"Texas Hold 'Em" is a song recorded by American singer and songwriter Beyoncé from her eighth studio album, Cowboy Carter (2024). It serves as the album's joint-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.

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. It 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. It was nominated for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Country Song at the 67th Annual Grammy Awards.

"Texas Hold 'Em" was an international 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 singles charts in several countries including Belgium (Flanders), Canada, Iceland, Ireland, 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. The song also peaked within the top ten of the charts in other various countries.

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, 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 and Renaissance (2022), respectively. 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 album trilogy.

Beyoncé then took to her Instagram account and announced her eighth studio album, tentatively titled Act II, later revealed to be titled Cowboy Carter, with a release date of March 29, 2024.This announcement came 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 the album 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 "Daddy Lessons" 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, Atia Boggs, Megan Bülow, Raphael Saadiq And Dahian Martinez; 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 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 in card games and dive bars but pumps them full of lyrics that would make a Grand Ole Opry audience sweat."

Writing for Consequence, Mary Siroky proclaimed "Texas Hold 'Em" as her early song of the summer while lauding Beyoncé's "inimitable" vocal performance. Kyle Denis of Billboard also praised Beyoncé's "impassioned vocal performance", as well as the "slick harmonies" and powerful instrumentation on the track. Will Hodgkinson of The Times wrote that the track "sure is fine", praising the "ultra-catchy melody" and describing it as a soon-to-be wedding classic.

In his negative review, Chris Richards of The Washington Post wrote that the song felt "dull, dry, unimaginative, unnecessary, unconfident and uncool." Pitchfork Nadine Smith appreciated how the song brought the "parallel worlds" of country and soul music together through its collaborators, but criticized Beyoncé's attempts at "9-to-5 relatability" and "car commercial"-esque production.

Rolling Stone placed the song at #192 on its ranking of the 200 Greatest Country Songs of All Time.

Accolades

+ Awards and nominations Organization Year Category Result ASCAP Country Music Awards 2024 Most Performed Country Songs ASCAP Pop Music Awards2025Winning Songwriters ASCAP Rhythm & Soul Music Awards2025Winning Songs BET Awards 2024 Viewer's Choice Award BRIT Awards 2025 Best International Song Hit FM Music Awards2025Top 10 Singles Kids' Choice Awards 2024 Favorite Song MTV Europe Music Awards 2024 Best Song MTV Video Music Awards 2024 Song of the Year Best Trending Video People's Choice Country Awards 2024 The Song of 2024 The Female Song of 2024 Rockbjörnen 2024 Foreign Song of The Year Grammy Awards 2025 Record of the Year Song of the Year Best Country Song

Impact

Black artists in country music

With the release of "Texas Hold 'Em", Beyoncé was seen as reclaiming country music and bringing it back to its Black roots. It also sparked conversations on the inclusion of Black artists within the country genre. The BBC's Daisy Woodward wrote that Beyoncé's embrace of country music "galvanises" the reclamation of western culture by those who have felt excluded by it and subverts the traditional image of cowboys. American author and country songwriter Alice Randall, in an interview for The Washington Post, affirmed that Beyoncé "is spotlighting and building on a profound tradition" which started with Modern Sounds in Country and Western Music by Ray Charles, stressing that "[Beyoncé] is going to take it even further if the things she's already done in country is any indication," even if Charles wasn't prized by the music genre at the time.

NBC News's Emi Tuyetnhi Tran wrote that "Texas Hold 'Em" has the potential to redefine what it means to be a country artist "in the cultural consciousness." In an analysis for American Songwriter, Thom Donovan reported that "country music's embrace of hip-hop was the natural progression" and "Texas Hold 'Em" is "more than a cheeky metaphor; it's part of the larger arc of Beyoncé's work celebrating the legacy of Black artists". As the singer did with the first act, Donovan wrote that "Beyoncé reminds listeners that country music is another kind of dance music."

The release of the song spotlighted Black musicians in the country music space and boosted their listenership. Black female country musicians saw a significant increase in streams due to the song, such as Reyna Roberts (250%), Rissi Palmer (110%), Tanner Adell (188%) and K. Michelle (185%). Linda Martell, the first commercially successful Black female country artist and the first to play the Grand Ole Opry, saw a 275% increase in streams. Other musicians who saw an increase in demand include Adia Victoria, Amri Unplugged, Brittney Spencer, Mickey Guyton, Rhiannon Giddens, and Sacha. Black-led country organizations such as the Black Opry also received a significant increase in followers. NPR's Amanda Marie Martínez also said that the song has highlighted and boosted the profile of Black country artists. The song, Martínez writes, has revealed the "strong demand" for country music made by Black artists and a "growing community" of Black country fans. In an article for The Nashville Tennessean, Andrea Williams explained how Beyoncé has opened the door for others in country music and proved that Black songwriters, producers, and musicians belong in the genre. Williams wrote that Black people are generally "shut out of country music's creation" and that they "have been waiting for the opportunity to take part in the genre their forefathers helped build, to not be told they're too urban for Nashville studios." With "Texas Hold 'Em", Williams writes, Beyoncé celebrates Black country musicians, proving they are "country enough" and allowing them to receive their due credit and remuneration.