Beyoncé has once again climbed up to the top spot on the UK Official Singles Chart with her latest release, “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM”, shockingly marking her first Number 1 in 14 years. The track, a bold venture into the country genre, demonstrates why this iconic artist is still one of the queens in modern music.
Climbing eight places week-on-week, “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM” secures Beyoncé’s sixth UK Number 1 single and her first since March 2010 when she collaborated with Lady Gaga on “Telephone”. Her only solo single to top the charts, prior to the “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM” release, was 2008’s “If I Was A Boy”.
The achievement adds another milestone to her chart-topping history, encompassing hits such as “Crazy in Love” and “Déjà vu”—which both feature her now-husband, Jay-Z—as well as the collaboration with Shakira on “Beautiful Liar”; on top of them, Beyoncé has two more Number 1s as part of the girl group, Destiny’s Child, titled “Survivor” and “Independent Women”.
The genre-defying success of “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM” is particularly noteworthy as it becomes the first country-influenced song to claim the Number 1 spot in the UK since Lil Nas X’s “Old Town Road” in 2019. Beyoncé’s foray into country music aligns with a growing resurgence of the genre in the UK, marked by the success of artists like Luke Combs and Morgan Wallen.
Notably, country music, a dominant force in the US, has historically faced challenges in breaking into the UK market, with very few making waves over here. Stars like Johnny Cash, Garth Brooks, and Kenny Rogers have all made it big over here but female country stars like Dolly Parton, Sheryl Crow, and Shania Twain all conquered the UK but they don’t have a Number 1 to their names.
Then there’s Taylor Swift who rose to the limelight with country music and made an impact with the genre leading to Lady Antebellum (now known as Lady A) and The Band Perry gaining chart success with “Need You Now” and “If I Die Young”. Other country music successes include Billy Rae Cyrus’ “Achy Breaky Heart”, Miley Cyrus’ “Hoedown Throwdown”, Charlie Daniels Band’s “The Devil Went Down To Georgia”, and The Common Linnets’ “Calm After The Storm”. Beyoncé’s triumph may signal a turning tide, inspiring other mainstream acts to explore country sounds in their future projects.
Could we finally see the likes of Carrie Underwood, Brad Paisley, Thomas Rhett, Tim McGraw, Miranda Lambert, Keith Urban, Luke Bryan, Blake Shelton, and Carly Pearce get the UK chart numbers they deserve? We can only hope.
In a week where breakthrough sensation Benson Boone secures a new peak at Number 2 with “Beautiful Things,” and Dua Lipa’s “Training Season” debuts energetically at Number 4, Beyoncé’s return to the top spot marks a momentous occasion. Another queen made waves in the UK Top 10 this week, too, with Mariah Carey jumping on to Ariana Grande’s “yes, and?” making it rebound up to Number 7.
As we celebrate Beyoncé’s resurgence, we also acknowledge other notable movements in the charts, including DJO’s (Stranger Things star Joe Keery) impressive climb from last week’s position of Number 100 to Number 11 with “End of Beginning” and Ella Henderson and Rudimental’s ascent to a new peak at Number 12 with “Alibi”.
Elsewhere in the UK Top 40, Calvin Harris and Rag’n’Bone Man are back with a new collaboration titled “Past Life” which debuts at Number 19 while following closely behind is Kygo and Ava Max’s collaboration titled “Whatever” has risen to Number 20. Also rising is Good Neighbours with their debut single “Home” which is at Number 30, Michael Marcagi with “Scared to Start” which re-peaks at Number 31, and Yung Filly with his single “Grey” is at Number 33.
Elsewhere on the Top 100 of the UK Official Singles Chart, NewEra hits a new peak at Number 44 with “Birds in the Sky”, Muni Long also hits a new peak at Number 48 with “Made For Me”, and Richy Mitch & The Coal Miners climb up three places to Number 50 with “Evergreen”.
Bob Marley & The Wailers make a welcome return with two tracks in the Top 100, “Could You Be Loved” at Number 51 and “Three Little Birds” at Number 56, both of which haven’t hit the UK Chart since 1980! Their resurgence is due to the Bob Marley film biopic that is in cinemas right now, titled Bob Marley: One Love.
Bryson Tiller’s “Whatever She Wants” is new on the chart at Number 53, while Rich Amiri’s “One Call” climbs four places to Number 60. Also rising is Dillon Gossett with “Coal” which is now at a new peak of Number 61, and a little further down is Shy Smith’s “Soaked” which is also at a new peak of Number 66.
The number two DJs in the world according to DJ Mag’s Top 100 list, Dimitri Vegas & Like Mike continue to rise with their latest single “Thank You (Not So Bad)” in collaboration with Dido, Tiësto and W&W, which is at Number 73—can they climb past their highest and only UK Chart hit, from 2014. where they peaked at Number 30 with Martin Garrix on the song “Tremor”?
Also climbing is Nathan Dawe—like we said he would—with his solo song “We Ain’t Here For Long” which is now at Number 78 while Jason Derulo & Michael Bublé’s collaboration titled “Spicy Margarita” is new at Number 80. Then there’s the Hazbin Hotel soundtrack which is still hanging on in the UK Chart with one song, re-entering the Top 100 and claiming a new peak of Number 96, titled “Hell’s Greatest Dad” by Jeremy Jordan, Amir Talai, Kimiko Glenn, Sarah Stiles, Andrew Underberg, Erika Henningsen, and Sam Haft.
With her undeniable impact on the charts and her bold genre exploration, Beyoncé continues to prove that her musical reign knows no bounds. “TEXAS HOLD ‘EM” is a solid track that is certainly worthy of sitting atop the UK Official Singles Chart, let’s hope she can continue her reign at the top in the coming weeks.