Beyoncé Becomes First Black Woman To Top Country Charts

Beyoncé breaks barriers for Black female artists, becoming the first to take the #1 spot on Billboard's Top Country Songs with her newest single "Texas Hold Em."

Beyoncé is yet again breaking barriers with her music. The release of her latest single “Texas Hold ‘Em” has topped the Billboard Hot 100 Country Chart, making her the first Black woman to do so.

The song dethroned Kacey Musgraves and Morgan Wallen’s collaboration “I Remember Everything” on Feb. 20 with its over 19 million streams and 39,000 traditional sales, in figures confirmed by Billboard. However, the shift to country was met with delightful shock by listeners, as the song is the traditionally R&B’s singer first ever to hit the genre’s airplay.

The song was released on Feb. 11, soon after her Super Bowl commercial with Verizon, alongside a slower-tempo ballad, “16 Carriages,” to much acclaim from critics and the BeyHive, the singer’s fanbase, alike. “Texas Hold ‘Em” also debuted at #2 on the Billboard Hot 100, with its accompanying song debuting at #38 and #9 for Hot Country Songs.

Beyond a shift in genre for the most decorated Grammy winner, it is also a reclamation of country music for Black artists. Prior to the Houston native’s historic feat, Tracy Chapman became the first Black woman songwriter to pen a #1 country song due to Luke Combs’ rendition of her 1988 single “Fast Car.”

While Beyoncé is not the sole, nor the first, Black woman to occupy the country music scene, her platform in the industry is shedding light on the past and present artists who have been marginalized in a typically all-white cohort of musicians. Now, the singer is part of a new movement to diversify modern country music, with its roots tracing back to string bands formed by enslaved African Americans, as reported by PBS on the art form’s history.

Fans hope that the rest of Beyoncé’s country charm can be heard in act two of her three-part project, dropping on March 29. In the meantime, fellow enthusiasts of the entertainer can try out her new haircare line, Cécred, which was officially released on Feb. 20.