Like it or not, Beyoncé is a country hitmaker now.
The pop superstar set the music world on fire when she dropped two new songs during the Super Bowl, “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages,” as well as a Western-themed teaser video.
And while she didn’t officially announce that her upcoming album, Renaissance: Act II, would be a “country” album, the latest single has since been sent to country radio (after initially only being serviced to Pop, Adult Contemporary, Rhythmic, R&B, and Urban).
Of course there’s been a ton of reaction surrounding Beyoncé making an entry into country music, as well as plenty of discussion about the genre’s treatment of black female artists.
But one thing’s clear: Beyoncé knows how to get people’s attention.
“Texas Hold ‘Em” recently came in at #38 on the Billboard Country Airplay chart, marking the first time in nearly a decade that a black female artist has appeared on the chart after Mickey Guyton’s “Heartbreak Song” topped out at #45 in 2016, with her “Better Than You Left Me” hitting #34 in 2015.
And now, Beyoncé has her first #1 hit in country music.
“Texas Hold ‘Em” debuted at the top of the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, marking the first time a black female artist has debuted at #1 on that chart.
“16 Carriages” also debuted at #9, marking two spots for Bey inside the top 10, while “Texas Hold ‘Em” also came in at #2 on the all-genre Hot 100 chart.
And with a #1 country song under her belt, it marks the seventh different Billboard chart that Beyoncé has topped during her career, along with Hot 100, Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, Hot Gospel Songs, Hot Latin Songs, Hot R&B Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs.
“Texas Hold ‘Em” knocked Zach Bryan and Kacey Musgraves from the top spot after their duet “I Remember Everything” debuted at #1 back in September and has remained at the top for 20 weeks.
