Music is always a huge part of the Super Bowl, but that was especially true this weekend. Post Malone, Reba McEntire, and Andra Day sang pre-game; Kaskade was the in-game DJ; Usher crushed it with his halftime show; and Taylor Swift was in attendance to watch the Kansas City Chiefs defeat the San Francisco 49ers in overtime.
Then there was Beyoncé, who decided to make the big game her moment by announcing new music with a commercial. Not only did she tease “Act II,” but she also dropped two new songs, “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages.”
Both tunes indicate that “Act II” is Beyoncé’s country era. “Texas Hold ‘Em” has a bit of a “Home” by Edward Sharpe And The Magnetic Zeros energy but with more twang, meaning it’s a jaunty and catchy folk-leaning number. “16 Carriages,” meanwhile, is more of a slow and dynamic country ballad. While neither song sounds like most of what Beyoncé has done lately, she’s a pro and she sounds as comfortable in this space as one might expect from a performer of her caliber.
Renaissance, Beyoncé’s previous album, is sometimes referred to as Act I: Renaissance, so it remains to be seen what the full title of “Act II” is (or if it does just end up being Act II). Whatever the case, it appears to be coming out soon.
Listen to “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages” above.