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"Texas Hold 'Em" is a song by American singer Beyoncé from her eighth studio album, Cowboy Carter. It serves as the album's co-lead single alongside "16 Carriages". The song was a surprise release and debuted during Super Bowl LVIII on February 11, 2024, through Parkwood Entertainment and Columbia Records. Titled after the poker game variant, "Texas Hold 'Em" is an uptempo country pop, western, and soul song featuring elements of folk. It was written by Beyoncé, Elizabeth Lowell Boland, Megan Bülow, Brian Bates, Nathan Ferraro and Raphael Saadiq. Music critics praised "Texas Hold 'Em" for its playful tone, authentic sound, Beyoncé's vocal performance, and its celebration of the Black roots of country music. Country artists and country radio managers also praised the song for elevating the accessibility of country music for a wider audience. The track ignited discussions on Black musicians' place within country music, boosted the listenership of Black country artists and country radio in general, and increased the popularity of Western wear and culture. "Texas Hold 'Em" was a commercial success and marked several historical achievements. In the United States, it topped the Billboard Hot 100, becoming Beyoncé's ninth solo number one single. Additionally, the song debuted atop the Hot Country Songs chart, making Beyoncé the first Black woman with a number-one country song in Billboard history. Outside of the United States, "Texas Hold 'Em" topped the charts in several countries including Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Japan, the Netherlands, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom, as well as the Billboard Global 200, earning Beyoncé her first number-one song and the first ever country song to do so since that chart's inception in 2020. Background Beyoncé was born and raised in Houston, Texas, where the city's cowboy heritage and zydeco music played a role in her upbringing. She listened to country music from an early age, particularly from her paternal grandfather. She attended the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo every year with her family wearing western clothing, and later performed at the Rodeo four times between 2001 and 2007. Throughout her career, Beyoncé has celebrated her Southern roots, such as implementing elements of country music on B'Day (2006), performing a country version of "Irreplaceable" with Sugarland in 2007, celebrating her country and Southern identity on "Formation" (2016), releasing the country track "Daddy Lessons" from Lemonade (2016) and later performing the song with The Chicks at the 2016 CMA Awards, spotlighting Southern culture during her 2018 Coachella performance, and centering her pride about her Southern country roots on "Black Parade" (2020). In 2021, Beyoncé released the Ivy Park x Adidas "Rodeo" clothing line inspired by "the overlooked history of the American Black cowboy"; Beyoncé commented on the collection saying: "Many of them were originally called cowhands, who experienced great discrimination and were often forced to work with the worst, most temperamental horses. They took their talents and formed the Soul Circuit. Through time, these Black rodeos showcased incredible performers and helped us reclaim our place in Western history and culture." Release During Super Bowl LVIII, American singer-songwriter Beyoncé starred in a commercial with actor Tony Hale for Verizon. Her appearance was teased by the company in the days leading up to the Super Bowl with teaser trailers featuring her sixth and seventh studio albums, Lemonade (2016) and Renaissance (2022). At the end of the commercial, which sees the singer attempt to "break the Internet" in various ways, Beyoncé says, "Okay, they are ready. Drop the new music" leading to media speculation of the second act of her ongoing Renaissance trilogy. Beyoncé then took to her Instagram account and announced her eighth studio album, tentatively titled Act II, with a release date of March 29, 2024, through a teaser featuring an unidentified woman starting up a car with a license plate that read "Texas Hold 'Em". As she drives up an empty road, she passes by a group of men staring at a billboard. The billboard features the same slogan as the license plate. It includes a cutout of Beyoncé in a seductive pose. As the Super Bowl continued, she released two tracks from Act II to streaming services and digital download: "Texas Hold 'Em" and "16 Carriages". Composition Named after the poker game, "Texas Hold 'Em" is an uptempo country pop and western inspired soul song. It is in the key of D major and feature elements of folk music. It features a "rapid-plucked" banjo and acoustic guitar introduction that moves into a "stomping" beat. Chris Willman of Variety likened the song to Beyoncé's "Daddy Lessons" (2016) for its "playful" sound and danceability, while Ben Beaumont-Thomas of The Guardian found whispers of the Jonas Brothers "What a Man Gotta Do" (2020) in its melody. Beyoncé wrote "Texas Hold 'Em" with Nathan Ferraro, Elizabeth Boland, Megan Bülow, and Raphael Saadiq; she produced it with Killah B and Nathan Ferraro. Rhiannon Giddens, an American musician and scholar advocating for the reclamation of country music instruments by Black musicians, contributed by playing banjo and viola on the song. following its release, Giddens commented on the song, writing:My only hope is that it might lead a few more intrepid folks into the exciting history of the banjo. I used to say many times as soon as Beyoncé puts the banjo on a track my job is done. Well, I didn't expect the banjo to be mine. Critical reception In a review for Variety, Chris Willman described "Texas Hold 'Em" as a "genre-embracing and -transcending" track that acts as a radical venture into "unexplored territory", with Beyoncé reclaiming country music as a Black genre. Willman noted that instead of being "genre tourism", Beyoncé is taking a serious and authentic approach to her embrace of country music, exercising her "natural right" to reach back into her roots as a Texas native. The Guardian's Ben Beaumont-Thomas admired the "rootsy and authentically country" vocal and instrumental arrangements, as well as how Rhiannon Giddens's inclusion on the song highlighted her work to deepen listeners' understanding of how instruments such as the banjo was originated by Black musicians. In an article for Time, Taylor Crumpton wrote that Beyoncé's presence in country music signals the "birth of a new era" in which performers "who have continued to carry on the legacy of country's music heart and soul" are celebrated. Crumpton also commented on how, rather than molding herself to the will of the gatekeepers of country music, Beyoncé "has been country for the entirety of her life," growing up in a community that saw a "cultural exchange between Black, Tejano, and Indigenous communities." Craig Jenkins for Vulture praised how "thornily" the song "plays dealer with a stack of country clichés like wisdom earned .... Discover the Raphael Ferraro popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Raphael Ferraro books.