Beyoncé has her first single headed to country radio.
During the Super Bowl on Sunday, she surprised fans with the release of two new singles, and an album announcement, in conjunction with a Verizon commercial about breaking the internet (which she pretty much did).
Titled Renaissance: Act II, the 8th career studio album from Queen Bey is set for release on March 29th. Introducing the new album is a pair of songs titled “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages,” as well as a Western-themed teaser video that harkened back to Wim Wenders’ 1984 film, Paris, Texas. The album art for both singles also feature Beyoncé donning a cowboy hat, which she also wore to the Grammys earlier this month.
And yesterday, it was initially announced that her record label, Columbia, would not be servicing the lead single “Texas Hold ‘Em” to country radio. It was sent to Pop, Adult Contemporary, Rhythmic, R&B, and Urban… there was no mention of Country, though it did get a couple spins from a station or two.
That confusion initially caused an uproar with her fan base, the Beyhive, which you can read about HERE, but it sounds like her label has decided to rethink their strategy and have officially sent “Texas Hold ‘Em” to U.S. country radio, as well, according to Billboard:
Spotify and Apple Music now have the song added to their country playlists, and they have been moved from the “pop” to “country” genres as singles too.
And while I know there will be, and already have been, complaints about the fact that this “isn’t a country song” and Beyoncé “isn’t a country artist,” I’d say the vast majority of what’s heard on country radio isn’t exactly that, either, so this really isn’t any different in my opinion.
In addition, Beyoncé herself has yet to really speak on whether or not this is an attempt to fully jump into the country genre, or just a tribute to her Texas roots with a more country influence than we’ve heard from her in the past… it sounds like her label obviously wants the song to be on every station imaginable (ya know, to make more money), so it’s still unclear what the ultimate goal here really is.
Honestly, I’ve always been a fan of Beyoncé and her music, and the Texas native has embraced some country stylings in the past. A song titled “Daddy Lessons” on her 2016 album Lemonade had a similar vibe to “Texas Hold “Em,” but ultimately was rejected by the Recording Academy in its application for the country music category of the Grammys. She also performed it at the CMA Awards, which was kind of a disaster you can read about HERE.
For transparency’s sake, I’ll go ahead and admit that I really like both songs, but fully understand they’re not the recreation of Loretta Lynn or Tammy Wynette’s catalog by any means (I don’t think that’s what she’s trying for, either).
Again, I think we have to wait and hear the entire tracklist for Renaissance: Act II to make any real judgments, and I honestly have no issue with her implementing a bit of country twang into her music… I actually think it’s really cool and a neat nod to where she comes from.
But will she ultimately wind up topping the country charts like she has so many other genres in her very well-accomplished career? Only time will tell…
You can listen to both songs below, and I’d recommend doing so to make a judgment for yourself.
“Texas Hold ‘Em”
“16 Carriages”
