Beyoncé Makes History As The First Black Woman To Earn A No. 1 On Billboard’s Hot Country Songs Chart

The Texas native replaced Zach Bryan and Kacey Musgraves’ duet “I Remember Everything” in the No.1 spot.

By

Madeleine O’Connell

| Posted on

February 21, 2024

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10:50 am

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Photo Courtesy Of Beyoncé

When Beyoncé appeared in the Verizon ad during the 2024 Super Bowl, she warned viewers of her plans to break the internet. In just over a week’s time, she’s done that and more, thanks to her two new country songs – “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages.” 

The new songs were serviced to country radio on Feb. 13 and almost instantly made history with their success as “Texas Hold ‘Em” landed at No. 1 and “16 Carriages” debuted at No. 9 on the Hot Country Songs chart.

On Tuesday (Feb. 20), Billboard reported that the pop/R&B/hop-hop superstar’s entrance at the top of the chart with “Texas Hold ‘Em,” makes her the first Black female artist to claim the No. 1 spot. Additionally, the tune, which has racked up 19.2 million streams and counting, took the top spot away from Zach Bryan and Kacey Musgraves whose duet “I Remember Everything” reined at No. 1 for 20 weeks.

The upbeat, genre-bending nature of “Texas Hold ‘Em” also debuted at No. 2 on the Hot 100 chart. PEOPLE revealed that the track has garnered a total of 4.8 million in all-format airplay audience and achieved 39,000 sales in the U.S. through Feb. 15, per Luminate.

The Houston, TX native’s recent string of historic feats doesn’t stop there. She also became the first female artist to take over the top spot on Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs since the lists became “all-encompassing genre song charts” in October 1958, according to Billboard. Beyoncé now joins the short list of acts who have led both the Hot Country Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs, including Morgan Wallen, Justin Bieber, Billy Ray Cyrus, and Ray Charles. 

Plus, Beyoncé and Taylor Swift are the only solo female artists to enter at No. 1 on the chart. Swift made her mark in the top spot with “Love Story (Taylor’s Version)” and “All Too Well (Taylor’s Version)” in 2021.

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“16 Carriages” was unveiled in conjunction with “Texas Hold ‘Em” and landed at No. 9 on the Hot Country Songs chart and No. 38 on the Hot 100 chart. The tune has since racked up 10.3 million streams, 90,000 in radio reach and 14,000 sold.

The “Queen Bey” first saw her name on Billboard’s charts in 1997 when she was as a part of the female musical group Destiny’s Child. The group achieved four No. 1s on the Hot 100 and two on the Billboard 200, beginning in 1999. Since embarking on her solo career in 2003, Beyoncé has garnered eight and seven leaders on the respective charts. 

While at first there was some hesitancy in seeing the genre-bending artists name go to country radio, stations around the country reviewed an overwhelming number of requests from fans wanting to hear her new tunes on the airwaves. As a result, Columbia Nashville sent an email to stations on Feb. 14 announcing that “Texas Hold ‘Em” was officially being sent to country radio, in addition to other formats. This serves as Beyoncé’s first entry on Billboard’s Country Airplay chart (dated Feb. 24), at No. 54 with 1.1 million audience impressions at the format.

Beyonce Texas Hold 'Em, 16 Carriages Single Art
Beyonce Texas Hold ‘Em, 16 Carriages Single Art

“We put the Beyoncé directly into a strong rotation so it can be heard. I want the station to sound as interesting as possible, because the opposite is boring,” Dave Parker, program director of Sinclair’s WUSH Norfolk, Va told Billboard. “This song is sounding great and doesn’t sound like anything else. Plus, the feedback from listeners has been very positive.”  

In the GRAMMY-winning artist has since transformed her Instagram feed to reflect the country-leaning chapter of her musical career. The majority of her most recent posts find Beyoncé offering different variations of her bold style, with each look including a matching cowboy hat. 

Both “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages” dropped February 11 and are expected to appear on her next album titled Act II, which she announced will be dropping on March 29. Many fans anticipate that Act II  will be a country-themed follow-up to her Renaissance album, which dropped in 2022 as part one of what she revealed at the time to be a “three-act project.”

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Madeleine O’Connell graduated from North Central College with a bachelors degree in Journalism and Broadcast Communications before deciding to pursue her studies further at DePaul University. There, she earned her masters degree in Digital Communication & Media Arts. O’Connell served as a freelance writer for over two years while also interning with the Academy of Country Music, SiriusXM and Circle Media and assisting with Amazon Music’s Country Heat Weekly podcast. In addition to Country Now, she has been published in American Songwriter, Music Mayhem, and Holler.Country. Madeleine O’Connell is a member of the Country Music Association and the Academy of Country Music.