Beyoncé’s ‘Texas Hold ‘Em’ Makes Debut on Country Airplay Chart

Beyoncé’s latest single “Texas Hold 'Em” has officially entered the Country Airplay chart, marking her debut on Billboard‘s country music platform almost twenty years into her illustrious career.

After dropping “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages” on the high-profile Super Bowl Sunday, the music industry eagerly anticipated how the country music scene would receive these tracks, especially in light of historical challenges faced by Black artists in the genre. While streaming platforms like Spotify and Apple Music immediately featured “Texas Hold ‘Em” on their country playlists, the response from traditional country radio remained unclear.

Columbia Records, Beyoncé’s record label, recently promoted “Texas Hold ‘Em” to country radio stations, leading to its entrance into the Country Airplay chart at Number 54 with approximately 1.1 million impressions, as reported by Billboard.

As highlighted by Rolling Stone, Beyoncé’s versatility stretches beyond her pop and R&B roots, with notable country influences evident in her 2016 hit “Daddy Lessons” from the album Lemonade. In contrast, Nashville stalwarts have dominated the country music scene for the past decade.

Despite having just a few days of radio play, the focus now shifts to how “Texas Hold ‘Em” will fare on the chart next week and on other charts considering streams and sales, such as the Hot 100 and Hot Country Songs lists. Fans draw comparisons to Lil Nas X‘s “Old Town Road” saga in 2019, when the track was initially removed from the Hot Country Songs chart, awaiting Billboard’s update next Tuesday for clarity.

If “Texas Hold ‘Em” secures the top spot on the Hot Country Songs chart, Beyoncé will achieve a historic milestone as the first Black female artist to claim a country Number One. With multiple versions of the song climbing the iTunes chart and strong positions on Apple Music and Spotify’s Top US charts, fans are rallying to propel “Texas Hold ‘Em” to Number One, currently second only to Kanye West and Ty Dolla $ign‘s “Carnival.”