Beyoncé Act III Speculations – Will Rock be Next?
- isabella9689
- Apr 21
- 3 min read
The celebration of two years of Cowboy Carter the Beyhive is wondering what Act III will be next, and the guesses seem to be more rock and roll than you may think… Winning the best country album, she became the first black woman to receive the award. Both acts have paid homage to music genres that have black roots and influences. Such as Country and House. The banjo that has been included in most of her songs on the album descends from a West African instrument, the akonting, created from gourds.
In Cowboy Carter, some songs, such as ‘YAYAYA’, have heavy influences of Tina Turner's music, with an upbeat guitar beat and intense vocals that blend together, making you want to get up and rock out.
As seen in some of Beyoncé's cowboy Carter concerts, some visuals of her imitate rock legends like Tina Turner, who passed away in 2023, and Chuck Berry, who is stated as the ‘Father of Rock’.
Beyoncé hasn’t hidden the rock vocals from people before covering the song “you outta known” by Alanis Morissette, written in 1996.
Not to mention giving us an intense rock performance of ‘Freakum Dress’ with long-time guitarist Bibi McGill.
Released in 2022, Renaissance. inspiring joy and a surrealist experience, celebrating marginalized groups such as LGBTQ+. The album pays tribute to Black and queer pioneers through songs about self-expression, assurance, and escapism. During the Harlem Renaissance, a new path was offered for artists such as Claude McKay, Angelina Weld Grimke, and Wallace Thurman to evolve the language of gender, race, and sexuality. Voguing was created in Harlem, inviting black and Latino queers to compete for trophies and pageants. Thus creating the “Ball” and voguing.
Beyoncé having an extremely large black and queer audience did not go unnoticed!
Living Color and Death have been huge influences in the rock genre, but have been forgotten, with listeners never hearing of these amazing bands before or flat out never even knowing they were black.
Speculations have been thrown out into the web of ideas of what artist fans would love to see.
Living Colour, a New York-born band created in 1984, created a new sound and fusions with funk, punk, jazz, and hip hop. Some hit songs consist of ‘ ignorance is bliss’ and ‘ cult of personality’. Living Colour performed on Tiny Desk last year.
Fefe Dobson was a favorite of young black girls in the 2000s. A huge force in the pop rock scene with 4 songs sending her to the top 10 radio singles with “bye bye boyfriend”, “ take me away”, and “don’t go”, at age 18, she was already an international sensation.
Death: more of a personal favorite of mine, but the East Detroit proto punk band first recorded their only album in 1973, only to be released in 2008. The brother band has created a bridge between old and new fans with their creative and body-moving lyrics.
Lenny Kravitz: the rock legend himself, Kravitz has created pure art with his songs, blending funk and rock for three decades. Sending the listener’s soul on a ride with the creative mind-bending guitar riffs. Krativz songs can literally make you want to fly away.
N.E.R.D : While Williams has already produced for Beyonce before with hit songs like ”Green Light”, “Work It”, “Out”, and ‘Blow’. We can all recognize his four-beat signature at the beginning of songs, but can we recognize him from his rock days? Newer fans may have just learned of NERD from the piece-by-piece movie. NERD's blend of rock and hip hop songs, such as " Lap Dance " and " Rockstar’’, can create a standout song for an album like this.
Hayley Williams of Paramore: Hayley Williams is being crowned as “Hayley Jamika Williams” by black fans. Paramore has cemented itself in the black community. Hayley Williams has always been influenced by black musicians, growing up in Mississippi and singing in black churches as a child. Even playing tribute in her song “ain’t it fun” brings in a black gospel choir. There is hope that these two vocalists will come together to build something beautiful.
Whatever direction Beyoncé takes next, one thing is certain: she’ll continue to honor the rich roots of Black music while breaking boundaries and reinventing genres. We will be watching and ready to listen.
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