![]() ![]() That may not sound like country music, but consider this: In a genre historically monopolized by White men and conservative notions, what kind of woman dares to make it to the top? Along with the look and the voice, divas are just a little too full of dangerous things of talent, of ideas, of themselves. Speaking specifically of Black divas, Cornelius Washington of the Bay Area Times wrote: “They warble about love, triumph, dating, dancing, trauma and transcendence, usually over the neck of some man in particular or men in general.” “Tellingly, much like the word ‘slut’, it has no equally powerful corresponding masculine term.” “Being a diva connotes a particular kind of womanly arrogance,” Christina Newland wrote for Vice in 2018. There are other definitions that complicate the term. (Show-stopping talent in general is a given.) A diva is timeless, often used to describe women with long, storied careers, such as Cher, Celine Dion, Reba McEntire and Gloria Estefan. The expectation of a big powerful voice has carried through the times in Aretha Franklin, Whitney Houston and Carrie Underwood. “Diva” was originally an opera term for female singers whose talent and fame made them nearly divine in the eyes of their admirers. What makes a diva different than any other performer? Of course there’s a look, epitomized in the confident, authentic glamor of Dolly Parton, Tina Turner and Mariah Carey. Reba McEntire, Carrie Underwood, and Dolly Parton perform onstage during the 53rd annual CMA Awards in November 2019. ![]() Dolly Parton, Reba McEntire and Carrie Underwood are just the beginning: Since women broke into the country scene in the ’50s, they’ve been taking us to heaven with their bouffant hair, blinding us with rhinestones and spangles and singing songs that celebrate the power and complexity of womanhood. She’s an unusual fit for the slowly evolving White, conservative world of country.Īfter all, no one loves a diva like country music. This is the same Beyoncé who has been R&B royalty for decades, who enraged critics with her unapologetically Black Super Bowl halftime show in 2016, whose 2023 Renaissance World Tour was a traveling showcase of glamor, pride and diversity of all kinds. When one of the biggest artists in the world decides to shift genres (though Beyoncé’s work has always alluded to her Southern roots), it’s bound to grind a few gears. “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages” have soared up the streaming charts, with the former debuting at Number 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart today. In anticipation of her forthcoming new album, the iconic entertainer has released two singles with some serious twang. The hour-and-a-half film also features appearances from stars such as Beyoncé's husband JAY-Z, 8-year-old daughter Blue Ivy, and 3-year-old twins Sir and Rumi, as well as Tina Lawson, Kelly Rowland, Naomi Campbell, and Lupita Nyong'o.Beyoncé’s gone country. The project, inspired by Disney's The Lion King and music from Bey's The Lion King: The Gift, follows the story of a young king who is cast out from his family and goes on a journey to rediscover his inherent power. ![]() The video for "Already" was released just hours before Beyoncé's visual album Black Is King premiered on Disney+. The track, originally included on Beyoncé's 2019 LP The Lion King: The Gift, is now on the record's new deluxe version. Bey is joined by featured artist Shatta Wale as they sing and dance amid a giant party that I, for one, would have loved to attend. ![]() On Thursday night, the 38-year-old singer dropped the melanin-infused music video for her song "Already," and it's everything you'd expect from Queen Bey: gorgeous outfits, mesmerizing choreography, and nods to African culture. I hope you're ready to shine already because it's time already, thus said Beyoncé. ![]()
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