Beyoncé makes history as first Black woman to top US country charts

At the 2024 Super Bowl, Beyoncé announced Renaissance Act II, and shared two brand new singles, "16 Carriages” and “Texas Hold ‘Em” which were heavily inspired by country music. Controversially, a country radio station in Oklahoma refused to play the song after it was requested, stating: "We do not play Beyoncé on KYKC as we are a country music station".

Four hours later, after the Beyhive found out and campaigned for more people to request the song and fight against "blatant racism and discrimination” from the station, KYKC announced that the songs were now on their database. Since then, Beyoncé has officially earned her first ever charting single on country radio, following its debut at number 50. This makes it the first solo song by a black female artist to chart since Mickey Guyton's 2016 release, “Heartbreak Song”

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After its slow entry at number 50, "Texas Hold ‘Em" has swiftly climbed up Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, and sits in the number one spot. NME reports that Beyoncé is the "second solo female act – with no accompanying featured artists – to debut at number one, with Taylor Swift achieving this in 2021 with her re-recorded versions of "Love Story" and "All Too Well".