The Beyhive is busting out its cowboy hats and breaking out in line dances.
After the singer debuted two country singles, “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages,” on Sunday during the Super Bowl, some country enthusiasts hoped that Beyoncé’s star power would help bring more recognition for Black artists within the genre. Many people also pointed out country’s roots in the African diaspora and believed Beyoncé’s venture into country would be an act of reclaiming the music, which has often been perceived as a genre for white men.
“I hope this is going to open up some people’s eyes to country music,” said Reyna Roberts, a Nashville-based singer who has previously opened for Reba McEntire. “Just [with] Beyoncé releasing her music, in the past day I’ve probably gained like 12,000 fans just from people looking at Black Country music.”
Many of Beyoncé’s fans — collectively known as the Beyhive — have been anticipating a full country album from the Texas-born singer since she released the song “Daddy Lessons” in 2016. As fans patiently await Act II, which releases March 29, they have started looking for other Black country artists to listen to in the meantime.
As TikTok users have posted their love for Beyoncé’s new “country era,” the platform’s algorithm has served them content from smaller Black country artists.
Julie Williams, an independent artist based in Nashville, posted a TikTok calling for more recognition and attention to Black country artists as people began posting about Beyoncé’s singles.
Williams said in an interview that she is optimistic that more people will become interested in country music because Beyoncé is “the creator of culture.”
“Black music is country music,” she added. “My hope is that in this era of Beyoncé, those lines will be blurred and people will discover country and country artists and will begin to innovate and bring amazing changes to the genre that have been needed for…
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