On March 29, Beyoncé released her new album, “Cowboy Carter.” In a departure for her, this album is a country album. In another departure for her, Beyonce has been promoting the album in Japan in an effort to regain her popularity of the 2000s there.
On the day of the album’s release, Beyoncé took a page out of Japan’s music promotion book and held a fan meeting at the Tower Records in Shibuya. Fans had the chance to meet her and get their albums signed.
Beyoncé arrives at Tower Records Shibuya for her #CowboyCarter signing. pic.twitter.com/8xoRtEBrWE
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) March 29, 2024
Beyoncé shaking hands with fans at her #CowboyCarter signing event in Japan. pic.twitter.com/QtxSyD0JJm
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) March 29, 2024
Fan busts out her dance moves for Beyoncé at a signing event in Japan. pic.twitter.com/vhZh5y5udz
— Pop Crave (@PopCrave) March 30, 2024
While on her Japanese promotional tour, a photo of Beyonce’s husband, Jay-Z, with Avex founder Max Matsuura also appeared via Max’s Twitter.
JayZと。
なんもなければ会わないよww pic.twitter.com/osMvKe2NVC— 松浦勝人 (@maxmatsuuratwit) March 28, 2024
It appears that they are toasting a deal made between his company and Beyoncé! A Japanese special edition of “Cowboy Carter” is set for release soon, with four bonus tracks! This new version of the album will see Beyoncé taking on another new genre: enka, the country music of Japan. Not only will these new songs see her singing in Japanese, but some of them will be collaborations with the divas of Avex. One is a cover of Ishikawa Sayuri‘s 1986 classic “Amagigoe”, with Koda Kumi. Another, featuring Ayumi Hamasaki, is a cover of Misora Hibari‘s 1989 swan song “Kawa no Nagare no You ni.”
Shiina Ringo is also set to write and compose an original enka song for the release. The last of the four bonus tracks will be a collaboration with MISIA.
All of this is in hopes reviving her career in Japan, with the ultimate goal being a dome tour in the second half of 2024.
April Fools!
