Beyoncé’s latest music has won her yet another culture-shifting accolade, this time in unexplored territory.
Last week, the 42-year-old confirmed the long-held fan theory that the sequel to 2022’s Renaissance: act i will be a country album, as she released two new singles in that style.
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On Monday (February 12), just one day after the songs ‘Texas Hold ‘Em and “16 Carriages” went live, a fan account dedicated to the Houston native shared that “Beyoncé is the FIRST black female artist to reach the top of Apple Music US Country chart in history. She is also the first female black artist to occupy the first and second position on the chart simultaneously.”
This stat has been backed up by other outlets.
🚨 Beyoncé is the FIRST black female artist to reach the top of Apple Music US Country chart in history.
She is also the first female black artist to occupy the first and second position on the chart simultaneously. pic.twitter.com/5eb775MpUt
— Beyoncé Press. (@beyoncepress) February 12, 2024
The megastar announced the arrival of Renaissance: act ii in a multi-layered reveal that started with a new Super Bowl ad for Verizon. In it, Beyoncé and the network’s now iconic “Can You Hear Me Now” tech try a number of different schemes to see if the singer can “break the internet” once again.
The commercial ends with her blasting off to space as a fictional news anchor announces her plans to deliver the first live performance from the cosmos. In the last few seconds of the ad, she says: “Okay, they ready, drop the new music.”
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The surprise Verizon ad had the intended effect of driving fans to her socials as they looked for additional hints about how to access Beyoncé’s latest offering. Just moments after the ad premiered, she delivered with a Texas-themed trailer for the new project, which is set to arrive on March 29.
Thirty minutes after sharing the trailer, she returned to Instagram to announce the release of two new singles.
The surprise drop came after fans began speculating that she’s been hinting at a country release, citing things like Bey’s country-inspired look at the 2024 Grammy Awards as her 2019 “Black Parade” lyrics: “I’m going back to the South, where my roots ain’t watered down.”
One thing that has been confirmed in the past is that the original Renaissance album the first installment of a trilogy. In November, New York Times reporter Kyle Buchanan wrote in a since-deleted tweet that Act II would be an “acoustic album” and that Act III would be a collaboration with JAY-Z.
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This was neither confirmed nor denied by Bey’s camp.
