A TikTok video surfaced featuring an Indiana State University (ISU) student making racially-charged remarks seemingly in response to Beyoncé’s recent country music-inspired album, “Cowboy Carter.” This incident prompted ISU President Deborah J. Curtis to issue a statement condemning the student’s comments.
Beyoncé released “Cowboy Carter” on March 29 as part of a three-part project, following her tribute to Black LGBTQ+ ballroom culture with the 2022 album “Renaissance.” The album features collaborations with prominent artists such as Dolly Parton, Miley Cyrus, Post Malone, and Willie Nelson, and includes covers of classic tracks like The Beatles’ “Blackbird” and Parton’s “Jolene.”
While Beyoncé’s album garnered widespread acclaim and chart-topping success, the ISU student questioned her venture into country music, invoking race and slavery. President Curtis addressed the issue on Facebook on April 10, denouncing the student’s remarks.
Although the student remained unnamed in Curtis’s statement, ISU expressed its commitment to addressing the matter seriously and ensuring a welcoming environment for all students in an earlier statement issued on April 9. The Indiana State University NAACP Executive Committee and the African Student Union also condemned the student’s comments, advocating for disciplinary action.
The student’s current status with ISU remains undisclosed. Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter” album has made waves since its release, boasting the biggest opening week of 2024 in the U.S. and achieving record-breaking streaming numbers on platforms like Spotify and Amazon Music.
Beyoncé shared that “Cowboy Carter” was inspired by her experiences of not feeling embraced within the country music community, referencing her past performance with The Chicks at the Country Music Association Awards in 2016 and her song “Daddy Lessons” from the album “Lemonade.” Despite criticisms, Beyoncé remains determined to make her mark in the country music genre.
