Beyoncé becomes the first Black woman to top the country charts

On Wednesday, "Texas Hold 'Em" made its debut at the top of the Billboard Hot Country Songs list, making Beyoncé the first Black woman to achieve a number one hit on the chart.

Beyoncé made history on Wednesday by becoming the first Black woman to have a No. 1 hit in the history of Billboard's Hot Country Songs with "Texas Hold 'Em," which debuted at the top of the chart.

"Texas Hold 'Em," the lead track from her upcoming eighth studio album, is a twangy, upbeat tribute to the pop star's own state. It was released during the Super Bowl alongside "16 Carriages," a song that came right after Beyoncé's Verizon commercial.

Released on March 29, the new album, which sounds like a country record, was referred to as "act ii" of the three-part project that started with Beyoncé's highly regarded "Renaissance" album, which she released in 2022.

With its historic achievement on Wednesday, country music — a genre that has long been associated with musicians of color but is frequently viewed as exclusive — saw a cultural change. With her song "Color Him Father," which reached at No. 22, Beyoncé ultimately broke Linda Martell's record, which she had held for more than 50 years, becoming the highest-ranking Black woman's single on the country charts with "Texas Hold 'Em," according to Billboard.

According to Billboard, Beyoncé also made history by being the first female to have topped both the country and R&B/hip-hop charts since the genre song rankings were introduced in 1958. She now joins Morgan Wallen, Justin Bieber, Billy Ray Cyrus, and Ray Charles as the only performers to have done so.