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Beyoncé Performs 'Cowboy Carter' for First Time in NFL Halftime Hoedown Featuring Blue Ivy
Beyoncé woke up flawless and in the mood to share some exciting news.
Yes, the "Texas Hold 'Em" singer confirmed she's embarking on the Cowboy Carter Tour this year, announcing her latest move with two posts shared to Instagram Feb. 2.
The Grammy winner first teased the news in an announcement following her Christmas Day halftime performance. However, she later shared the initial date would be postponed due to the Los Angeles wildfires.
ICYMI, while the Houston Texans took a break from battling the Baltimore Ravens—the latter of whom ultimately won out—Beyoncé stepped onto the stage to perform a medley of songs from Cowboy Carter, including “Ya Ya,” “Riiverdance,” “Jolene,” and “Texas Hold ‘Em.”
It was the perfect gift to the Bey Hive, marking the first time Beyoncé performed any songs live from her most recent album live—and she had collaborators Shaboozey, Post Malone, Tanner Adell, Tiera Kennedy, Reyna Roberts, Brittney Spencer and daughter Blue Ivy Carter join her.
But if that weren’t enough, shortly after her performance ended, Beyoncé served up another gift. Except rather one wrapped in paper and bows, this treat was delivered in the form of an enigmatic social media post.
In the video, Beyoncé sits astride the same white horse from her Cowboy Carter album, dressed in a white and gold Western-inspired getup as she swings an American flag around, with a simple caption below: “Look at that horse.”
Prior to the Feb. 2 confirmation, fans speculated that the mystery news might be a Cowboy Carter tour, a Beyoncé residency, or something related to the highly anticipated Act III.
Greg Noire/Parkwood Entertainment
After all, when Beyoncé released Renaissance in 2022, she shared the project would unfold in three parts. And with the release of Cowboy Carter—part number two—fans have been waiting with bated breath for details on the final part of the trilogy.
Which, they will have to wait just a little longer for.
In the meantime, Beyoncé is gearing up for what can only be an exciting Grammys evening. After all, Cowboy Carter earned an impressive 11 nominations for the Feb. 2 ceremony.
Among her nominations were nods for Record of the Year and Song of the Year, as well as her fifth nomination for Album of the Year—all of which contributed to making Beyoncé her the most nominated artist in Grammy history with a grand total of 99 nods. (She was previously tied with husband Jay-Z).
Greg Noire/Parkwood Entertainment
The recognition for Cowboy Carter comes after the “Flawless” singer was shut out of the 2024 CMA Awards by the Country Music Association. And while Beyoncé never addressed the snub—which split country artists—she’s previously spoken to how her country album was borne from feeling excluded in country music spaces.
"Because of that experience," she wrote in a March 19 Instagram post. "I did a deeper dive into the history of Country music and studied our rich musical archive. It feels good to see how music can unite so many people around the world, while also amplifying the voices of some of the people who have dedicated so much of their lives educating on our musical history."
For more on Cowboy Carter, keep reading.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for The Recording Academy
“Ameriican Requiem”
Within the first single on Cowboy Carter, Beyoncé lays it all out for her critics, seemingly referencing the backlash she faced after she performed at the CMA Awards in 2016.
“They used to say I spoke, ‘Too country’ / And the rejection came, said I wasn't, 'Country 'nough,'” she sings, “Said I wouldn't saddle up, but / If that ain't country, tell me, what is? / Plant my bare feet on solid ground for years / They don't, don't know how hard I had to fight for this.”
At the time, fans noted that the CMA Awards appeared to take down footage of her surprise performance alongside The Chicks. However, in a statement to E! News, the organization shared they took down a promotional clip instead.
Parkwood Entertainment
“16 Carriages”
Along with “Texas Hold ‘Em,” the Grammy winner’s song “16 Carriages” was one of the two lead singles to come from her multi-faceted record. In the ballad, Beyoncé seems to sing about working from a young age and focusing on her dreams. After its release, her fans online classified it as one of her most personal songs yet.
“Sixteen carriages drivin’ away / While I watch them ride with my dreams away / To the summer sunset on a holy night / On a long back road, all the tears I find.”
(Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage for Parkwood)
“Protector”
One of her more melodic singles, “Protector” opens up with none other her daughter Rumi asking about a lullaby.
The singer—who is also mom to Rumi’s twin brother Sir and their oldest sibling Blue Ivy—reflects on her role as a mom. “Born to be a protector, mm-hmm / Even though I know someday you're gonna shine on your own.”
“I will be your projector, mm, mm-hmm / An apricot picked right off a given tree,” she notes. “I gave watеr to the soil / And now it feeds me, yeah, yеah (Yeah) / And there you are, shaded underneath it all / I feel proud of who I am /Because you need me.”
Parkwood Entertainment/Julian Dakdouk
“Texas Hold ‘Em”
An instant hit that frankly needs no introduction: The up-tempo single “Texas Hold ‘Em” held onto the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart, marking Beyoncé's ninth solo number one song. Not to mention, her hit also topped the Hot Country Songs chart, making the Destiny’s Child alum the first Black woman with a number one country song in Billboard history.
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Parkwood
“Dolly P” & “Jolene”
Not only did the Grammy winner take Dolly Parton’s hit “Jolene” and make it her own: “Jolene, I'm a woman too / Thе games you play are nothing new / So you don't want no hеat with me, Jolene,” but she also recruited the country star for an interlude that tipped its hat at another well-known character: Becky with the good hair.
“Hey miss Honey B, it's Dolly P,” Dolly says, “You know that hussy with the good hair you sing about? / Reminded me of someone I knew back when / Except she has flamin' locks of auburn hair / Bless her heart / Just a hair of a different color but it hurts just the same.”
Though Beyoncé made it clear that her take is more of a stern warning: “But you don't want this smoke, so shoot your shot with someone else (You heard me).”
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“II Most Wanted”
The now Grammy-nominated collaboration with Miley Cyrus remains a favorite of fans, with the duo’s lyrics about being a “shotgun rider” becoming a standout instantly. Last June, the Hannah Montana star reflected on the writing process, sharing that she penned the song years before Beyoncé reached out about Cowboy Carter.
"I told her, 'We don’t have to get country; we are country,'” Miley told W Magazine. “'We’ve been country. You know, between you being from Texas and me being from Tennessee, so much of us is going to be in this song.(add single quotation) Getting to write a song, not just sing, for Beyonce was a dream come true."
Together on the track, they sing their notable chorus, “I'll be your shotgun rider 'til the day I die / Smoke out the window flyin' down the 405/ And I'll be your backseat baby / Drivin' you crazy anytime you like.”
Kevin Mazur/Getty Images for Parkwood
“Sweet Honey Buckin'”
On this track, the 32-time Grammy winner made note of one snub that stood out noticeably during the 2024 Grammys: Her not winning Album of the Year for Renaissance.
In fact, when her husband Jay-Z took the stage that night, he couldn’t help but call it out then and there—a moment that she doesn’t hesitate to highlight.
“A-O-T-Y, I ain't win (Let's go) / I ain't stuntin' 'bout them,” she sings, “Take that s--t on the chin/ Come back and f--k up the pen (Yeah).”
Parkwood Entertainment
“Levii's Jeans”
Her sultry collab with Post Malone was not only one of the songs that served to be a match made in heaven (“Boy, I'll let you be my Levi's jeans / So you can hug that ass all day long”)—but the singer would later strip down for a denim-filled campaign that September with the iconic clothing brand.
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