Beyoncé is the first Black woman to reach the #1 spot on the country music chart on Billboard.

This week, Beyoncé became the first Black female artist to occupy the #1 spot on the Billboard country songs list with her new country track "Texas Hold 'Em."

"16 Carriages," Beyoncé's other single, which was concurrently published on February 11, also made its debut on the Billboard country chart at No. 9. Within the Billboard Hot 100, the tracks peaked at No. 2 and No. 38. Over 19 million streams have already been pulled to "Texas Hold 'Em," while 10.3 million streams have been drawn to "16 Carriages."

In the past, Black musicians have had difficulty breaking through in the predominantly white male country music scene. However, the unexpected popularity of Beyoncé's country hits coincides with the beginning of Black women's recognition in that field.

Tracy Chapman received song of the year at the 2018 Country Music Awards for "Fast Car," which became the number one song on the country charts thirty years after its release, mostly due to Luke Combs's cover. Recent years have seen a rise in the popularity of black female country musicians like Brittney Spencer and Mickey Guyton.

The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart and the Hot Country Songs chart were both created in 1958, and Beyoncé is the only woman to have topped both, according to Billboard. A Verizon ad that played during the Super Bowl revealed that Beyoncé's new album, which will be released on March 29, is a country-themed follow-up to "Renaissance," which she referred to as "Act II." Both of the singles are from the album.

An update was made on February 22, 2024: The chart on which Beyoncé became the first Black woman to occupy the top place was incorrectly reported in a previous version of a capsule description included with this article. Rather than the Country Airplay chart, it was on Billboard's Hot Country Songs list. Within the article, the mistake was replicated.

Via The New York Times