Dolly Parton Puts Country Music Gatekeepers in Their Place as She Enters the Beyoncé Chat

Dolly Parton is proving why she’s everyone’s beloved Queen of Country! The 78-year-old legend just shut down all of the Beyoncé haters who don’t think she deserves a space at the country music table. This dynamic duo could have a rippling effect on the sometimes-closed-minded people who want the genre to stay traditional.

In an Instagram post, Parton wrote the sweetest message to the 42-year-old singer. “I’m a big fan of Beyoncé and very excited that she’s done a country album,” Parton wrote in a text message on her grid. “So congratulations on your Billboard Hot Country number one single. Can’t wait to hear the full album! Love, Dolly.” After many fans doubted that Beyoncé could conquer the Nashville scene, she came up with a pop-country fusion banger, “Texas Hold ‘Em.”

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Beyoncé hinted to the Beyhive that something good was coming their way when she paired her black-check dress with a white cowgirl hat and a bolero tie at the 2024 Grammy Awards. It wasn’t the “Halo” singer’s usual formalwear, so it got her fans sleuthing about new music headed their way. They didn’t have to wait too long because, in addition to her smash single, Beyoncé released “16 Carriages” on Super Bowl Sunday via a Verizon commercial. “Texas Hold ‘Em” shot up the music charts, reaching No. 1 on the country charts, hitting No. 2 on the Hot 100 list, and setting records for the singer as the first Black woman to ever reach that huge milestone in country music.

There was controversy surrounding Beyoncé’s new crossover music, though. Country music station KYKC in Oklahoma found itself in an internet scandal after a fan requested them to play “Texas Hold ‘Em.” “I requested ‘Texas Hold ‘Em’ at my local country radio station (KYKC) and after requesting, I received an email from the radio station stating, ‘We do not play Beyoncé on KYKC as we are a country music station,'” a user shared on X.

Anyone who understands the Beyhive well knows exactly what happened next as the radio station was bombarded with emails, phone calls, and social media posts demanding they give Beyoncé’s new music a chance. “I’ve never experienced anything in my career like the amount of communications that we received in support of the song,” station manager Roger Harris told The New York Times. “We haven’t played her on our country station because she’s not a country artist. Well, now I guess she wants to be, and we’re all for it.”

And now that Parton has entered the chat, nobody better mess with Beyoncé in Nashville. There are two queens in town.

Before you go, click here for more documentaries about strong women in music.

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