Beyoncé’s ‘Texas Hold ‘Em’ debuts on country charts, and it’s a big deal

Beyoncé’s new country single “Texas Hold ‘Em” debuted at No. 50 on Billboard’s country airplay chart and No. 54 on Mediabase, a rare feat for Black female country artists.

In the eight decades Billboard has had country radio charts, only seven Black female acts have achieved placement on those charts. Linda Martell’s 1969 track “Color Him Father” still holds the record for the highest placement by a Black female country artist on the charts — No. 22.

Billboard and Mediabase’s country airplay charts measure spins in major versus minor markets and rank records by audience impressions. Country radio stations pay close attention to these numbers to determine how well a song is performing and if they should play it.

“Texas Hold ‘Em” is the first song by a solo Black female artist to chart since Micky Guyton’s 2016 hit “Heartbreak Song,” according to U.S. Radio Updater. Guyton took roughly three months to chart on country radio. Beyoncé achieved it in a week.

Rissi Palmer, a Black female country performer and host of Apple Music Radio’s Color Me Country program, released a trio of country radio singles between 2007 and 2008, none of which charted higher than No. 47. [USATODAY]