If there’s one album that everyone just can’t stop talking about, it’s Cowboy Carter. The 27-track LP is an unbridled exploration of musical genres that fuses country with pop, opera, R&B, and more. It celebrates the fluidity of music while equally defying and redefining what country sounds and looks like. Beyoncé fuses the old with the new, gathering industry stalwarts like Willie Nelson and Dolly Parton for the project alongside young Black country artists like Tanner Adell and Reyna Roberts – and it’s having a profound effect for them. According to The Hollywood Reporter, singer Tiera Kennedy saw a 40,000% increase in streams, while Brittney Spencer saw an increase of 37,220%. The album has also charted at number one on Billboard's Top Country Albums chart, making Beyoncé the first Black woman to reach that summit.

This visibility of Black creatives in a genre that has historically ousted them has enabled a wider conversation around the invisible barriers that artists of colour face when trying to hop genres, but it also highlights the freedom that can come from shattering glass ceilings. The world’s becoming increasingly borderless when it comes to music: 63% of UK Gen Z listeners enjoy music that’s not in their native language, while 76% of Gen Zers say they’re interested in new cultures (compared to just 50% of Boomers). In 2023, denim brand Wrangler sponsored Black Opry’s mission of raising awareness for Black artists in the country music community. “Since its founding in 2021, Black Opry has devoted itself to advocating for Black entertainers and helping these marginalised groups to reclaim their place in the American musical canon,” said Holly G., founder of Black Opry. With genre-fusing being reflected across media formats, from Thai BL dramas to amapiano, brands can take note of this increased desire for both richer cultural discovery and better visibility for marginalised artists.