Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter dominated the Grammys. Now her Canadian collaborators are getting their Junos moment

When Beyoncé released Cowboy Carter, it sent waves through the music world: one of the biggest names in pop music was putting her bedazzled spin on country. But it wasn't just the history-making genre shift that excited listeners. The credits on the project included several Canadian songwriters and producers, among them Lowell, Nathan Ferraro and Jack Rochon. 

All three musicians are Grammy recognized due to their work on the album, which has opened up yet another door for them: the musicians scored their first Juno nominations this year. Both Lowell and Ferraro earned their first nods in the new songwriter of the year, non-performer category, which Lowell fought to create, and Rochon received one for the Jack Richardson producer of the year category.

Part of Lowell's nomination includes her credits on the songs Bodyguard and Texas Hold 'Em, while Ferraro's is tied partially to Texas Hold 'Em. Rochon's nod includes his contributions to II Hands II Heaven, Jolene and Protector. 

CBC Music spoke with each artist to learn more about their approaches to helping shape Cowboy Carter.

Jack Rochon

For multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and producer Jack Rochon, getting the call to work on Jolene was a standout memory in the Cowboy Carter recording process. Although he doesn't consider himself an avid country listener — his discography includes production on songs by R&B and hip-hop artists such as Charlotte Day Wilson, Kehlani, 6lack, Daniel Caesar and more — working on the album felt natural thanks to his mother, who played Dolly Parton and Emmylou Harris in the car during Rochon's childhood.

"My mom is a huge Dolly fan, [I] grew up listening to a lot of country music, so there was layers to that song for me already," he said. "And then you hear Stevie Wonder playing harmonica on [Jolene], and you're on a song with Beyoncé, covering Dolly Parton, with Stevie Wonder and it's like, 'What is that, that's not real,'" he laughed.

The impassioned 1973 song by Parton was re-imagined for the album, transforming from a pleading tune about potentially losing one's partner into a slick warning with a wink telling admirers of Beyoncé's man to back off.

Rochon played guitar on the track, which is fitting because guitar-forward producing is typically at the core of his creative process. "I basically sit at a guitar for somebody and try to write a song and then figure out the rest later … there's that line of, 'If it works on acoustic guitar, it'll work anywhere else,' and there's a lot of truth to that," he explained.

The intimate, gentle guitar on the track Protector can also be attributed to Rochon, who co-wrote the moving song with Ryan Beatty. 

The pair first recorded the track on an old Yamaha guitar, before it was later re-recorded on "a bunch of really expensive vintage Gibsons and Martins," Rochon said.

However, they ended up using nearly all of the original acoustic recording, which is what gives the ballad its alluring, grounded sound.

"There's literally one little harmonic note at the end from one of those [Gibson and Martin] guitars," he said. "And otherwise, we kept all of the stuff off the cheap Yamaha."

It's that creativity — and Canadianness — which also helped define the record.

"I'm obviously Canadian through and through, and I lived in L.A. for the last four years and I'm very grateful for my time in L.A., but I think it feels really special to be recognized by the country that I grew up in," Rochon said about his Juno nomination.

"I think there is something to the Canadian lens on this project, too, because Dave Hamelin also worked on a lot of [Cowboy Carter] and he's from up here as well," he said. "And, if you think about the Tragically Hip or Neil Young, all these legendary Canadian artists, there is heavy country influence there. [And] it's not the same as what you're hearing in Nashville, necessarily." 

Lowell

Singer-songwriter Lowell cut her teeth penning and recording her own pop songs before working with artists including Tate McRae, the Beaches and Charli XCX. Tapping into her Calgary roots to write Texas Hold 'Em and Bodyguard for Cowboy Carter was a shift, as she considered her "bag" to be "female indie pop."

But, it didn't throw her to do country because she likes "good songs and good music." 

"I kind of consider myself to be a genreless musician in general," she added.

She co-wrote Texas Hold 'Em with Ferraro, whom she has been writing with for almost a decade, and fellow singer-songwriter Bülow. It was special to her because the three of them had "so much fun" writing it together as friends who were "trying to support each other and [who] brought each other into the room for this amazing opportunity to interact with Beyoncé." 

However, writing Bodyguard was a very different process. On the song, vivid lyrics about whisky, lipstick and cigarettes flow as Beyoncé sings over a honeyed melody about falling in love in the backseat.

"I had to do really meticulous lyric writing on that, [going] back and forth with a lot of the different people that I was working with and just really get it right," Lowell said. "So it was kind of a fun one because I love a challenge."

Spending so much time writing for other artists is also partly what inspired Lowell to push for the new songwriter category at the Junos. Previously, the award for songwriter of the year only recognized songwriters who also performed their own material, with artists including Shawn Mendes, the Weeknd and more winning trophies. Now, Lowell, Ferraro and the musicians creating tracks for performers other than themselves have a chance at their moment in the sun, too. 

No one recognizes songwriters, no one pays songwriters; the royalties are horrible.- Lowell

"I've been fighting super, super hard to have this category for all of us," she said. "And Nate [Ferraro] has been doing this for much longer than me, and he has written so many hits that have been up there on that Juno board and never gotten any recognition. And I know how that feels from the time I've been doing this."

"We're constantly just climbing [and] trying to get small little bits of royalties, just fighting over pennies, fighting over the smallest little bit of recognition," she added. "Like no one recognizes songwriters, no one pays songwriters; the royalties are horrible."

"I just knew how important [this nomination] was for me and not just to me, [but] to all songwriters, and we are really the backbone of the industry," she said.

Nathan Ferraro

"There's a tornado (there's a tornado) in my city (in my city)/ hit the basement (hit the basement), that shit ain't pretty (shit ain't pretty)," sings Beyoncé on the first verse of Texas Hold 'Em, creating an atmosphere where the rugged environment helps illustrate the hope of a budding romance.

"I think that the feeling of Texas Hold 'Em is sort of a feeling of wild freedom and outdoors, [and] human nature," said co-songwriter Ferraro of what he was trying to capture on the single.

Spirited banjo, rich harmonies and lyrics about hoedowns paint a very Western picture, and the uptempo song marked Ferraro's first foray into country music — a long way from his days fronting indie-rock band the Midway State. Now, he finds joy in putting his all into songwriting, accruing credits on songs by Alessia Cara, Charli XCX, Ari Lennox and more.

"I used to be an artist, but I feel comfortable and happy being behind the scenes," he said. "And part of the job as a songwriter is to support those artists that [have] the voice for the songs and sort of pushing them up and holding them up from behind."

Texas Hold 'Em's lyrical and musical credits include Lowell, Bülow, Raphael Saadiq and Beyoncé, and working with them taught Ferraro about the power of teamwork.

When [music] comes from an honest place and a place of inspiration and truth, then you're able to push boundaries in a really honest way.- Nathan Ferraro

"People bring different things to a work environment or to a sports team and [it's the] same with music and songwriting and being able to hold space for other people," he said. "And I feel like I've learned more from the creative process than anything, in collaboration."

Working with them also allowed him to appreciate the importance of having a strong sense of self, which also informed his writing: "When you end up in a situation, I think, at such a high level with such a world-class artist, it's so great to have all the failures and the journey under my belt to walk into those kinds of situations and kind of know who you are."

"With a song like Texas Hold 'Em and the sound of it, in ways there was some backlash, you know, from the country world," he added. "But when [music] comes from an honest place and a place of inspiration and truth, then you're able to push boundaries in a really honest way."

Because Ferraro has been crafting songs since he was 14, the Juno nomination represents a deeply personal honour.

"I've been watching [the Junos] since I was probably eight years old," he said. "I learned songwriting from listening … to people like Sarah McLachlan and Jann Arden."

"It's such a good reminder that staying true to your own voice and your soul, staying true to what resonates with you and what feels like truth, in a great way, really does pay off," he said.

Michael Bublé will host the 2025 Juno Awards on Sunday, March 30, at 8 p.m ET. Tune in on CBC-TV, CBC Gem, CBC Radio One, CBC Music and CBC Listen, and stream globally on cbcmusic.ca/junos.