Dolly Parton just ruled on the debate over whether or not Beyoncé’s new song “Texas Hold ‘Em” is a country song. The country icon took to Instagram Thursday to congratulate the Grammy-winning artist on releasing a country album and scoring the No. 1 spot on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart with the track.
Parton wrote, “I’m a big fan of Beyoncé and very excited that she’s done a country album. So congratulations on your Billboard Hot Country number one single. Can’t wait to hear the full album! Love, Dolly.”
Beyoncé’s second country song, “16 Carriages,” hit No. 9 on the same chart after being released at the same time as “Texas Hold ‘Em” mid-Super Bowl. Both are Beyoncé’s first songs to hit the country chart and appear on her upcoming album Act II, which is set to be released on March 29. Beyoncé’s official entryway into the country world has been marked with controversy, however, as some people refuse to acknowledge the musician in the genre.
The Texas-born singer’s mother, Tina Knowles, was quick to defend her daughter’s country roots on Instagram, however, writing alongside a compilation of Beyoncé’s Texas-inspired looks and works over the years, “We have always celebrated Cowboy Culture growing up in Texas. We also always understood that it was not just about it belonging to White culture only. In Texas, there is a huge black cowboy culture. Why do you think that my kids have integrated it into their fashion and art since the beginning?”
She continued, “When people ask why is Beyonce wearing cowboy hats? It’s really funny; I actually laugh because it’s been there since she was a kid; we went to rodeos every year, and my whole family dressed in Western fashion. …It definitely was a part of our culture growing up.”
Parton is no stranger to genre shifts, having released her first rock album Rockstar last year. The “Jolene” artist was inspired to switch things up after initially declining a nomination into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Class of 2022, saying she felt like her role in rock and roll music wasn’t worthy of a place in the Hall of Fame. Ultimately, she did accept her invitation, but under the condition that she successfully completed a crossover album featuring legendary rockers like Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Stevie Nicks, Steven Tyler and Peter Frampton.
“I accepted gracefully, but I thought, ‘Well, I’m gonna have to earn it,’ because I’m like my daddy, I don’t want nothing I ain’t earned,” Parton told Classic Rock in November “Through the years I’d thought that I might one day do a rock album. And timing is everything. So that’s really what motivated me to record Rockstar, because I had pretty much given up on the idea, because of my age. That’s when I thought, ‘No, I’m gonna do it.'”