What Beyonce Says to My Soul

I have been thinking what to write about this week, and honestly at the top of my mind is Beyonce. Her new album, Cowboy Carter, that dropped on Good Friday is transcendently good and I've been listening to all 27 tracks over and over all week. It's a work of art that is bringing me deep joy. 

From what I understand, for musicians, jumping or combining genres is considered risky and not encouraged. For a pop/R&B/hip hop artist to take on country music is even more unheard of. Not to mention the fact that the country music industry is historically white. 

When Beyonce accepted the iHeart Radio Innovator Award this past Monday she said, "Innovation starts with a dream. But then you have to execute that dream and that road can be very bumpy. Being an innovator is saying what everyone believes is impossible. Being an innovator often means being criticized, which often will test your mental strength. Being an innovator is leaning on faith, trusting that God will catch you and guide you."

Innovation can mean going out on a limb and being guided by your own inner conviction. To me, this album is a reminder to think outside of the lines and express the real truths that we see and feel, even when we don't have the outside validation yet.