Beyonce dropped some huge news during her strategically placed Super Bowl commercial.
In one of the most ingenious publicity stunts ever performed, the singer not only made money by agreeing to star in an ad for US telco Verizon, but she used it as a vehicle to announce her next album.
The commercial, aired during the biggest sporting event of the year to one of the world’s biggest audiences, featured Beyonce trying and failing – thanks to Verizon’s reliability as a provider – to ‘break the internet’.
Out of options, she eventually tells her people, “OK, they ready – drop the new music.”
Moments later, Beyonce’s own real-life social channels all announced her next album will drop on March 29.
The record is a follow up to the diva’s groundbreaking Renaissance project, and she’s already released two of its songs to streaming platforms.
Judging from those tracks – titled Texas Hold ‘Em and 16 Carriages – the album will be heavily influenced by country music.
Fans have leapt onto the lyrics of 16 Carriages as a revelation of the pain Beyonce experienced growing up when she discovered her father had cheated on her mother.
“At fifteen, the innocence was gone astray,” she sings, over acoustic guitar and with a distinct country twang.
“Had to take care of home at an early age/I saw mama cryin’, I saw daddy lyin’.”
And fans have exploded with praise in the comments of both songs.
“She’s not here to follow standards, she creates the standards,” wrote one. “Now everybody is gonna cry to country music.”
