Beyonc Gets Dolly Partons Stamp Of Approval After Making Country Music History

Beyoncs historic foray into country music has received a resounding thumbs-up from none other than Dolly Parton . 

In an Instagram post Thursday, Parton said she was a big fan of Beyonc and very excited that shes done a country album.

The country music legend wrote, So congratulations on your Billboard Hot Country number one single. Cant wait to hear the full album! Love, Dolly.

Texas Hold Em, one of two new songs Beyonc unveiled during the Super Bowl telecast on Feb. 11, shot to No. 1 on Billboards Hot Country Songs chart this week. 

The achievement made Beyonc the first Black female artist to secure the top spot on the chart, which measures the 50 most popular country songs in the U.S. Her second track, 16 Carriages, landed at No. 9. 

Both Texas Hold Em and 16 Carriages will appear on Beyoncs forthcoming album, Renaissance: Act II . Due out March 29, the album is believed to embrace a country-rock vibe in a nod to the 32-time Grammy winners real-life Texas roots, marking a major shift away from her usual pop and hip-hop sound. 

Though Beyoncs genre-hopping isnt unprecedented, the success of Texas Hold Em has drawn a fair share of detractors  which isnt surprising given that country is still perceived as a conservative musical genre and has been known to sideline artists of color. 

Among those to defend Beyonce was her mother, Tina Knowles, who pointed out that Black musicians have always helped shape country music. 

When people ask why is Beyonce wearing cowboy hats? Its really funny, I actually laugh because its been there since she was a kid, we went to rodeos every year and my whole family dressed in western fashion, she wrote on Instagram last week. It definitely was a part of our culture growing up.