Dolly Parton is the Queen of country music – so when she shared her opinion on Beyonce's foray into the genre, we all listened.
The Jolene singer, 78, took to Instagram on Thursday to share a statement after Beyonce became the first Black woman to clinch the top spot on the Hot Country Songs chart with her new single, Texas Hold 'Em.
Despite appearing to upset some country music fans when she dropped two surprise country songs during the Super Bowl earlier this month – Dolly has made it clear she is 'team Bey' all the way.
© Instagram"I'm a big fan of Beyoncé and very excited that she's done a country album," Dolly wrote.
"So congratulations on your Billboard Hot Country number one single."
Sharing her excitement for Beyonce's debut country album, Renaissance II, Dolly added: "Can't wait to hear the full album!" before signing off: "Love, Dolly".
Dolly isn't the only country musician to share their support for Bey. Lainey Wilson also expressed her excitement over the Halo singer joining the genre.
© NBC"I love it," the Watermelon Moonshine singer, 31, told Extra. "The more the merrier."
She added: "I'm like, again, it's about that storytelling. It's just about making people feel at home and everybody wants to feel at home."
When asked about the controversy surrounding a country music station that refused to play Beyonce's new songs, Lainey said: "Hey, you know what? Everybody is going to have something to say about everything. I'm like, 'I bet you wouldn't say it to her face' – I love Beyoncé."
© Neilson BarnardFellow country star Maren Morris praised Beyonce's crossover, telling E! News: "I feel like she's always been genre-less.
"But I think the leaning into country elements and sort of reclaiming country music back to Black people because they created the genre is such a statement."
© Getty ImagesBeyonce announced her venture into country music in a commercial for Verizon during the Super Bowl on February 11.
In the ad, Beyoncé humorously attempts to "break the internet" with various antics, eventually teasing: "You ain't gon' break me. Okay, they ready. Drop the new music".
She then posted a video on Instagram that seemed to be a trailer for a Western film, and at the end, it revealed that she was releasing new music, announcing the follow-up to 2022's hugely successful Renaissance will drop on March 29.
Alongside Texas Hold 'Em, Beyonce also released 16 Carriages, and both have proved to be a hit.
The former dethroned Zach Bryan and Kacey Musgraves duet, I Remember Everything, which had dominated the chart for 20 weeks, while the latter debuted at number nine.
According to Billboard, Texas Hold 'Em not only garnered 19.2 million official streams but also achieved 4.8 million in all-format airplay audience and sold 39,000 copies in the U.S. by February 15.
Meanwhile, 16 Carriages attracted 10.3 million streams, reached 90,000 radio audiences, and sold 14,000 copies.
Beyoncé's latest feat also makes her the first and only woman to have topped both the Hot Country Songs and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs charts.
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