Beyoncé updated her website during the Super Bowl to confirm that new music is on the way, teased simply as "Act II" of "Renaissance." Here's everything to know.
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Beyoncé has officially launched a new era of music.
She made the announcement shortly after starring in a Verizon commercial that aired during the Super Bowl on Sunday. At the end of the clip, she declares, "They ready, drop the new music."
The brief comment set the internet ablaze. Shortly after, Beyoncé's website was updated to announce "Act II" of her latest album "Renaissance" will arrive on March 29.
Back when "Renaissance" dropped in 2022, it was enigmatically described as "Act I" on her website, though no other details were revealed at the time.
Beyoncé also released a trailer on social media that teases a pivot to country music. The video shows Beyoncé driving past a sign that reads, "Radio Texas: 100000 Watts of Healing Power" and a billboard with the tagline "Texas! Hold 'Em." (Beyoncé famously hails from Houston, Texas.)
The short clip includes snippets of "Maybellene" by Chuck Berry and a brand new single by the superstar herself, "Texas Hold 'Em," which was released on streaming platforms shortly after.
"Texas Hold 'Em" quickly became the first song by a Black woman to reach No. 1 on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart. It has also notched two weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100 so far.
"Texas Hold 'Em" was released alongside another single, "16 Carriages."
"At 15, the innocence was gone astray / Had to leave my home at an early age / I saw mama praying, I saw daddy grind / All my tender problems, had to leave behind," Beyoncé sings in the chorus of "16 Carriages."
Both songs recall "Daddy Lessons," the sixth track on Beyoncé's album "Lemonade."
Fans had already speculated that Beyoncé was teasing more country music when she wore a cowboy hat and a leather bolo tie to the 2024 Grammy Awards.
Her "Renaissance" tour visuals also included references to Western iconography and Southern culture, especially horses, which may be intended to represent Beyoncé's connection to her hometown.
Country, folk, bluegrass, and Americana artists have recently experienced a surge in popularity, with artists like Morgan Wallen, Noah Kahan, Zach Bryan, and Kacey Musgraves leading the charge. At the Grammys last week, Luke Combs was nominated for a countrified cover of Tracy Chapman's 1988 song "Fast Car." They performed the song as a duet; it was widely considered a highlight of the ceremony.
Last April, Variety reported that country music was seeing a "historic streaming spike," largely fueled by Wallen's blockbuster album "One Thing at a Time."
Wallen also represents the genre's thorny relationship with racism. Back in 2021, he was harshly rebuked when he was caught on video using the N-word. However, once the initial backlash died down, Wallen was welcomed back by radio stations and industry executives.
Beyoncé herself inspired backlash from country fans, an audience that tends to lean white and conservative, when she performed "Daddy Lessons" at the 2016 Country Music Association Awards with The Chicks.
With the exception of "Texas Hold 'Em" and "16 Carriages," little is known about the "Act II" tracklist so far.
However, country legend Dolly Parton did reveal that Beyoncé has recorded a rendition of "Jolene," her beloved 1973 single.
"I think she's recorded 'Jolene' and I think it's probably gonna be on her country album, which I'm very excited about," Parton told Tennessee outlet Knox News — though she clarified that she doesn't know for sure.
"We've kind of sent messages back and forth through the years," Parton added of Beyoncé. "She and her mother were like fans, and I was always touched that they were fans, and I always thought she was great."
In fact, Beyoncé has already worked with esteemed country artists for this album cycle: Rhiannon Giddens provided banjo for "Texas Hold 'Em," while Robert Randolph plays steel guitar on "16 Carriages."
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
