Beyoncé Is the First Black Female Artist with a Number One Country Song

a woman (beyonce) with curly platinum blonde hair wears a black cowboy hat, black sunglasses, a turquoise bolo tie, and a black dress

(Image credit: Beyonce/Instagram)

published 20 February 2024

We're only a week into Renaissance: Act II, and Beyoncé is already making history in the mainstream music industry. Today, Billboard announced that the superstar's first two songs from her upcoming album, "Texas Hold 'Em" and "16 Carriages," have made their debuts on the charts; "Texas Hold 'Em" landed at no. 1 on the Hot Country Songs chart, making Beyoncé the first-ever Black woman artist to top the rankings.

The upbeat line-dance track reached the top of the charts with 19.2 million streams last week, along with 39,000 traditional sales (per Luminate) and 4.8 million audience impressions from radio. Meanwhile, the epic ballad "16 Carriages" debuted at no. 9 on the Country chart, with 10.3 million streams, 14,000 sales, and 90,000 in radio reach.

As for the all-genre Billboard Hot 100 chart, "Texas Hold 'Em" debuted at no. 2 and "16 Carriages" at no. 38, with Jack Harlow’s “Lovin on Me" winning a sixth consecutive week at no. 1.

a woman (beyonce) poses in a black cowboy hat, a black bolero, a silver bra top and a silver bikini top with a black waistband, on the cover of the single "texas hold 'em" — "Texas Hold 'Em" is already breaking records with its no. 1 debut on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart.

The singer has also reached new heights as a genre-spanning artist. With her "Texas Hold 'Em" debut, Beyoncé has now gotten no. 1s on seven of Billboard’s charts as a solo artist: the Hot 100, Hot Country Songs, Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, Hot Gospel Songs, Hot Latin Songs, Hot R&B Songs, and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. The only artist to lead more genre charts is Justin Bieber with eight no. 1s, though Bey could bring a tie on that front with her highly-speculated Act III release. (Fingers crossed on a rock album!)

After Beyoncé surprise-dropped the two country songs on Feb. 11, following her Verizon Super Bowl commercial, fans and entertainment insiders wondered whether she would be embraced in the largely traditional country industry, given the genre’s history of ignoring Black artists. While the singer has always been public about her country roots and previously dabbled in the genre ("Daddy Lessons" from 2016's Lemonade), this is her first time releasing an all-country project. Still, per Rolling Stone, streamers including Spotify and Apple Music quickly put "Texas Hold 'Em" at the top of their country playlists, while Beyoncé’s label Columbia Records officially promoted “Texas Hold ‘Em” to country radio on Feb. 14.

Beyonce leaves the Luar fashion show at 154 Scott in Brooklyn during New York Fashion Week on February 13, 2024 in New York City — Beyoncé is spotted leaving the Luar fashion show on February 13, 2024.

Since the Renaissance: Act II era begun, Beyoncé has been booked and busy, with the ultra-private singer making several public appearances. After she debuted her Act II style at the Super Bowl (following her sneak peek at the 2024 Grammys), Bey made her first New York Fashion Week appearance in several years to support her nephew Daniel Julez J. Smith Jr., Solange Knowles' son, as he modeled in Luar's runway show. She also attended the New York premiere of bestie Kelly Rowland's new Netflix film Mea Culpa. Not to mention, she's been hard at work promoting her brand-new haircare line Cécred.

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Quinci is a Culture Writer who covers all aspects of pop culture, including TV, movies, music, books, and theater. She contributes interviews with talent, as well as SEO content, features, and trend stories. She fell in love with storytelling at a young age, and eventually discovered her love for cultural criticism and amplifying awareness for underrepresented storytellers across the arts. She previously served as a weekend editor for Harper’s Bazaar, where she covered breaking news and live events for the brand’s website, and helped run the brand’s social media platforms, including Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. Her freelance writing has also appeared in outlets including HuffPost, The A.V. Club, Elle, Vulture, Salon, Teen Vogue, and others. Quinci earned her degree in English and Psychology from The University of New Mexico. She was a 2021 Eugene O’Neill Critics Institute fellow, and she is a member of the Television Critics Association. She is currently based in her hometown of Los Angeles. When she isn't writing or checking Twitter way too often, you can find her studying Korean while watching the latest K-drama, recommending her favorite shows and films to family and friends, or giving a concert performance while sitting in L.A. traffic.

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