BEYONCé'S NEW COUNTRY SINGLES BREAK THE INTERNET AND HIGHLIGHT GENRE'S BLACK ROOTS

Beyoncé certainly wasn't lying when she said, "I stop the world, world stop."

The global superstar sent shock waves throughout the internet when she dropped two country music singles and announced during the Super Bowl that she would be releasing "Act II" of her "Renaissance" project on March 29.

Bey released songs "16 Carriages" and "Texas Hold 'Em" Sunday night and sent fans into a frenzy.

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One fan wrote on X, formerly Twitter: "Beyoncé creates moments.... I'm so inspired by her calculations of everything. Her timing. Her mystery. She has mastered being hyper visible and simultaneously inaccessible. She’s earned the hype, the success, the freedom.

Beyoncé is 'reclaiming the genres that started with Black culture''

Other Beyhive members were quick to make predictions about her next projects.

Another user noted that the "Cuff It" singer was "reclaiming genres that started with Black culture," pointing to "Act I" as an ode to house music and now "Act II" with country music.

According to the credits for each song, Beyoncé worked with Black artists who have been influential in the country music genre. The single, "Texas Hold ’Em” features Rhiannon Giddens on the banjo.

Gidden has been a prominent figure in educating the nation about the banjo and its roots in Black culture before becoming a predominantly white instrument.

The singer's single “16 Carriages” features Robert Randolph on steel guitar. Randolph is another legendary artist known for staying true to his Black roots.

Some fans were quick to point out country music's roots and African American influence are still not widely embraced within the genre.

One user said plainly, "Pay attention to how people write about this Beyoncé era…. It’ll play into everything."

Another wrote, "i hope this beyoncé era inspires people to look up some influential Black artists in country music. linda martell was the first Black woman solo artist to play the grand ole opry. she endured so much."

Follow Caché McClay, the USA TODAY Network's Beyoncé Knowles-Carter reporter, on Instagram, TikTok and X as @cachemcclay.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Beyoncé's new country singles break the internet and highlight genre's Black roots

2024-02-12T14:45:30Z dg43tfdfdgfd