Beyoncé Teases ‘Renaissance Act II’ With Two New Songs & Makes Billboard Country Chart History
Beyoncé is now the the first woman to top both the Hot Country and Hot R&B/Hip Hop charts.
Beyoncé tried all manner of outlandish techniques to break the internet in her viral Super Bowl LVIII commercial for Verizon before finally setting on a time-tested method: “Drop the music.”
Moments after the ad aired, the megastar singer announced Act II, the second installment in her Renaissance triptych, out March 29. To whet fans’ appetites, Beyoncé also released a pair of singles from the upcoming LP, which follows 2023’s Renaissance.
Based on the art, instrumentation and lyrics of these first two tracks, it seems that Act II will definitely take cues from country music. The ballad “16 Carriages” pairs evocative lyrics like “summer sunset on a holy night” with an acoustic guitar accompaniment and droning electric organs that ultimately give way to an epic brass arrangement.
Meanwhile, the honky tonk-worthy “Texas Hold ‘Em” puts down four on the floor for fiddles and whistles as Beyoncé melds genres with lyrics like, “It’s a real-life boogie and a real-life hoedown. Don’t be a bitch, come take it to the floor now.”
“Texas Hold ‘Em” later debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot Country Charts while “16 Carriages” took No. 9 on the chart. Beyoncé made history by becoming the only Black woman to top the Hot Country charts and the first woman ever to top both the Hot Country and Hot R&B/ Hip Hop charts.
Her teaser clip for Act II set in what looks like rural Texas further teases Act II’s Deep-South influences as a radio station scans through country songs from multiple eras.
As Rolling Stone notes, the first Renaissance installment was met with universal acclaim, even causing public outcry after it lost Album of the Year to Harry Styles’ Harry’s House the 2023 Grammy Awards.
Count on Act II getting an Album of the Year nomination—and perhaps the win—at next year’s Grammy’s.