Beyoncé winning a Grammy for Album of the Year and Best Country Album became the talk of social media with many upset that the multi-platinum star won the coveted award. There were conspiracy theories floating about saying everything from Jay-Z paid $1,000 to each Grammy voter to people saying the artist sold her soul. The critiques were abundant and mostly centered around people thinking the album wasn't country enough to be country or not good enough to be Album of the Year.
Many of the critiques mention her hit song Texas Hold 'Em as proof of their claims about the album not fitting into the country genre. From my observation of the discourse that dominated social media in the days after the Grammys was that most people were upset that their favorite singers didn't win. Dayshnae was one of those people visibly upset when Beyoncé won Album of the Year instead of Taylor Swift, who has won the award four times previously.
Dayshnae recorded herself watching the results and uploaded it to social media. In the short 37 second clip you hear the award announced and she immediately responds, "oh my god you've got to be kidding me. Nobody even listens to the album."
After it was discovered that the music lover had never actually listened to the album she was sure didn't deserve a Grammy, people encouraged her to give it a listen. Instead of being upset and doubling down on her critique of music she never heard, Dayshnae decided to not only accept the challenge but to record her raw reaction to each song.
The thing about Beyoncé's most recent albums is the songs tell a story as a collection each building from the one before. Listeners can't simply pluck out one song to get a feel for the entire album since it's designed to be listened to in order to get the full effect of the story being told. Dayshnae gave it a listen and immediately was not a fan of the first song on the album. She rated the song a 4 out of 10 but she was not deterred.
But commenters insisted that before she moved too far into the album she needed the backstory on why Beyoncé created a country album in the first place to have a deeper understanding of the lyrics. The new Beyoncé listener was floored after learning of the harsh treatment Beyoncé received at the 2016 CMAs when she was invited to sing with The Chicks. As she moves through the album she becomes visibly emotional when she gets to "16 Carriages," a song that seemingly details the struggle Beyoncé went through as a child star and her cold reception from the country music world.
"Oh. My. Heavens...I know some of you love track one and track two but track three just sold me. That was so powerful, intimate, emotional, raw. I'm listening to that again. I'm listening to that multiple times. Who was she talking about at the end? Wow. Wow," the new listener says.
Dayshnae's reaction to Willie Nelson's interlude left her with her mouth agape. Pushing through to the next songs, it didn't take long for her to appreciate the album even more. She explains in the beginning of one video that she originally stopped listening to Beyoncé a few years ago when her own music taste changed but diving back into the new album style the musician creates is requiring a bit more from her.
"Now what I've quickly realized is that it was way more than just simply seeing if I liked the album. There is history to unpack in this and that's what I've been learning along the way. What I'm going to dive into today before we listen to 'Protector' is that country music derived from enslaved African Americans, and derived from blues and gospel that the ancestors would sing while they were enslaved," Dayshnae reveals.
The series is still going as the Cowboy Carter album has 27 songs and Dayshnae didn't start the series until a few days after the Grammy's in early February. She's currently listening to one song per day and giving a breakdown of what she thinks along with what she has learned. Her tune about Beyoncé's win has completely changed as she continues to make her way through the storybook-like album. People can't seem to get enough over her genuine openness to listening to the album and possibly changing her opinion.
"This is a fascinating journey to observe. Thank you for taking this exploration so seriously and respectfully," one person writes.
"LOVE THIS SO MUCH. Thank you for seeking to understand," another says.
"I’m so invested in your journey! Reliving my first time listening to Cowboy Carter through you rn," someone else shares.
"Arriving at the HISTORY of country music by song 4 is monumental! I am so impressed. No words. You’re becoming a country music aficionado," another person chimes in.
"I personally am enjoying you doing these videos and taking the time to learn something new and expand your knowledge. So, good for you. The album is really rich. I’m still learning from it a year on," someone adds.
While Beyoncé may not be everyone's favorite artist, it's clear that there was a lot of thought and vulnerability that went into this album. Commenters also pointed out how she used Cowboy Carter to spotlight the work of Black country artists that were not getting airtime on country radio stations like Shaboozy and Tanner Adell. Since Dayshnae isn't finished with the album, it's not clear what her overall rating will be but the journey is a wholesome one and an example of what it means to be open to changing your mind.
Traditional strawberry farming takes up a lot of land.