BBC OS Conversations: Beyoncé and the changing face of country music
The Documentary Podcast
BBC
4.3 • 2.6K Ratings
🗓️ 2 March 2024
⏱️ 23 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
The latest Beyoncé song, Texas Hold ‘Em, has topped the charts in the US and UK. More significantly, however, this is the first time a black woman has gone to No. 1 in the US country music charts, provoking several talking points about diversity within the country music genre. Host James Reynolds brings together three African American women in country music, including musician Rissi Palmer who first reached the country charts in 2007 and has had several hits since. And, three people involved in country music on three continents, in Argentina, Nigeria and Sweden, tell James about their love for country.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | The Global Story, with Smart Takes and Fresh Perspective, on one big news story, every Monday to Friday from the BBC World Service. |
| 0:11.0 | Search for The Global Story, wherever you get your BBC podcasts to find out more. |
| 0:17.0 | Hello, I'm James Reynolds. |
| 0:20.0 | Welcome to The Documentary from the BBC World Service. In BBC OS conversations |
| 0:25.6 | we bring people together to share experiences from around the world. This time |
| 0:30.4 | conversations on Beyoncé and the changing face of country music. |
| 0:35.0 | For rights reasons, we can't include her song or any commercial music on this podcast, |
| 0:40.0 | but to get you in the mood, for the first time in four years of this program, we've changed our theme music. |
| 0:47.0 | At what a moment it was, both musically and culturally, the ence hit Texas Holdham |
| 0:57.0 | becoming the first number one for a black woman in the US Billboard Hot Country Songs Chart. |
| 1:02.6 | Three African American women, including a singer who's had her own Country Chart hits, |
| 1:06.6 | discuss what that means. |
| 1:08.9 | And to highlight Country Music's global appeal, we bring together country musicians in Nigeria, Argentina and Sweden. |
| 1:15.6 | Oh, it's just exciting to hear different voices about country music in different parts of the world |
| 1:20.8 | because usually you think about only America when you think about |
| 1:26.3 | country music so it's really exciting. It's not entirely unusual for a country song sung by a woman to top the charts around the world. |
| 1:35.3 | Think back to the 70s and 80s and the imperial peak of Dolly Parton. |
| 1:40.2 | And then Shania Twain has sold over 100 million albums. |
| 1:43.4 | Taylor Swift, of course, began her career as a country singer, |
| 1:47.2 | something we discussed on this show a few weeks ago. |
| 1:50.0 | And watch out as well for Laini Wilson, who's been getting accolades and awards of late. |
| 1:55.0 | But for a black woman to have a global hit with a country record and to come in at number one on the US country charts, |
... |
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