When Is Beyoncé's New Album Coming? What We Know About Act II's 'Cowboy Carter' (So Far)

Beyoncé is embracing her Texas roots with the release of her first country album.

The “Break My Soul” singer announced she was dropping “act ii” of her 2022 album Renaissance in a commercial during the Super Bowl halftime show. She confirmed the second installment would be a country album, her first ever in her decades-long career. Just over two weeks ahead of its release, she announced the title would be Cowboy Carter, an ode to the country genre and her last name.

She also released two songs — “Texas Hold 'Em” and “16 Carriages” — at the same time, including visualizers for both on YouTube. The songs are now available on all streaming platforms, though they were first released on Tidal.

The album, which will be released on March 29, is Beyoncé’s eighth studio record, not including five live albums.

From why she decided to make it country to how she announced it, here’s everything to know about Beyoncé’s new album.

How did Beyoncé announce the album?

During her Super Bowl commercial in partnership with Verizon Wireless, Beyoncé teamed up with Tony Hale to try to break the Internet by completing a list of “firsts,” such as being the first Black female president, or “Beyoncé of the United States” and even her own version of Barbie, “BarBey.”

At the end of the clip, Beyoncé is attempting to go viral by being “the first woman to launch the first rocket for the first performance in space.” When that fails, the multi-hyphenate ends the commercial with a voiceover saying, “OK they ready. Drop the new music.”

Almost immediately after, Beyoncé posted the trailer for her new album on Instagram. As she drives through the desert in the clip, a group of men looks up at a billboard that is revealed to say “Texas Hold ‘Em,” the name of the first single. The clip cuts to black with text that says, “act ii 3/29.”

What is the album called?

Beyoncé announced the official name of the album, Cowboy Carter, in March 2024. Previously, fans referred to it as Renaissance: Act II or simply Act II. When the “Energy” singer first announced Renaissance in June 2022, she said it was “act i” and that it would be part of three acts, though she didn’t elaborate at the time what they each were and whether they would all be an album.

“This three act project was recorded over three years during the pandemic,” she wrote in a since-deleted post on her website. “A time to be still, but also a time I found to be the most creative. Creating this album allowed me a place to dream and to find escape during a scary time for the world.”

She continued, “It allowed me to feel free and adventurous in a time when little else was moving. My intention was to create a safe place, a place without judgment. A place to be free of perfectionism and overthinking. A place to scream, release, feel freedom. It was a beautiful journey of exploration.”

Is it a country album?

The second installment of Renaissance will be a country album. In the first two songs she released, Beyoncé teased a Southern drawl and embraced her Houston roots with rustic beats. In one of the lyrics in “Texas Hold ‘Em,” she croons, “This ain't Texas / Ain't no hold 'em / So lay your cards down, down, down, down."

Fans speculated that Beyoncé was teasing a country album for months, but the rumors amped up after she donned a cowboy hat and a custom Louis Vuitton leather studded skirt suit designed by Pharrell Williams to the Grammy Awards the previous week.

She leans into the yee-haw aesthetic on the artwork for both singles as well. For “Texas Hold ‘Em,” Bey wears a metallic breastplate paired with a black cowboy hat and a black belt with a strategically placed heart pendant. On the cover for “16 Carriages,” she is again in a black cowboy hat and a studded black button-up with her blonde hair in a wavy bob.

When will the album come out?

Beyoncé confirmed the album will be released on March 29, 2024. Fans were quick to point out that her release date was close to Taylor Swift’s new album, The Tortured Poets Department, which is coming out on April 19.

Both Swift and Beyoncé had the top two highest-selling tours in 2023 with the former’s Eras tour and the latter’s Renaissance tour. They also both attended each other’s concert film premieres when Swift released The Eras Tour in October and Beyoncé debuted Renaissance the following month.

Where will the album stream?

It is not yet confirmed whether the album will be available on all streaming platforms. “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages” were first dropped on Tidal, before they were also added to Spotify and Apple Music.

Beyoncé did not release music videos for either song, but she added accompanying visualizers on YouTube where fans can also listen to the first two singles of Act II.

Is Beyoncé going on tour?

Beyoncé has yet to announce a tour or any tour dates, but there have been rumors that she might do a residency in Las Vegas’ Sphere, though they are unconfirmed. She did, however, feature the Sphere in her Verizon commercial.

Who is featured on the album?

Though Beyoncé has to announce a track list with features, Dolly Parton teased that there may be a cover of her hit song "Jolene" on the album.

“Well, I think she has!" Parton told Knox News in March 2024 whether the rumors about "Jolene" were true. "I think she's recorded ‘Jolene’ and I think it's probably gonna be on her country album, which I'm very excited about that."

The "9 to 5" singer added that she and Beyoncé had kept in touch over the years, calling her a "beautiful girl" and a "great singer."

“We've kind of sent messages back and forth through the years. And she and her mother were like fans, and I was always touched that they were fans, and I always thought she was great,” she said.