The pop superstar announced Sunday night that the second act of her promised “Renaissance” trilogy is due March 29.
She revealed the news in a video posted on Instagram that was timed to a Verizon commercial featuring the singer that aired during Super Bowl LVIII.
The follow-up to 2022’s club-inspired “Renaissance,” the new album appears to be a country-music immersion for Beyoncé, who released a pair of songs from the album Sunday in “Texas Hold ’Em” and “16 Carriages.”
According to credits posted on Beyoncé’s official YouTube channel, the bouncy “Texas Hold ’Em” was co-written and co-produced by veteran R&B artist Raphael Saadiq and features Rhiannon Giddens on banjo. “16 Carriages,” a slow-rolling ballad, has Robert Randolph on steel guitar.
A native of Houston, Beyoncé is no stranger to the sounds and iconography of country music: In 2016 she teamed up with the Chicks for a performance of her song “Daddy Lessons” on the CMA Awards, and last week she wore a cowboy hat to the Grammy Awards.
Listen to “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages” below.