It has been a great week for Beyoncé, from releasing her anticipated country album to great acclaim and then accepting an achievement award from none other than Stevie Wonder.
On March 29, Beyoncé released Cowboy Carter, a country music-inspired album that she said she wanted to make after feeling she was not "welcomed" in the genre. So far, the album has been a great success, both critically and in the charts.
Audio-streaming service Spotify revealed the album was streamed 76.5 million times on its first day of release, making it the most listened-to new album this year and most-streamed album in a single day in 2024 so far. It also achieved this feat on Amazon Music. Since then, it has more than 213 million streams in about five days on Spotify.
Cowboy Carter is outselling all other albums in the top 5 in the United Kingdom and is on track to be No. 1 there, according to Official Charts. Elsewhere, Cowboy Carter debuted at No. 2 on Apple Music charts and 26 out of 27 songs on the album are in its top 100 list, per CBS News.
In February, Beyoncé released two songs from the album, "16 Carriages" and "Texas Hold 'Em," the latter of which went to the top of Billboard's country music chart, making her the first Black woman to achieve the feat.
Days after Cowboy Carter's release, Beyoncé accepted the Innovator Award at the 2024 iHeartRadio Awards in Los Angeles. Stevie Wonder presented her with the award, which recognized her contribution to pop culture during her decades long career. Beyoncé credited other artists who came before, including Wonder, in her acceptance speech.
"I love you and I honor you," Beyoncé said to him. "I want to thank you for making a way for all of us. I'm honored to receive this recognition from you, Stevie Wonder. Whenever anyone asks me if there's anyone I can listen to for the rest of my life, it's always you."
Beyoncé added: "Innovation starts with a dream, but then you have to execute that dream and that road can be very bumpy.
"Being an innovator is saying what everyone believes is impossible. Being an innovator often means being criticized, which often will test your mental strength. Being an innovator is leaning on faith and trusting that God will catch you and guide you," Beyoncé said. "So, to all the record labels, every radio station, every award show, my hope is that we're more open to the joy and liberation that comes from enjoying art, with no preconceived notions."
Some of the artists to appear on Cowboy Carter included Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Miley Cyrus, Post Malone, Linda Martell, Willie Jones and emerging Black country artists Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, Tiera Kennedy and Reyna Roberts.
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