Why Beyonce’s “Texas Hold ‘Em” Has Taken Over TikTok

In her delightfully cheeky Verizon super bowl commercial, beyonce Vow to do one thing: break the internet. As the ad shows, she can’t – at least not literally.Instead, after the commercial ended, she did something else: She hacked the Internet and dropped two new songs, “Texas Hold’em” and “16 Wagons,” the former of which has become a Tik TokThe hottest dance song of the year.

This happens all the time. Almost everything Beyoncé does — every album, every outfit — goes viral. That’s why her Verizon ads don’t seem like superficial attempts. Astro Turf Elsewhere, “Texas Hold ‘Em” is a big pop-country crossover with its fast banjo riff (from maestro Rhiannon Giddens) and its references to whiskey and its Lyrics brought to the floor are perfect for line dancing. Suitable for interesting imitations and interpretations, it naturally performs well on social platforms.It would be even weirder if TikTok No Within a week of the song’s release, it was flooded with new dance numbers. (If you’re looking for the video that best exemplifies this trend, check out This is the leaderboard from performers Matt McCall and Dexter Mayfield, then follow the sound down, down, down. )

Inevitability, however, isn’t all the reason “Texas Hold ‘Em” is almost a background soundtrack these days. 134,000 videos With millions of collective views. The song quickly became popular on TikTok at a time when much music on the platform was muted. TikTok vs. Universal Music Group.

Back in January, the major label pulled songs to which it had rights, including those by Taylor Swift and Billie, from TikTok after the two companies failed to reach an agreement on a UMG music licensing deal ·Clips from artists such as Billie Eilish. Videos using music from these artists now play without sound. Beyoncé’s music is distributed by UMG rival Columbia/Sony, so “Texas Hold ‘Em” is now No. 5 on TikTok’s Viral 50 chart.

Now, Beyoncé is riding to the top of social media like a shiny holographic disco horse. When she announced her new album, act 2and dropped “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages,” the internet is excited about the fact that Beyoncé is working on what appears to be a full country album off of 2016’s country-infused “Daddy Lessons.” continue lemonade(“She’s here to take this bitch back to the country!!” Replied on the @BeyLegion X account. “‘Daddy Lessons’ has been reloaded!” Went to another one.)

On Tuesday, ‘Texas Hold’em’ made Beyoncé a first black woman Debuted at No. 1 advertising billboard‘s Hot Country Songs Chart. The song has now been played nearly 20 million times.

TikTok sounds don’t count advertising billboard charts, but there’s no doubt that the viral dance created a hype that led to song streams, album sales, and radio play. Beyoncé (probably) has no control over the TikTok/UMG situation, and she has no way of knowing whether their licensing dispute will still be ongoing when her new music drops (again, probably), but it exists for her ‘s new song paves the way for one of the biggest things happening in music on the platform right now. No doubt it will anyway, we have reached these heights but with less competition there is nothing to stop it.