Fans are still reeling from Act I of Beyoncé’s beloved Renaissance, however, following the Super Bowl, fans have something new they can sink their teeth into. Knowles-Carter announced new music was on the horizon during a commercial for the coveted sporting event, this time in an all new genre—country.
Making her country music debut, Bey’s “Texas Hold ‘Em,” and “16 Carriages,” have become a chart-topping sensation, despite naysayers who have claimed that it isn’t country. The former of the singles booted Zach Bryan and Kacey Musgraves’ “I Remember Everything,” which was the song to beat, having spent 20 weeks at number one on the country music charts. On the other hand, “16 Carriages” managed to break the top 10 on the Hot Country Songs list, coming in right at number nine.
Knowles-Carter’s record label made an announcement via email last week that “Texas Hold ‘Em” would be promoted to country radio, making her first entry on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart. The song made its debut at number 54.
By creating music in the genre, she is shedding more light on other Black people in the country music space who have been long overlooked. She joins fellow Texan Mickey Guyton, Allison Russell, Amethyst Kiah, and a handful of other country music artists.
Her foray into the genre isn’t something new, but rather familiar, considering her creole-Texan roots. In fact, the genre has been embraced largely by the pop space, with more and more artists fusing the two sounds together to create more mainstream music—think acts such as Morgan Wallen and Jelly Roll, both of which will appear at the Houston Livestock Show And Rodeo, in Beyoncé’s hometown. If anything, her newly introduced country music is a reclamation of sounds that have originated from African-American people.
Beyoncé has shared that Act II will arrive on March 29.