Beyoncé’s country crossover wasn’t initially embraced by everyone, but Netflix’s NFL Christmas Halftime Show united audiences across the country.
The singer performed 12 minutes of songs at NRG Stadium in her hometown of Houston, mostly from her album Cowboy Carter. Before the project’s release in March, she wrote on Instagram that it “came from an experience I had years ago where I felt unwelcome.” That led her to take a deeper dive into country music.
The album’s lead single, “Texas Hold ‘Em,” topped the Hot Country Songs chart, making her the first black woman ever to achieve that honor. One radio station refused to play the song, and in response a petition to play her songs on country radio gathered 28,000 signatures within a month.
Post Malone joined Beyoncé for her performance on Netflix’s NFL Halftime Show. (Brooke Sutton/Getty Images)
Although Beyoncé’s songs are popular in some country bars and are part of the Western style revival, she received no nominations for November’s Country Music Association Awards. The establishment may not accept her, but her audience will.
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Beyoncé was nominated for eleven Grammy Awards this year – the most of any artist. She debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 Albums chart. Although ratings for her halftime special are not yet known, the film is being well received online, bringing people together on Christmas Day.
Netflix’s Jake Paul-Mike Tyson boxing match in November was plagued by a number of technical issues, dealing a blow to the reputation of the streamer’s biggest live event ever. The technical issues during the NFL Christmas Day games seemed to be minimal, although the games themselves were also somewhat lackluster.
The flows seemed to remain steady during Beyoncé’s moment. She performed several songs live for the first time, from ’16 Carriages’ to ‘Levii’s Jeans’, and brought along special guests Shaboozey and Post Malone, who also appeared on Cowboy Carter. She also danced with her eldest daughter, Blue Ivy Carter.
Beyoncé’s halftime show isn’t currently available for rewatch, but Netflix has announced that the show will stream as a standalone special later this week. The singer herself hinted at something big on January 14, but it’s unclear whether that will be a music video, a tour or another album.
