Beyoncé makes US chart history with hit song Texas Hold 'Em
Texas Hold ‘Em was unveiled as a surprise during the Super Bowl earlier this month.
Beyoncé has made Billboard Country Charts history by becoming the first Black woman to land a number one single on the country music section.
The 42-year-old singer’s new song, Texas Hold 'Em, which was unveiled as a surprise during the Super Bowl earlier this month alongside another single 16 Carriages, topped the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart on Tuesday (20th February).
Released on Sunday 11th February, the track achieved the number-one position after just four days of tracking.
In that time it was streamed 19.2 million times in the US and downloaded 32,000 times, according to entertainment data company Luminate.
Texas Hold 'Em gives fans a first glimpse at the star’s forthcoming studio album Renaissance Act II, which is set for release on Friday 29th March.
The album is a follow-up to her ballroom and club-influenced 2022 album Renaissance, which won won Best Dance/Electronic Album at the 2023 Grammys.
Beyoncé's record-breaking feat comes after a row erupted last week over the song’s categorisation as a country track.
A country radio station in Oklahoma initially declined to play a request for Beyoncé’s new single, responding to a fan that “we do not play Beyonce on KYKC as we are a country music station”.
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But after a campaign on Twitter, which was recently rebranded as X, KYKC quickly backtracked, claiming it was not aware that Beyoncé had crossed over into the country genre.
Its Facebook account said the station “didn't physically have it [the songs]. Now we do. Love it”.
“We initially refused to play it in the same manner if someone requested us to play The Rolling Stones on our country station,” KYKC’s general manager Roger Harris said.
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Authors
Molly Moss is a Trends Writer for Radio Times, covering the latest trends across TV, film and more. She has an MA in Newspaper Journalism and has previously written for publications including The Guardian, The Times and The Sun Online.
