Beyoncé surprised fans when she announced new music with a country twist during Super Bowl LVIII.
Beyoncé, 42, posted a video via Instagram on Sunday, February 11, and announced that her next release, titled Act II, will drop on March 29.
The clip begins with a car driving to Texas’ rural countryside, as a group of men gather and seemingly look at the sky. The car drives off as Beyoncé sings, “This ain’t Texas. Ain’t no hold ‘em. So lay our cards down, down, down, down.”
Her official website lists two song titles, “Texas Hold ’Em” and “16 Carriages,” both of which were released on Sunday evening.
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Prior to the post, Beyoncé teased new music during a surprise Super Bowl ad with Verizon. In the commercial, she accepts a challenge by Veep alum Tony Hale to break the internet. The singer attempts to do so in a number of ways, including hosting a lemonade stand, dropping a surprise saxophone album — which Hale, 53, jokes “broke me” — and announcing her run for “Beyoncé of the United States.”
Beyoncé tries one last time when she launches herself into space, saying, “How about the first woman to launch the first rocket for the first performance in space?” Hale, meanwhile, says that Verizon “didn’t break” to which Beyoncé replies, “You ain’t gonna break me.”
As the rocket passes by in space at the end of the clip, Beyoncé is heard saying, “OK, they ready, drop the new music.”
During the commercial, part of Beyoncé’s track “My House” played in the background. The surprise single hit streaming services in December 2023, the same day that her concert movie, Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé made its debut worldwide.
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Verizon previously hinted their Super Bowl commercial could feature the singer when they posted two short teasers shared via social media earlier this month. (Fans also noticed that the company is one of her Renaissance World Tour sponsors.)
In the first clip, Hale squeezed lemons behind a lemonade stand, saying, “Hold up, she wants me to squeeze all these lemons by myself? This better work.” Eagle-eyed fans were quick to point out that the lemons were seemingly a nod to Beyoncé’s 2016 album, Lemonade.
“@mrtonyhale Gotta squeeze faster than that if you want to be ready in time. 2.11.24,” Verizon captioned the video via X on Wednesday, February 7.
In another clip, Hale stood beside a bedazzled horse similar to that of the one Beyoncé rides on the cover of her 2022 album, Renaissance.
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“Should we be in a Super Bowl commercial? Yay or nay?” Hale asked the horse, while laughing. “Get it, get it? OK, this is a problem.” Verizon captioned the video via X on Friday, February 9, “We say yay. 2.11.24.”
Beyoncé’s commercial aired while she watched the Kansas City Chiefs played against the San Francisco 49ers in Las Vegas at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday, February 11. Ahead of kickoff, Beyoncé’s husband, Jay Z, was spotted on the sidelines of the field with their kids, Blue Ivy, 12, and Rumi, 6. (The couple, who have been married for 15 years, also share son Sir, also 6.) They joined Beyoncé in a suite once the game started.
Super Bowl LVIII marked 11 years since Beyoncé headlined the halftime show. She made a return during the 2016 Super Bowl when she performed alongside Bruno Mars and Coldplay.
