Cowboy Carter, the second installment of Beyoncé’s three-album trilogy which began with Renaissance, is right around the corner. Ahead of its Friday release, the singer broke the internet by sharing the album’s tracklist, which includes songs like “Ya Ya” and “Alligator Tears.” As fans decipher its Americana-inspired album cover appearance and mysterious song titles, we also have more information about featured artists appearing on the album. Read on for what collaborations to look forward to ahead of Cowboy Carter’s debut.
Miley Cyrus
Miley Cyrus, who won her first Grammy for her 2023 hit “Flowers,” appears on the album’s sixteenth track, “II Most Wanted.” Mum’s the word on the details of the collaboration, but with the former Disney star being from Tennessee and her return to the genre, it’s likely to be a spunky country hit.
Post Malone
Fans know that rapper Post Malone has a deep love for country music and recently did a pivot of sorts to the genre, leaning away from hip-hop. He has shown off his own earthy pipes through songs in the genre on more than one occasion. The unlikely duo teams up on the Cowboy Carter track “Levii’s Jeans.”
Dolly Parton
Dolly Parton’s cameo on the album isn’t much of a shock. The country music legend confirmed that the Houston native had recorded a version of her 1973 classic “Jolene,” Deadline reported.
“Well, I think she has,” she told Knox News on March 8. “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.”
Parton features on the interlude “Dolly P,” which appears before “Jolene,” leaving fans to speculate whether it will be inspired by the singer’s work or another cover.
Tanner Adell
Country music TikTok sensation Tanner Adell is also featured on the album, joining Beyoncé on a cover of the Beatles’ White Album beloved song “Blackbird,” with this version being titled “Blackbiird.” In an interview with Blavity, Adell, who is partly responsible for bringing mixtapes to the country music scene, opened up about her love for country and feeling pressure to pick one genre in her career.
“There was a long time where I felt I tried to pick one over the other, and ultimately, the only way I could be fully authentic to myself was by really doing both at the same time,” she said. “It has turned into kind of my own lane of pop, hip hop and country, which has been very different from the pattern that we’ve seen from female country singers.”
Shaboozey
According to Consequence, Shaboozey is another name to look out for while listening to Cowboy Carter. He appears on “Spaghettii,” a track that had Queen Bey fans on X, formerly known as Twitter, scratching their heads. The 28-year-old is known for his genre-bending approach to country music, garnering significant attention on social media and the industry.
“I’m trying to make music that reflects where I come from, you know, what I mean, in the stories that I have in mind because I’m a storyteller,” the rapper told BET in November. “So making music that reflects my background, loving old trucks and open space. I’m just being free honestly.”
Willie Jones
Jones is believed to be featured in some form on “YaYa.” From Louisiana, Grammys.com described his music as “suppose a Venn diagram space existed wherein early 2Pac’s blend of earnestness and braggadocio blended with Kenny Chesney’s desire to kick off his shoes and relax with a drink. In that case, [Jones] would occupy it.”
One of his notable songs includes 2021’s “American Dream,” with the lyrics: “When you’re livin’ as a Black man/It’s a different kinda American dream.” About a decade ago, Jones was on The X Factor USA and made it to the top 16.
Willie Nelson
Like with Parton, fans were buzzing about a potential Willie Nelson feature on Cowboy Carter. It looks like they got their wish. The 90-year-old country outlaw artist features on “Smoke Hour.” The collaboration comes after the living legend earned his second biggest hit on two Billboard charts with “Beer for My Horses,” Forbes reported.
