ad campaign teasing the release. Billboards featuring the nine-time GRAMMY winner's "blohsh" symbol (a genderless human stick figure) with what fans guessed were cryptic lyrics, appeared in blue font on a black background across major cities, including Los Angeles and New York City's Times Square. Then, Eilish changed her social media icons to a shade of blue and treated Instagram followers to some more mystifying visual content via a set of story posts that included her millions of fans being added to Close Friends on the app.
That strategy paid off, exploding the number of followers Eilish counts on the platform to over 120 million (up from 110 million on Friday) in the span of just three days. One fan summed up the collective rush to join the inner circle with a comment that's racked up over 10,000 likes: "Not a big deal but I’m on her close friends."
As she dives into deeper artistic waters with her third album, Billie Eilish continues to push the boundaries of music and environmental activism, blending her unique sound with a strong commitment to sustainability. Read on for everything GRAMMY.com has unearthed about Eilish's upcoming release.
There Won't Be Any Pre-Released Singles
Fans hoping for an early taste of what's to come will have to wait almost a full month to quench their thirst for any new music.
Eilish confirmed via Instagram that the album will drop in full, without any pre-released singles. “So crazy to be writing this right now i’m nervyyyyy & exciteddd," Eilish wrote. Continuing, "Not doing singles i wanna give it to you all at once. Finneas and i truly could not be more proud of this album and we absolutely can’t wait for you to hear it. Love you love you love you.”
The Track List is ‘Spirited Away’
On April 18, Eilish posted the full tracklist for Hit Me Hard And Soft on her Instagram in a post that lists 10 tracks including one named "CHIHIRO," a title borrowed from the Japanese animated film Spirited Away.
Eilish teased a 15-second snippet of the track in a recent interview with Zane Lowe for Apple Music which included Eilish softly singing, “Today, maybe tomorrow/ Open the door for me/ I know you said before/ You can’t cope with it no more.”
In the same interview with Apple Music, Eilish noted that she and brother Finneas created the album as if no one would ever hear it. "We kind of made the album that if somebody had said, ‘I want you to make an album and no one is going to hear it. You don’t have to worry about anyone’s ears or opinions or anything at all. It’s in your contract to make an album but no one can hear it,’ Eilish told Lowe. "We pretty much made that album. We made that album without much thought of other people.” Watch the full interview below.
It's Her Most Daring Work To Date
The album is set to debut in a year poised to feature some of the most significant releases from major musicians, each exploring and redefining genre boundaries, trends, and soundscapes.
"HIT ME HARD AND SOFT is a diverse yet cohesive collection of songs, ideally listened to in its entirety from beginning to end," a press release accompanying the announcement stated. "The album does exactly as the title suggests: hits you hard and soft both lyrically and sonically while bending genres and defying trends along the way."
The Cover Art Is Haunting
The cover art is elusive and mysterious, featuring a dark and moody image of Eilish that matches statements about her plunging to new depths as an artist. Dressed head-to-toe in dark colors, she is depicted sinking into the depths of a body of water, beneath a stark white door floating at the surface.
The cover art tracks against the statements in the press release that note, "HIT ME HARD AND SOFT journeys through a vast and expansive audio landscape, immersing listeners into a full spectrum of emotions."
The Release Is Focused On Sustainability
Eilish is hoping to turn the power of her fans into a force for good — her latest album hopes to set a new standard for eco-conscious music production with sustainability baked into the production of CD, cassette, and vinyl releases.
In an interview with Billboard Eilish said, "The fact that I have a far bigger audience and platform than I’ve ever had in my life means I can reach that many more people, and that’s such a huge responsibility and privilege to have." She continued, “If I don’t use that privilege to do some good in the world, then what’s the point?"
According to a new sustainability page on her website, fans can anticipate eight distinct vinyl variants, each unified in track-listing but varied in their sustainable creation. Available through her website and major retailers, the standard black vinyl is crafted entirely from recycled materials. The other seven vibrant variants use ECO-MIX, which repurposes leftover vinyl pieces, or BioVinyl, reducing carbon emissions by 90 percent with ingredients like used cooking oil. The packaging itself is also focused on environmental responsibility, featuring certified recycled content and plant-based ink.
On building more sustainable processes into her album release as a major artist, Eilish told Billboard, “I can’t just ignore what I know and go about my business and career and not do something. That’s just not how I was raised, or how I want to live my life."
Watch Billie Eilish & FINNEAS’ 2024 GRAMMYs Red Carpet Interview
Beyoncé accepts the Innovator Award onstage during the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards at Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles, California, on Monday, April 1.Photo: Kevin Winter/Getty Images for iHeartRadio
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Beyond Country: All The Genres Beyoncé Explores On 'Cowboy Carter'
On 'COWBOY CARTER,' Beyoncé is free. Her eighth studio album is an unbridled exploration of musical genres — from country to opera and R&B — that celebrates the fluidity of music and her Texas roots.
GRAMMYs/Apr 3, 2024 - 08:50 pm"Genres are a funny little concept, aren't they? In theory, they have a simple definition that's easy to understand. But in practice, well, some may feel confined."
With those words, spoken on "SPAGHETTII" by Linda Martell — the first commercially successful Black female artist in country music and the first to play the Grand Ole Opry solo — Beyoncé provides a proxy response to her original call on Instagram 10 days before COWBOY CARTER was released: "This ain’t a Country album. This is a “Beyoncé” album."
She delivered on that promise with intent. Through a mix of homage and innovation, Beyoncé's latest is a 27-track testament to her boundless musicality and draws from a rich aural palette. In addition to its country leanings, COWBOY CARTER includes everything from the soulful depths of gospel to the intricate layers of opera.
Beyoncé's stance is clear: she's not here to fit into a box. From the heartfelt tribute in "BLACKBIIRD" to the genre-blurring tracks like "YA YA," Beyoncé uses her platform to elevate the conversation around genre, culture, and history. She doesn't claim country music; she illuminates its roots and wings, celebrating the Black artists who've shaped its essence.
The collective album proves no genre was created or remains in isolation. It's a concept stoked in the words of the opening track, "AMERIICAN REQUIEM" when Beyonce reflects, "Nothing really ends / For things to stay the same they have to change again." For country, and all popular genres of music to exist they have to evolve. No sound ever stays the same.
COWBOY CARTER's narrative arc, from "AMERICAN REQUIEM" to "AMEN," is a journey through American music's heart and soul, paying tribute to its origins while charting a path forward. This album isn't just an exploration of musical heritage; it's an act of freedom and a declaration of the multifaceted influence of Black culture on American pop culture.
Here's a closer look at some of some of the musical genres touched on in act ii, the second release of an anticipated trilogy by Beyoncé, the most GRAMMY-winning artist of all-time:
Country
Before COWBOY CARTER was even released, Beyoncé sparked critical discussion over the role of herself and all Black artists in country music. Yet COWBOY CARTER doesn't stake a claim on country music. Rather, it spotlights the genre through collaborations with legends and modern icons, while championing the message that country music, like all popular American music and culture, has always been built on the labor and love of Black lives.
It's a reckoning acknowledged not only by Beyoncé's personal connection to country music growing up in Texas, but the role Black artists have played in country music rooted in gospel, blues, and folk music.
Enter The World Of Beyoncé
Country legends, Dolly Parton ("DOLLY P", "JOLENE," and "TYRANT"), Willie Nelson ("SMOKE HOUR" and "SMOKE HOUR II"), and Martell ("SPAGHETTII and "THE LINDA MARTELL SHOW") serve mainly as spoken-word collaborators, becoming MCs for Queen Bey. Some of the most prolific country music legends receiving her in a space where she has been made to feel unwelcome in music (most notably with the racism surrounding her 2016 CMA performance of "Daddy Lessons" with the Dixie Chicks) provides a prolific release of industry levies. Martell, a woman who trod the dark country road before Bey, finally getting her much-deserved dues appears as an almost pre-ordained and poetic act of justice.
"BLACKBIIRD," a version of the Beatles' civil rights era song of encouragement and hope for the struggle of Black women is led softly by Beyoncé, backed by a quartet of Black female contemporary country songbirds: Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, Tiera Kennedy, and Reyna Roberts.
Beyoncé holds space for others, using the power of her star to shine a light on those around her. These inclusions rebuke nay-sayers who quipped pre-release that she was stealing attention from other Black country artists. It also flies in the faces that shunned and discriminated against her, serving as an example of how to do better. The reality that Beyoncé wasn't stealing a spotlight, but building a stage for fellow artists, is a case study in how success for one begets success for others.
Read more: 8 Country Crossover Artists You Should Know: Ray Charles, The Beastie Boys, Cyndi Lauper & More
Gospel, Blues, & Folk (American Roots)
As is Beyoncé's way, she mounts a case for country music with evidence to back up her testimony. She meanders a course through a sequence of styles that serve as the genre's foundation: gospel, blues, and folk music.
"AMERIICAN REQUIEM" and "AMEN" bookend the album with gospel-inspired lyrics and choir vocals. The opener sets up a reflective sermon buoyed by the sounds of a reverberating church organ, while the closer, with its introspective lyrics, pleads for mercy and redemption. The main verse on "AMEN", "This house was built with blood and bone/ The statues they made were beautiful/ But they were lies of stone," is complemented by a blend of piano, and choral harmonies.
Hymnal references are interlaced throughout the album, particularly in songs like "II HANDS II HEAVEN" and in the lyrical nuances on "JUST FOR FUN." In the later track, Beyoncé's voice soars with gratitude in a powerful delivery of the lines, "Time heals everything / I don't need anything / Hallelujah, I pray to her."
The gospel-inspired, blues-based "16 CARRIAGES" reflects the rich history of country songs borrowing from the blues while simultaneously calling back to songs sung by field laborers in the colonial American South. "Sixteen dollars, workin' all day/ Ain't got time to waste, I got art to make" serves as the exhausted plea of an artist working tirelessly long hours in dedication to a better life.
Rhiannon Giddens, a celebrated musician-scholar, two-time GRAMMY winner, and Pulitzer Prize recipient, infuses "TEXAS HOLD 'EM" with her profound understanding of American folk, country, and blues. She plays the viola and banjo, the latter tracing its origins to Sub-Saharan West Africa and the lutes of ancient Egypt. Through her skilled plucking and bending of the strings, Giddens bridges the rich musical heritage of Africa and the South with the soul of country, blues, and folk music.
Pop, Funk, Soul & Rock 'n' Roll
All in, Beyoncé is a pop star who is wrestling with labels placed on her 27-year career in COWBOY CARTER. Fittingly, she brings in two other pop artists known for swimming in the brackish water between country and pop, Miley Cyrus and Post Malone. Her intentional inclusion of two artists who have blurred genres without much cross-examination begs the question, Why should Beyoncé's sound be segregated to a different realm?
On "YA YA" Linda Martell returns as the listener's sonic sentinel, introducing the track like a lesson plan: "This particular tune stretches across a range of genres. And that’s what makes it a unique listening experience." The tune sinks into the strummed chords of Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'" before leaping into a fiery dance track that features reimagined lyrics from the Beach Boys, with soulful vocal flourishes and breaks that show the throughline connection between '60s era rock, funk, and pop music.
Robert Randolph lends his hands on "16 CARRIAGES" with a funk-infused grapple on his pedal-steel guitar. It's a style he honed through his early years touring and recording with his family band and later in his career as an in-demand collaborator working with names including the Allman Brothers, and Norah Jones.
The lesson is solidified as the album transitions into an interlude on "OH LOUISIANA," featuring a sped-up sample of a classic track by Chuck Berry. This moment emphasizes the pop superstar's nod to civil rights era music history, spotlighting a controversial artist celebrated for his pioneering contributions to rock 'n' roll. (It's a part of music history Beyoncé knows well, after starring as Etta James in the 2008 film Cadillac Records, a veiled biopic of the legendary Chicago label Chess Records.)
Classical & Opera
Opera was missing from many listeners' Beyoncé Bingo card, but didn't surprise those that know her background. Beyoncé was trained for over a decade starting at an early age by her voice teacher David Lee Brewer, a retired opera singer who once lived with the Knowles family.
COWBOY CARTER gives sing-along fans a 101 opera class with "DAUGHTER." In Italian, Beyoncé sings passages from the 1783 Italian opera "Caro Mio Ben," composed by Giuseppe Tommaso Giovanni Giordani. The aria is a classic piece of vocal training that fittingly shows off her full range — taking us back to the earliest days of her vocal teachings.
Hip-Hop & R&B
Midway through the album on "SPAGHETTII" Beyoncé announces, "I ain't no regular singer, now come get everythin' you came for," landing right where expectations have confined her: in the throes of a romping beat, experimenting with sounds that blend hip-hop with R&B and soul. The track notably highlights the talent of Nigerian American singer/rapper Shaboozey, who also shows up to the rodeo on "SWEET HONEY BUCKIN'" brandishing his unique mix of hip-hop, folk-pop, and country music.
Beyoncé worked with longtime collaborator Raphael Saadiq on this album, a career legend in the R&B industry, who lends his mark to several tracks on which he wrote, produced, and played multiple instruments. Beyoncé also utilizes the Louisiana songwriter Willie Jones on "JUST FOR FUN," an artist who draws on a contemporary blend of country, Southern rap, and R&B in the hymnal ballad.
The violin-heavy "TYRANT" and "SPAGHETTII" both underscore hip-hop's long love affair with the classical string instrument (See: Common's "Be," and Wu Tang Clan's "Reunited" as the tip of that particular iceberg) with a blend of soulful R&B lyrics paired with beat-based instrumentalization.
In a world quick to draw lines and label sounds, Beyoncé's COWBOY CARTER stands as a vibrant mosaic of musical influence and innovation. Ultimately, Beyoncé's COWBOY CARTER isn't seeking anyone's acceptance. As a Texan once told she didn't belong, her critical response claps back at this exclusion. It's also a reminder that in the hands of a true artist, music is limitless.
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Beyoncé attends the 2024 GRAMMYs on Feb. 4, 2024.Photo: Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
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Beyoncé's New Album 'Cowboy Carter' Is Here: Check Out The Featured Artists, Cover Songs, And Tracklist
Beyoncé's highly anticipated 'COWBOY CARTER' opens up a Pandora's box of American lore, and the deep connections between Blackness and country music. Here's the rundown of the album's featured artists, cover songs and tracklisting.
GRAMMYs/Mar 29, 2024 - 06:00 pmBeyoncé's act ii is upon us — say hello to COWBOY CARTER.
On March 29, the 32-time GRAMMY winner unleashed the follow-up to her acclaimed 2022 album, RENAISSANCE. While COWBOY CARTER hints "Bey goes country," the LP is more of a psychedelic opus, with glimmers of country twang and style.
Across a sprawling 27-song tracklist of inspired originals flecked with covers and interpolations, Queen Bey takes us on a rodeo ride through so many musical universes, paying homage to the Beatles, Chuck Berry, Willie Nelson, Dolly Parton, Linda Martell, and more.
Clearly, there's a treasure trove here — more than enough to keep the Beyhive abuzz throughout 2024. GRAMMY.com is here to help you pore over every twangy lick, mega-guest star and lyrical implication.
As you dive into Beyoncé's astonishing new album, read on for some of the fundamentals of COWBOY CARTER.
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The Tracklisting
Two days prior to COWBOY CARTER's release, Bey released the tracklist — fittingly, in the form of a rodeo poster. And much to the delight of the Beyhive, it's nearly double the length of its 16-track predecessor, RENAISSANCE.
Check out the rodeo poster, as well as the complete track listing, below.
AMERIICAN REQUIEM
BLACKBIIRD
16 CARRIAGES
PROTECTOR
MY ROSE
SMOKE HOUR WILLIE NELSON
TEXAS HOLD 'EM
BODYGUARD
DOLLY P
JOLENE
DAUGHTER
SPAGHETTII
ALLIGATOR TEARS
SMOKE HOUR II
JUST FOR FUN
II MOST WANTED
LEVII'S JEANS
FLAMENCO
THE LINDA MARTELL SHOW
YA YA
OH LOUISIANA
DESERT EAGLE
RIIVERDANCE
II HANDS II HEAVEN
TYRANT
SWEET HONEY BUCKIIN'
AMEN
The Cover Songs
Among two dozen dazzling Beyoncé originals, COWBOY CARTER features covers of the Beatles' "Blackbird," Dolly Parton's "Jolene" and Chuck Berry's "Oh Louisiana."
"BLACKBIIRD" (retitled from "Blackbird," with an act ii flavor) is a Paul McCartney song, credited to Lennon-McCartney and featured on 1968's The Beatles, commonly known as The White Album. The song's civil rights inspiration makes it more than a worthy selection: the use of McCartney's original guitar and foot-tapping track makes it especially ear-grabbing.
"JOLENE" is a Dolly Parton classic, similarly given symphonic heft by Bey; Parton offers a radio-like intro on the COWBOY CARTER rendition.
In Parton's pre-"JOLENE" intro, "DOLLY P," she connects "Jolene" to Bey's immortal line "Becky with the good hair" from the Lemonade track "Sorry": "You know that hussy with the good hair you sing about? Reminded me of someone I knew back when, except she has flamin' locks of auburn hair. Bless her heart. Just a hair of a different color, but it hurts just the same."
"OH LOUISIANA" is a Chuck Berry deep cut from 1971's undersung San Francisco Dues; a flicker of Berry's "Maybellene" appears in "SMOKE HOUR WILLIE NELSON," which also features interpolations of Roy Hamilton's "Don't Let Go" and Sister Rosetta Tharpe's "Down By The River Side."
Similarly, "YA YA" contains glimmers of Tommaso Giordani's "Caro Mio Ben," Lee Hazelwood's "These Boots Are Made For Walkin'," and the Beach Boys' "Good Vibrations."
The Guests
Beyoncé has always displayed razor-sharp intent with her collaborators, and COWBOY CARTER is no exception.
The featured guests highlight a slew of rising Black stars in the country scene. "BLACKBIIRD" spotlights four budding female artists, Brittney Spencer, Renya Roberts, Tanner Addell and Tiera Kennedy; Willie Jones shows off his chops on "JUST FOR FUN"; and country-rap fusionist Shaboozey stars on two tracks, "SPAGHETTII" and "SWEET HONEY BUCKIIN.'"
She also welcomes two country-loving pop stars, Miley Cyrus and Post Malone, who make appearances on "II MOST WANTED" and "LEVII'S JEANS," respectively. And along with Parton, Beyoncé honors two more country greats with two aptly titled homages: fellow Texan Willie Nelson appears on "SMOKE HOUR WILLIE NELSON" and "SMOKE HOUR II," and trailblazer Linda Martell "The Linda Martell Show"
Perhaps Beyoncé's cutest collaborator is her six-year-old daughter, Rumi Carter, who makes her adorable debut on "PROTECTOR."
With that, venture forth into COWBOY CARTER — another quintessentially Bey statement of purpose and prowess.
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