Beyoncé Announces New Album — and It’s Country
Beyoncé announced the second installment from her Renaissance series, and this time the album settles into country territory.
The gays are still getting over the slay that was Beyoncé’s Renaissance, but the pop singer isn’t giving her fans a chance to breathe. Instead, she’s announced a new album, it’s coming very soon, and fans can already hear the surprising new sonic direction she’s chosen for her latest era.
On Sunday, February 11, Beyoncé dropped two new songs. The tracks, “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages,” are assumed to be the first official singles from her forthcoming album, which was announced at the same time that the cuts arrived.
Beyoncé took to social media on Sunday night to reveal the second installment of Renaissance is coming next month. Seemingly titled just Renaissance Act II, the project is expected to drop on March 29.
Fans of Queen Bey might be surprised when they press play on either “16 Carriages” or “Texas Hold ‘Em,” as they don’t sound like Beyoncé’s usual output. This time around, the singer is moseying in a country direction. Both tunes are examples of a modern way of delivering that genre, but they haven’t lost her signature songwriting style. They’re Beyoncé – only with a cowboy hat.
Beyoncé is only a few weeks removed from ending the promotion of her first Renaissance album. That set focused on house music especially, and it was a massive critical and commercial success. The set won her several Grammys and was “robbed” of many others, according to quite a few who love her.
The superstar toured Renaissance worldwide, finishing in 2023 with one of the top-grossing and highest-rated treks of the year. She then turned her bestselling concert tour into a film, which was a box office smash. Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé hit No. 1 in America and as of early January grossed $45 million worldwide.
Beyoncé teased that new music was coming during a Verizon ad she appeared in that aired during the Super Bowl.
A voiceover at the very end of the must-see spot included her saying that the world was ready for the new music.
Her singles arrived a short time later, following the game. Both “16 Carriages” and “Texas Hold ‘Em” instantly went to No. 1 on iTunes, and they’ve taken turns running that chart ever since.
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