Spring didn’t start with a super bloom of flowers, and it definitely didn’t start with a groundhog’s shadow. As far as I’m concerned, spring began on March 29 with the release of Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter. Since then, I’ve been nonstop streaming and dreaming about finding the perfect pair of cowboy boots at the flea market.
But how did I get here? I had never really considered myself a country fan. Usually, whenever someone asks me about my music taste, I’ll say something along the lines of, “I listen to pretty much everything besides country.”
That was until I sat down and listened to Cowboy Carter in full. Usually it takes me a few listens to fall in love with an album, but I was immediately obsessed with Cowboy Carter. With the amount of times I’ve played “Bodyguard,” I’m convinced it will be my top song on Spotify Wrapped this year.
As I found myself questioning how I had come around to my formerly least favorite genre, Beyoncé gave me my answer on track 12, “SPAGHETTII”: “In theory, they have a simple definition that’s easy to understand / But in practice, well, some may feel confined.”
And just like that, my country aversion began to unravel entirely. I realized my view of music genres was entirely one-dimensional. Up until this point, I had been viewing country music as pickup trucks, prime-time football, and men holding up fish on their Instagram.
In doing so, I had closed myself to an entire world of great music. Country music doesn’t have to feel so Mojo Dojo Casa House-esque, and Cowboy Carter highlights the importance of allowing artists to play around with genres.
As she always does, Beyoncé is just five steps ahead; with Lana del Rey poised to release her country album Lasso later this year, country crossovers will inevitably confront our perceptions of music genres. If we let Taylor Swift make the switch from country to pop, we should celebrate genre-bending in all of its forms.
So, break out your Canadian tuxedos and Kacey Musgraves playlists: it’s country girl spring. Try something new… you never know if you’ll like it until you give it a chance.