Beyoncé‘s country era has given other Black women in the genre a substantial stream bump. Billboard reports that Bey’s No. 1 Hot Country Songs hit single, “Texas Hold’ Em,” and her top 10 hit, “16 Carriages,” gave way to a burgeoning country renaissance. Pun intended.
Luminate reports that Black women in country, including rising sensation Tanner Adell, Reyna Roberts, K. Michelle, and instrumentalist Rhiannon Giddens all saw substantial gains in plays. Tanner Adell seized the moment on her own, taking to her TikTok on Wednesday (Feb. 14) with a call to arms. “If you’re waiting on Bey’s country album, you might like me,” she typed. Then on Tuesday (Feb. 20), Adell posted another TikTok celebrating her song shooting up the Shazam charts. Tanner’s “Buckle Bunny” and “Love You a Little Bit” went on to receive a 188% increase in “streaming activity.”
Roberts saw an increase in 200,000 on-demand streams for her 2020 “Stompin’ Grounds” track due to Bey’s presence. Reyna experienced a 250% increase from 57,000 streams tracked between Feb. 9 to Feb. 12.
K. Michelle, who has found success on the charts on her own, also benefitted from the Beyoncé effect. Her country track “Tennessee” from her LP, I’m The Problem, received a shot of adrenaline by way of 32,000 official on-demand streams from Feb. 9 to Feb. 15.
And last but not least, Rhiannon Giddens, the woman who played banjo on Bey’s “Texas Hold’ Em.” Giddens experienced love across her whole catalog from Feb. 16 to Feb. 19, with 108,000 on-demand streams.
Bey’s buzzing singles also impacted legendary Black women country singers. Icons like Linda Martell also saw a stream bump, with over 12,000 official on-demand streams. The impact marked a 275% increase from 3,000 streams from Feb. 9 to Feb. 12, Luminate reports. FYI, Ms. Martell is known for being the first Black woman to perform at Nashville’s Grand Ole Opry. She performed at the Opry 11 times from 1969 to 1975.
Let’s not make new mythology about Country music- let’s take this opportunity to get it right this time.
— Rhiannon Giddens (@RhiannonGiddens) February 22, 2024And to think Shannon Sharpe once said that Beyoncé doesn’t “move the needle” like Taylor Swift. During a January episode of Nightcap, Shannon compared Bey to Taylor. he argued that the latter was the closest musician music has to a modern-day Michael Jackson. Sharpe claimed Swift was the only one who could “move the needle.”
“The attention that she brings and the people, the eyes, that she brings that don’t even watch the game of football… it’s crazy what she’s been able to do for the NFL,” his co-host Chad Johnson said. “Tell me the other person that’s gonna do that,” Sharpe said, referencing a Front Office report stating that the pop star raked in $331 million in value to the NFL.
Chad then shot back, “Beyoncé.” However, Sharpe wasn’t convinced. “Not like this!” Sharpe responded. “These eight-to-15-year-old eyeballs — Ocho, I love Beyoncé. [But] Beyoncé ain’t moving the needle like this chick, Ocho… [Taylor is] the closest thing to moving the needle like Michael Jackson that we’ve seen. This is it.”
If causing a cultural ripple effect throughout the music industry isn’t “moving the needle,” we don’t know what is.
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