\n<\/p>\n
As with \u201cRenaissance,\u201d the audio for \u201cCowboy Carter\u201d was leaked online<\/a> shortly before its planned release, with some fans urging others not to listen early.<\/p>\n Back when Beyonc\u00e9 released her self-titled \u201cvisual album\u201d without warning in 2013, establishing the \u201csurprise drop\u201d as an industry trope, it was partly meant to protect the album from leaks, which had become a threat to first-week sales numbers For these last two albums, Beyonc\u00e9 has embraced a more conventional marketing plan, announcing her album weeks ahead of time and preparing deluxe physical editions. (There are many for \u201cCowboy Carter,\u201d including LPs in, yes, red, white and blue vinyl.)<\/p>\n In the end, the leaks meant little to \u201cRenaissance,\u201d which went straight to No. 1<\/a>. And, regardless of the new album\u2019s fate at country radio \u2014 where \u201cTexas Hold \u2019Em\u201d has so far made it only as high as No. 33 \u2014 the commercial potential for \u201cCowboy Carter\u201d seems vast, given Beyonc\u00e9\u2019s recent success.<\/p>\n Last year, she won her 32nd Grammy Award<\/a>, more than any artist in history. Her Renaissance tour sold $580 million in tickets, second only to Taylor Swift. A related concert film, \u201cRenaissance: A Film by Beyonc\u00e9,\u201d offered a rare look behind the scenes of her creative process and was a hit in cinemas.<\/p>\n Last week, as the release of \u201cCowboy Carter\u201d neared, Beyonc\u00e9 wrote on Instagram that the album was \u201cover five years in the making,\u201d and that \u201cit was born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed \u2026 and it was very clear that I wasn\u2019t.\u201d Fans zeroed in on her appearance at the Country Music Association Awards in 2016, where she performed her song \u201cDaddy Lessons\u201d with the Chicks, and drew backlash online<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cThe criticisms I faced when I first entered this genre forced me to propel past the limitations that were put on me,\u201d Beyonc\u00e9 said. The new album, she added, \u201cis a result of challenging myself, and taking my time to bend and blend genres together to create this body of work.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n