Towering above the recent slate of country-intended projects is the surprise release of two new country songs from Beyoncé.
Beyoncé, owner of eight No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hits and the most Grammy wins of all time, shook up the music industry once again on Sunday night (Feb. 11) by using a Super Bowl commercial to announce the release of new music, and thus, entering her country era. Though we don’t know the full spectrum of sounds that could be included on the entire project, she did release two country-flavored new songs, the up-tempo romp “Texas Hold ‘Em” and more Americana-flavored ballad “16 Carriages.” The two new songs are part of her upcoming March 29 album Act II, which follows her dance music-inspired Renaissance and is part of a three-act project.
On streaming platforms, the new songs have topped Apple Music’s top country songs chart and “Texas Hold ‘Em” holds the top spot on Spotify’s country playlist.
Just how fully country radio stations embrace the new music remains to be seen, although “Texas Hold ‘Em” will officially be serviced to country radio on Feb. 20. Both of the new songs highlight Black roots musicians, with “Texas Hold ‘Em” featuring banjo from Rhiannon Giddens, while “16 Carriages” features pedal steel from Robert Randolph.
This isn’t Beyoncé’s first foray into country sounds, collaborations and more. At the 2007 American Music Awards, Sugarland (Jennifer Nettles and Kristian Bush) collaborated with Beyoncé on a performance of Bey’s “Irreplaceable,” which had spent 10 weeks atop the Hot 100. The Houston, Texas native has also performed at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo several times, both as a solo artist and part of Destiny’s Child.
In 2016, she performed at the Country Music Association Awards, performing her song “Daddy Lessons” alongside The Chicks—a performance that was met with considerable controversy at the time. Meanwhile, country music queen (and recent Super Bowl national anthem performer) Reba McEntire turned her version of Beyoncé’s “If I Was a Boy” into a country hit back in 2010.
At the 2024 Grammy Awards, Beyoncé further signaled her country intentions, showing up to the ceremony in a Western-themed attire, including a cowboy hat and bolo tie. But even as far back as her announcement of Renaissance, promotional photos showed Beyonce donning a cowboy hat and seated atop a glass horse, while back in 2021, Beyonce’s Ivy Park x Adidas collaboration released a “Rodeo Collection,” featuring pink cow prints and denim-athleisure pieces.
Of the new crop of pop artists looking to cross into country, Beyonce is primed to once again make music history, as while several Black male artists such as Rucker, Charley Pride, Stoney Edwards, Blanco Brown and Jimmie Allen have earned country chart success over the decades, no solo Black female artist has yet earned a No. 1 Hot Country Songs or Country Airplay hit.
Which isn’t to say Black female artists have been absent from the country landscape. The Pointer Sisters earned a top 40 Hot Country Songs hit (and won a best country vocal performance by a duo or group Grammy) with “Fairytale” in 1974, while Anita Pointer teamed with Earl Thomas Conley for the No. 2 country hit “Too Many Times” in 1986. Linda Martell reached No. 22 on the Hot Country Songs chart with “Color Him Father” in 1969 and in 1977, Ruby Falls earned a top 40 hit on the Hot Country Songs chart with “You’ve Got to Mend This Heartache.” Mickey Guyton’s 2015 song “Better Than You Left Me” reached No. 34 on the Country Airplay chart. Other Black female artists who have charted on the Hot Country Songs chart include Rissi Palmer and Dona Mason.
It is also notable that with “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages,” Beyonce joins several current Black female artists who have adeptly crafted their own unique, genre-melting blends of country, pop, R&B and more — including Yola, Tanner Adell, Reyna Roberts, Madeline Edwards, Tiera and mother-daughter duo O.N.E the Duo. With the consumption of “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages” already riding high on streaming services, it is likely–and recommended–that fans seeking sounds comparable to Beyonce’s current music seek out these artists to add to their personal music rotations.