EARLY SIGNS SHOW APPROVAL FOR BEY'S COUNTRY PIVOT

Audiences and gatekeepers appear to be on board with Beyoncé's rootsy new music. Both pre-album cuts from act ii (Parkwood/Columbia), "TEXAS HOLD 'EM" and "16 CARRIAGES," which dropped with maximum fanfare during the Super Bowl, are streaming up a storm; "TEXAS HOLD ’EM" currently occupies the #1 position at Apple Music and was most-added at Pop radio.

At Spotify, the track is poised to earn 20m+ streams by the end of the week; as of this writing it sits at #6 on the DSP’s global chart. Only Kanye West & Ty Dolla $ign's "CARNIVAL" remains ahead of "TEXAS" on the Spot's U.S. chart—a circumstance that could change at any minute given Ye’s distribution difficulties.

Meanwhile, the Bey-hive is doing its best to safeguard the queen’s dominion at iTunes, where five versions of "TEXAS" occupy five of the top six berths, including #1; "16 CARRIAGES" resides at #2.

"TEXAS" is racking up big adds at Pop and Rhythmic radio; Country radio is slated for impact on 2/20, with Sony Nashville running point on promo. While there could be pushback from some Country stations, iHeart is said to be throwing its support behind the superstar's pivot.

"Beyoncé is an innovator who continues to push the creative boundaries in music," reads a quote jointly issued by iHeart honchos Tom Poleman and John Sykes. "Many of our Country and Top 40 programmers began playing the new single earlier this week, and now that it’s officially been rolled out, we’re excited to share her new song with our listeners nationwide—including the entire iHeartCountry platform." The two then excused themselves as they were due to have their Stetsons blocked.

Will Queen Bey’s genre-bending new approach end up being bigger than Texas? Stay tuned.