Beyoncé has yet to drop any music videos for her widely celebrated albums, ‘Renaissance’ and ‘Cowboy Carter’. Here’s the reason behind that choice.
Although both albums and their hit singles have seen major success, Beyoncé has deliberately opted out of creating music videos. In a recent conversation with GQ, she shared her thought process.
Beyoncé started by explaining that in a time when visuals dominate everything, she felt that it was essential for people to focus on the voice. The music is layered with history and rich instrumentation. It requires time—months even—to fully absorb, research, and understand. It needed room to exist on its own.
She added that visuals can sometimes take away from the essence of the voice and the music. After years of dedication and intricate work that went into creating an album—over four years, in fact—the music stands strong on its own. Fans worldwide became the visual. They experienced it live on tour and later through her film.
Image Courtesy: The Conversation
Beyoncé is renowned for creating some of the most iconic music videos in history. From the choreography-driven ‘Single Ladies’—which famously sparked Kanye West’s controversial interruption at the 2009 MTV VMAs—to ‘Formation’ and many more, her visuals have left a lasting impact.
At the start of 2024, Beyoncé dominated the album charts and made waves with the success of her country-inspired album ‘Cowboy Carter’. The album achieved significant milestones, making her the first Black woman to top the US country chart with the single ‘Texas Hold ‘Em’ and the first to reach Number One with a country album. The record also garnered support from notable figures like Michelle Obama and Paul McCartney.
Image Courtesy: E! News
Despite these accomplishments, ‘Cowboy Carter’ was notably absent from the 2024 CMA nominations, receiving no recognition in any category.
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After Cowboy Carter’s initial release, Beyoncé dropped a remix of ‘Texas Hold ‘Em’ and revealed that her cover of ‘Blackbird’ featured much of the original 1968 backing track. She also confirmed that Stevie Wonder contributed harmonica on her rendition of ‘Jolene’ and that RAYE co-wrote one of the tracks on the album.
–Silviya.Y