Beyonce’s new album highlights the Black women changing country music

“Twenty-three in Music City / With dreams and high-heeled boots / Singin’ for a crowd of blue eyes / Will they want me too?” croons Julie Williams at the Blue Room venue in Nashville. The 26-year-old, who is biracial, is one of many Black female artists carving out space in country music’s capital, where predominantly white, male gatekeepers dictate who makes it—and who doesn’t. Megastar Beyonce’s highly anticipated country album, out on March 29, 2024, has cast a spotlight on efforts by Black performers—a vital part of the genre’s history—to create a more inclusive Nashville.