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Even before the release of her new album, which promises to explore country, Beyoncé this week wrote a new page in the history of American music, becoming the first black singer to rank a single at the top of the charts in this musical genre. Gone.
Released on February 11, in the midst of the Super Bowl, the single titled “Texas Hold ‘Em”, a rhythmic song with banjo sounds, reached number one on Billboard magazine’s “Hot Country Songs” ranking, while their second single ” 16 Carriages” ranked 9th.
The Billboard site wrote, “Prior to Texas Hold ‘Em+’s triumph, no black woman or mixed-race woman had reached this pinnacle.”
While country is a musical genre based on the African-American roots of the United States, particularly the banjo, used by African slaves exiled to the continent, black artists have historically been excluded.
In 2019, one of the songs of the year featured elements of this genre by rapper Lil Nas, an exclusion that caused controversy.
In recent years, black artists like Mickey Guyton and Brittany Spencer have still managed to carve out a niche in country music. An indication of this late recognition, the famous folk and country song “Fast Car”, written by Tracy Chapman and released in 1988, won the Best Song of 2023 award at the Country Music Awards, but after singer Luke Combs gave it Second life with its recovery.
Beyoncé’s new album, “Act II” is set to be released on March 29. Promised as a country album, it is the second chapter of a trilogy that began in 2022 with “Renaissance,” a record with a lot of dance and house accents.
“Act II” will be the Texas native’s 8th album. He is the most successful in the history of the Grammy Awards, the American music industry awards, with 32 gramophones.