This past Super Bowl Sunday, music sensation Beyoncé revealed her eighth studio album, which will be released on March 29. During the Verizon commercial, alongside actor-comedian Tony Hale, Beyoncé surprised her many devoted fans with a surprise album. 

Fans from all over the globe know the world-renowned star for her empowering and upbeat style of music. In many of her previous releases, she mainly focused her album style on R&B and hip-hop, while incorporating soul and funk into her music. So to say the least, many were shocked to hear that her new album will be a complete genre shift to country music. 

Beyoncé previously completed her world tour, the Renaissance Tour, which started in Stockholm Sweden, and ended in New Orleans. The tour successfully earned a total of $579 million worldwide, with over 2.7 million fans attending across 39 cities. Many Beyoncé fans have started to wonder when the star will start to slow down. But with another studio album on the way, there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight. 

However, many have started to question why Beyoncé would even consider making the bold decision to release an album with a complete genre shift, especially when Beyoncé has been in the industry for such a long time. 

While many may believe this to be true, many students at State High would have to disagree. 

Freshman Ryder Cunningham explained his immediate reaction to hearing the album announcement, “I was a little shocked at first because the songs that have already been released are country, but she’s not a country singer. Of course, I’ll be listening [though], it’s Beyoncé”, Cunningham said. 

Many like Ryder Cunningham, are willing to take a chance on Beyoncé’s new album, simply because it is Beyoncé.

Beyoncé has successfully taken the industry by storm, not only for her catchy lyrics and upbeat melodies. But much of her success can be credited to her ability to empower young African American women, bringing attention and appreciation to black culture in mainstream music. 

Many of Beyoncé’s naysayers are skeptical because of her courageous choice to come out with music completely different from what she’s used to. Most are afraid that she might lose the star quality she possessed when producing her past albums. On the other hand, Sophmore Thomas Marshall expressed why he was so excited about Beyoncé’s new album. “It’s like something she’s never done before, and I’m excited to see what she does with it.”

Many of her fans have pointed out that this will not be the first time an artist has attempted to create an album completely different from anything they came out with in the past. The most notable being Taylor Swift. Like Beyoncé, back in 2014, Swift shocked the nation, with the announcement of her fifth studio album, 1989. For the past six years, Swift had strictly released country music up until that point. So what makes this case any different? 

Many can agree that Beyoncé never fails to produce groundbreaking music for everyone to enjoy. So, who’s to say she won’t dominate country music?