By: Charlie St. Dennis

Picture it. Super Bowl Sunday, 2024. 123 million viewers are tuned in, and right after halftime, an ad for Verizon appears. The concept of the ad was for Beyonce to do stuff and see if she could “break the internet.” She was alongside actor Gary Hale who, after repeatedly telling Beyonce she didn’t break the internet, was instructed to “drop the new music.”

Along with my fellow BeyHive members, I was very excited to open Instagram to find that she did, indeed, drop new music, which was part of a trilogy (this part being “act ii”). What many were surprised to find out was that the two singles she dropped, TEXAS HOLD ‘EM and 16 CARRIAGES, were… country?

Yep, Beyonce released country music. To many this came as a surprise, but not to me. She just completed her ‘Renaissance World Tour’, which was heavily influenced by black queer musicians in three genres they originated: bounce, house, and disco. It only makes sense that she would follow suit with another genre originated by black musicians: country!

Considering that Beyonce has been my most listened artist for years, and I can confidently say I know all of her songs, it’s safe to say that I absorb a lot of speculations regarding what her next steps will be, and here are some of the most likely theories!

1. “act iii” will be Rock & Roll This is one of my favorite theories because it stems from Beyoncé’s British Vogue photo shoot from 2021, just months before the announcement of ‘Renaissance’. She shot with 3 different themes, one being disco (potentially ‘Renaissance’), one being at a rodeo (potentially “act ii”), and one being on a motorcycle with a Joan Jett-esque haircut (potentially “act iii”, and potentially Rock & Roll!)
2. What is the title of “act ii?” Many Beyonce fans believe that the title of “act ii” will be ‘Rodeo’, considering she announced the album just days before the start of the Houston Rodeo, which is where she was born. This would also, obviously, apply to the country theme. While many fans agree that this is the likely name, some have other ideas. Other name ideas include ‘Enlightenment’ or ‘Reflection’, in the spirit of learning new genres and reflecting on their history. Another prominent one is ‘Redemption’, which many people see as a way of Beyonce announcing she’s reclaiming these genres that were once originated by people of color.

3. Guest Artists! One of the writers of “Texas Hold ‘Em”, producer Killah B, was asked if there would be any guest artists on the new album, including perhaps another music industry icon Taylor Swift, and his response was “Let’s just say, she’s (Beyoncé) on the approach of shocking the world. I’ll let your imagination decide what that means”.

Another theory about guest artists is Lady Gaga. 15 years ago, Gaga and Beyonce released the music video for their hit joint single, “Telephone,” which ends with the two stars driving on an old country road with a banner saying “To Be Continued.” Many believe that they will, finally after all these years, come together to make a new song, after the promo video for the album featured a car driving on a beaten country road.

Stay tuned for “act ii” on streaming on March 29th! We got “Texas Hold ‘Em” to number one, let’s get the whole album!