Photo by Virgonira from 123rf.com | edited by Paris Smith
Queen Bey, Queen, Bee, B, JuJu, Yoncé, whichever nickname you choose and there are many, Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter is blazing yet another trail on her glittery, silver horse with her upcoming release Renaissance Act II on Mar. 29. Even though Her Campus features multiple Beyoncé articles ranging from entertainment to beauty, I wanted to investigate her team’s marketing genius that has created a cultural pop icon.
Photo by Matthieu Joannon from Unsplash
Since the official announcement of Act II directly following the iconic Verizon Super Bowl commercial, the new “country” drop created a haboob worthy of Queen Bey among her BeyHives (the fan base nickname), social media, and the music industry. Whether you agree or disagree on the “country” genre look or sound, consider that three best friends can’t agree on their favorite song, let alone a state or an entire country. But we could agree that Beyoncé is an amazing vocalist and savvy business woman.
Photo by Izanbar from 123rf.com
The current music genre debate about what is country or western music is an on-going issue, especially in the South, and best left for a different article. However, I will mention that I am a born and bred New Yorker attending school in Texas and was raised by a “true Southerner.” My mother was born and raised in Nashville, Tennessee, the home of country music, and there are definitely family debates about what classifies country and western music. Conversely, the Country Music Hall of Fame Museum claims the music genres were blended together years ago. However, “true Southerners” claim country music and cowboys of the great plains claim western music. My mother likes to explain to people from the North, that unless you use the expression “bless their heart” in any conversation, usually multiple times, and were born south of the Mason-Dixon Line and east of the Mississippi river before the Civil War, you “ain’t” a true Southern.
Photo by K. Mitch Hodge from Unsplash
I promised not to delve too deep on this topic, but I also want to mention that my Texas friends refer to themselves as “Texans” and do not claim any affiliation with being southern or country. A quick reference stop: Texas joined the Confederate states right before the Civil War in 1861 and is geographically located west of the Mississippi. Are they Southerners or Westerners? Defining all the borders is more complicated than I imagined. One final thought, Texas is called the Lone Star state.
Photo by Richardo Rocha from Unsplash
Let’s blaze the trail. It is not a coincidence that “trailblazing” is being used throughout social media platforms and news outlets to describe Act II. So begins one of Queen Bey’s marketing team’s genius ideas.
A quick reference stop: where did the term “trailblazing” originate and why is it being used to describe Beyoncé? I personally think of the old Wild West, cowboys on horses, and pioneers in wagons headed West. I can’t imagine an Antebellum Southerner sipping a mint julep getting off their porch to blaze a trail.
Time to giddy up, I’m sure most of you had a similar old West visual, but we are missing a few details. According to Grammarist contributor, Candace Osmond, “trailblazing” originates from “blaze a trail” when early pioneers actually marked their trails by making blazes (not fires) distinctive cuts or notches in tree bark. So, Queen Bey’s marketing connection to trailblazing is a bullseye because she makes her distinctive blaze on everything that creates her brand from fashion to music. In today’s speak, Beyoncé is once again blazing a new trail innovating genres, setting new trends, and sending out her cultural messages.
But which genre is she blazing, country or western is the question on social media. A quick reference stop: Oxford’s English Dictionary defines country music as a form of popular music originating in the rural southern US (here we go again, which states are southern or western). It is traditionally a mixture of ballads and dance tunes played characteristically on fiddle, guitar, steel guitar, drums, and keyboard. Also note, The Library of Congress differentiates country from western and cowboy songs as: “western” is a distinct area of American popular music whose roots reach into the frontier era of the 19th century. Distinctly western songs began to emerge in the mid-19th century, reflecting the Texas, Arizona and Oklahoma region’s unique mix of peoples. In addition, the great trail drives of the 1860s to the 1890s drew young men from all over the country and abroad to work as cowboys. They refashioned old folk and popular song forms to their own tastes, and added serious and comic lyrics about their lives and work, as well as special calls and hollers to herd cattle and communicate with each other over the vast expanses of the trail.
The origins of country music can be traced to the 17th century, when European and African immigrants to North America brought their folktales, folk songs, favorite instruments, and musical traditions. Country music has seen various developments since the first commercial recordings, but whatever form it takes, country music speaks to particular American musical traditions and values.” Whatever genre Act II encompasses, country, western, pop, gospel, R & B, or a mixture of all of them, isn’t important because Queen Bey’s marketing team will blaze a unique trail for the music icon.
Photo by Robby McCullough from Unsplash
This is not Queen Bey’s first rodeo. Her marketing team has mastered the surprise album drop. After a string of teasers on her social media accounts which she uses as a powerful tool to connect with fans to share and promote her work, Verizon airs two short bizarre ads on Thursday and Friday before the Super Bowl creating immediate buzz and excitement. TikTok and X viewers were left in a frenzy speculating if she would appear in a Super Bowl commercial. Finally the big game day arrives and there she is. Beyoncé appears in an iconic Verizon Super Bowl commercial giving her fans the finite clue they have been waiting for, “Ok, they ready! Drop the new music.” Last but not least, she immediately drops two new songs “Texas Hold ‘Em,” an upbeat twangy country song with guitars and boot stomps, and 16 Carriages, a slower ballad that highlights her life. The marketing team also uses creative visual storytelling as another promotional tool to connect her music and fans, checkout her website at Beyonce.com.
The official Act II announcement hits Queen Bey’s instagram. Suddenly her glamorous Grammy Awards cowgirl outfit made sense, genius. Beyoncé has a fierce personal brand that includes her music, fashion, and public persona. Many consider her a cultural role model for her empowering messages of confidence, diversity, feminism, and perseverance. A promotional Renaissance Act II tour will surely follow and anyone who has ever been to a Beyoncé concert knows they are as legendary as she is. Lastly, as with most celebrities of her caliber, her brand has expanded into several other ventures.
Photo by Aditya Chinchure from Unsplash
We have finally reached the end of this trail. We know Beyoncé will never remain static with one sound and will continue trailblazing any and all genres to create something uniquely hers. She is as fearless as those first pioneers and a brilliant business woman who knows exactly how to market and brand her innovative and authentic self. Last reference stop: According to Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, Beyoncé’s lead single “Texas Hold ‘Em” debuted at No. 1 with 31.7 million U.S. on-demand streams, making her the first Black woman with a No. 1 song on the coveted chart since its 1958 inception.