This Ain’t Her First Rodeo: Beyoncé Debuts Country Era

Welcome to the Renaissance, Act II – where the theme of freedom and revolution does a genre pitstop. During the SuperBowl LVIII commercial break, in a Verizon advertisement, Beyoncé announces the second rendition of Renaissance which is scheduled to release on March 29, 2024. In the stars words, “Okay they’re ready, drop the music,” dropping not one, but two songs “16 Carriages” and “Texas Hold ‘Em.” Both tracks have country influences from Texas that cannot be denied.
“16 Carriages” provides us with a slow ballad that emotionally pulls on the heart strings while showing a glimpse of the life that young Beyoncé had to live through. In the song she sings, “At 15, the innocence was gone astray, had to leave home at an early age…All my tender problems had to leave behind,” touching on her sacrifices that she had to make to follow her big girl dreams. This song appears to convey a heartfelt message to her younger self, reflecting on the challenges of navigating life at a young age.
“Texas Hold ‘Em” starts off with the banjo and heavy beats of the boom-boom-clack that we know and adore, shedding light on West African culture of the banjo mixed with the folksy attitude that moves you to get off your seat and onto the dancefloor. She says in the song, “Come take it to the floor now, (woo), And I’ll be damned if I cannot dance with you!” This song adds more comfortability for Black people to put on a cowboy hat, their biggest belts, and get a pint of beer while line dancing to the beat. Raphael Saaqiq also co-produced this song, so we can feel the soul of Blackness in every inch.
The song “Texas Hold Em” has charted #1 on the country Billboard chart, and “16 Carriages” has charted #9. Fans have taken a liking to the new songs, as the Hive and boot-scootin’ lovers alike go to TikTok to make their own line dances to “Texas Hold ‘Em.” Country legend, Dolly Parton, has joined the BeyHive and gave Beyoncé her flowers in a recent Instagram post. “I’m a big fan of Beyoncé and very excited that she’s done a country album. So congratulations on your Billboard Hot Country number one single. Can’t wait to hear the full album! Love, Dolly Parton,” the glammed, gorgeous diva of country warmly states to the Houston native. The Guardian also came out with an article proclaiming her as the first Black woman to top Billboard’s Country Songs chart with “Texas Hold ‘Em,” and the first woman to top both the Hot Country Songs and Hot R&B Hip-Hop Songs chart since the list began in 1958.
But, where there is smoke, there’s fire. The country genre has been always tied to a certain hue of blonde wavy hair, American flag bootstraps, and Ford trucks, as the Billboard charts over the years will tell you. When Beyoncé dropped her arguably first country song, “Daddy Lessons” in 2016 on her self-exploring, homecoming album Lemonade, the Country Music Association Awards and the Grammy’s country music committee did not nominate the song for any awards, which was viewed as a snub, though it was never made clear whether Beyoncé music was actually submitted for consideration. In addition to lack of nominations and wins, radio stations were criticized for playing “Daddy’s Lessons” on the radio, and opinions flooded the gates. In an 2016 Country Music Television article titled, “What’s So Country About Beyoncé?”, the writer shares her opinions stating, “Sure, Beyoncé’s new album Lemonade has a song with some yee-haws, a little harmonica and mentions of classic vinyl, rifles and whiskey. But all of the sudden, everyone’s acting like she’s moved to Nashville and announced that she’s country now.”
Tina Knowles, Beyonce’s mother and biggest supporter, came out on Instagram last week in a long caption to close the backlash that her daughter has been receiving for releasing more country songs. “We have always celebrated cowboy culture growing up in Texas. We also always understood that it was not just about it belonging to White culture only…why do you think that my kids have integrated it into their fashion and art since the beginning?” From “Daddy Lessons” to “16 Carriages,” Beyonce continues to bridge the gap of our roots and plight to Black freedom.