Beyoncé’s historic foray into country music has received a resounding thumbs-up from none other than Dolly Parton.
In an Instagram post Thursday, Parton said she was a “big fan” of Beyoncé and “very excited that she’s done a country album.”
The country music legend wrote, “So congratulations on your Billboard Hot Country number one single. Can’t wait to hear the full album! Love, Dolly.”
“Texas Hold ’Em,” one of two new songs Beyoncé unveiled during the Super Bowl telecast on Feb. 11, shot to No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart this week.
The achievement made Beyoncé the first Black female artist to secure the top spot on the chart, which measures the 50 most popular country songs in the U.S. Her second track, “16 Carriages,” landed at No. 9.
Both “Texas Hold ’Em” and “16 Carriages” will appear on Beyoncé’s forthcoming album, “Renaissance: Act II.” Due out March 29, the album is believed to embrace a country-rock vibe in a nod to the 32-time Grammy winner’s real-life Texas roots, marking a major shift away from her usual pop and hip-hop sound.
Though Beyoncé’s genre-hopping isn’t unprecedented, the success of “Texas Hold ’Em” has drawn a fair share of detractors ― which isn’t surprising given that country is still perceived as a conservative musical genre and has been known to sideline artists of color.
Among those to defend Beyoncé was her mother, Tina Knowles, who pointed out that Black musicians have always helped shape country music.
“When people ask why is Beyonce wearing cowboy hats? It’s really funny, I actually laugh because it’s been there since she was a kid, we went to rodeos every year and my whole family dressed in western fashion,” she wrote on Instagram last week. “It definitely was a part of our culture growing up.”