LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA – FEBRUARY 05: Beyoncé accepts Best Dance/Electronic Music Album for “Renaissance” onstage during the 65th GRAMMY Awards at Crypto.com Arena on February 05, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)

In a groundbreaking achievement, music icon Beyoncé has etched her name in history by securing the top spot on Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart with her latest offering, ‘Cowboy Carter’. This accomplishment not only marks her eighth album to claim the Number One position on the Billboard 200 charts but also establishes her as the first Black woman ever to achieve this feat in the realm of country music. The announcement came yesterday (April 7), adding another illustrious milestone to Beyoncé’s storied career.

According to Billboard, ‘Cowboy Carter’ debuted at Number One with an impressive 407,000 units, making it the most substantial sales week of 2024 thus far. This figure also stands as Beyoncé’s highest week in terms of units since her 2016 album ‘Lemonade’ debuted at Number One with 653,000 units. The magnitude of this achievement becomes even more apparent when considering that the last album to generate such buzz was Taylor Swift’s ‘1989 (Taylor’s Version)’, which amassed 1.653 million units in November 2023.

This triumph follows Beyoncé’s earlier breakthrough in February when she became the first Black woman to top the US country chart with her single ‘Texas Hold ‘Em’. Furthermore, she joined the ranks of elite solo female acts by debuting at Number One without any featured artists, a feat previously accomplished only by Taylor Swift in 2021.

Moreover, Beyoncé’s dominance extends beyond country music as she now stands as the first woman to reign over both the Hot Country Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts simultaneously, a milestone that has eluded artists for over six decades.

Critics and peers alike have showered praise on ‘Cowboy Carter’, with NME awarding it a stellar five-star review, hailing Beyoncé’s country reinvention as a stroke of genius. The album has garnered admiration from industry heavyweights, including a heartfelt endorsement from music legend Paul McCartney, who lauded Beyoncé’s rendition of his song ‘Blackbird’ for its poignant portrayal of the civil rights message that inspired the track.

Former First Lady Michelle Obama also weighed in on the album, commending Beyoncé for once again pushing boundaries and reshaping the music landscape. With ‘Cowboy Carter’, Beyoncé continues to break barriers and solidify her status as a trailblazer in the music industry.