During the Super Bowl LVIII, Beyoncé partnered with Verizon to announce the drop of new music. After the Verizon commercial premiered, two singles titled “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages” were released. On an Instagram post at the same time, she announced her currently unnamed eighth studio album which will be “Act ii” and released on March 29.
“Act ii” follows the commercial success of “Act i: Renaissance,” a house pop-inspired album crafted by Beyoncé featuring Black artists Beam, Grace Jones and Tems. The album pays homage to Black and queer trailblazers within the genre of disco and house music. It celebrates themes of uniqueness, self-love and empowerment while embracing community.
Beyoncé's album pays tribute to her gay cousin “Uncle Johnny,” who introduced her to the Black dance music and ball scene. He died during the AIDS epidemic, prompting Beyoncé to release her documentary film, “Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé,” on World AIDS Day, Dec. 1.
The album has been noted for its reclamation and celebration of unrecognized Black artists within dance music. Many of the songs on the album have used sampled sound recordings from unrecognized to well-known Black artists within the genre such as The Clark Sisters, Kevin Aviance, Kelis and Donna Summer. “Act i” was a wide success and was named best album of the year by publications like the Los Angeles Times and The New York Times. It pushed Beyoncé to become the most-awarded artist in Grammys history.
A booklet that accompanied the vinyl record for “Act i” included a note from Beyonce that said the project would be divided into three acts, which were recorded and produced throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
While Beyoncé has yet to release a country-inspired album, this isn’t her first rodeo producing a country track. On her sixth studio album, “Lemonade,” a song titled “Daddy Lessons” had country-infused beats. It was about Beyoncé's upbringing in Houston as a young girl navigating life with the support of her father, Matthew Knowles. When the song was released, Slate music critic Carl Wilson said the song could be the country song of the year, comparing it to Nashville-esque ballads by Dolly Parton or Tom T. Hall.
The Houston native returned to her Texan roots with her new songs “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages.” Within the first week, Beyoncé occupied all positions in the Top 5 on iTunes in the U.S.. The songs occupying those positions are the four versions of “Texas Hold ‘Em,” which are explicit, clean, acapella and instrumental, and “16 Carriages.”
Queen Bey continues to explore the musical map, spanning multiple genres like R&B, pop, house, dance, hip-hop, trap, soul and now, country. The musical and vocal abilities of Beyoncé range far and wide, making more room and shedding light on Black artists within these genres and beyond. Her impact is immense and spans through the artist’s nearly three-decade-long music career.
Rhiannon Giddens, a multiracial descendant of African American tribes, played the banjo and viola for “Texas Hold ‘Em.” Giddens advocates for the reclamation of Black instruments within genres inspired by Black artists in American roots music such as bluegrass, folk and soul. After all, the banjo was introduced to America through the African slave trade. Succeeding the release of “Texas Hold ‘Em,” Black country artists like Adia Victoria, Mickey Guyton and Rissi Palmer began to trend across social media platforms. It’s important to recognize where music comes from, embrace it, and share it with others, and Beyoncé highlights Black trailblazers, as seen in “Act i,” while making space for new Black artists.
Black artists are no strangers to reentering a space and reclaiming it as their own. Ray Charles was an innovator of soul music in the 1950s, as he contributed to the growth of what country music looks like now. In 1962, Charles released an album titled “Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music,” which was his first album to top the Billboard 200. In 2021, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. Like Beyoncé, Charles wasn’t a stranger to being musically adept across multiple genres including jazz, rock and roll, soul and R&B.
With the success of her previous album and the first two singles, the success of her upcoming album looks hopeful. However, the album has already sparked controversy. Some critics believe a pop artist shouldn’t be performing or creating country music.
This rhetoric continues and could impact the commercial success of Act ii. Following the release of both singles, they were sent to 150 country radio stations and only 8 stations played only one out of the two songs, “Texas Hold ‘Em.” On Feb. 12, a listener requested for an Oklahoma radio station, KYKC, to play “Texas Hold ‘Em” and received a reply from the station’s general manager, Roger Harris, saying, “We do not play Beyoncé on KYKCas we are a country music station.” After facing racism and boycott accusations, a representative of the parent company of KYKC, S.C.O.R.E., said that they love Beyoncé and weren’t going to immediately play her just because the song just came out. Along with the statement, the song was added to the radio station rotation.
Following the viral response on social media, CMT, also known as Country Music Television, added “Texas Hold ‘Em” to its streaming stations. Columbia Records, which works alongside Beyoncé’s Parkwood Entertainment, has also sent the song to country radio stations. Billboard mentioned that country stations typically don’t play songs supported by the two labels.
Black artists deserve a spotlight within country music despite their musical credibility. With existing Black trailblazers in country music today like Darius Rucker and Jimmie Allen, it’s important to recognize their efforts and promote their artistry so Black artists can thrive more in the country genre and any other musical space.
Despite the backlash, the Beyhive has proven their support for Beyoncé regardless of her musical endeavors. While it is currently unknown if the following two acts will also be referred to as “Renaissance,” Beyoncé and the musical renaissances of other Black artists showcase efforts to revive and surpass the ideas and accomplishments of musicality as we know it.