Beyoncé has surprised the Beyhive with “Texas Hold ‘Em (Pony Up) Remix,” an alternative version of her No. 1 hit.
The remix opens with the original country track before transitioning to a New Orleans bounce production, colored by a new verse and added vocals.
The “Texas Hold ‘Em (Pony Up) Remix” arrives just days after Beyoncé released her widely-praised eighth album, Cowboy Carter.
Regarding Cowboy Carter, Beyoncé said, “This album took over five years. It’s been really great to have the time and the grace to be able to take my time with it. I was initially going to put Cowboy Carter out first, but with the pandemic, there was too much heaviness in the world. We wanted to dance. We deserved to dance. But I had to trust God’s timing.”
Ahead of Cowboy Carter‘s release, Beyoncé shared a social media post about the album’s inception. “It was born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed…and it was very clear that I wasn’t. But, because of that experience, I did a deeper dive into the history of Country music and studied our rich musical archive,” Beyoncé wrote.
“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.”
She concluded, “This ain’t a Country album. This is a “Beyoncé” album. This is act ii COWBOY CARTER, and I am proud to share it with y’all!”
As indicated above, Cowboy Carter is the second act of Beyoncé’s three-act series, launched by 2022’s Renaissance.
Circling back to “Texas Hold ‘Em,” the standard version reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100, where it’s currently No. 11 this week. The track also topped the Hot Country Songs chart, making Beyoncé the first Black woman to achieve this milestone. (She’s also the first Black woman to top the Hot 100 with a country song.)
“Texas Hold ‘Em” was released on Sunday, Feb. 11, following Verizon’s Super Bowl commercial starring Bey. The song was accompanied by the B-side “16 Carriages.”
Beyoncé co-produced “Texas Hold ‘Em” with Raphael Saadiq, Nate Ferraro, Killah B, Hit-Boy, Stuart White and Mariel Gomerez. Additionally, she co-wrote it with Saadiq, Ferraro, Brian Bates, Elizabeth Lowell Boland and Megan Bülow.
In other news, on Wednesday night (April 3), quietly the website beencountry.com. There are no details about the site at this time, though its homepage features a collage of images that pay tribute to Beyoncé’s country roots.
Stream Beyoncé’s “Texas Hold ‘Em (Pony Up) Remix” below.