Beyoncé announces new album, shares two country songs

Beyoncé used the Super Bowl Sunday to announce details of her next studio album. Act II will be released on March 29. Two new songs, "Texas Hold 'Em" and "16 Carriages," are streaming below. Both songs have a strong country influence, suggesting that the upcoming album will be Beyoncé's Nashville record.

The idea of a new album has been rumored since the first instalment of Beyoncé's Renaissance series was released in July 2022. She went on to state that the album was the first of a three-act project, though never clarified what the second and third acts would look like.

During the Super Bowl LVIII game on Sunday, Beyoncé shared a video online confirming the album title, release date, and more. The video, directed by Nadia Lee Cohen, features a snippet of Chuck Berry’s "Maybelline" as well as an apparent reference to Wim Wenders’ 1984 film Paris, Texas.

Earlier on Sunday Beyoncé starred in an advert for internet service provider Verizon. The theme of the comic ad was Beyoncé attempting to "break the internet" the company offers access to. When her first few ideas (running for President, going into space) failed she resorted to a more tried-and-tested method, ending the ad by saying "drop the new music." "Texas Hold 'Em" and "16 Carriages" arrived online soon after.

Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour began in Sweden in May last year. It was later the focus of a concert film, Renaissance: A Film, released in theaters at the end of 2023.

Thumbnail image via Photo by Kevin Winter Getty Images for The Recording Academy.