Radio station playing Beyoncé's country song following outcry from fans

Oklahoma radio station KYKC plays Beyoncé's new country single "Texas Hold 'Em" after backlash from fans over narrow-mindedness.

An Oklahoma-based radio station recently made headlines after initially refusing to play Beyoncé's new country single, "Texas Hold 'Em," only to reverse course and play the song after facing criticism from fans. The controversy began when a fan emailed KYKC requesting the song and received a response stating that the station does not play Beyoncé as it is a country music station. The fan shared a screenshot of the reply on X, which quickly went viral and prompted the Beyhive to flood the station with requests for "Texas Hold 'Em."

KYKC reported receiving thousands of calls and emails requesting the song, leading to the station scheduling "Texas Hold 'Em" to be played at 2:28 p.m. The station claimed that they were unaware of the song's release and had not received it from a distributor. Additionally, they stated that local listeners did not want them to play the song. This response sparked backlash from fans who argued that R&B stations play music from non-R&B artists without issue, and black musicians should be given the same opportunity to pursue other genres.

Roger Harris, the general manager of South Central Oklahoma Radio Enterprises (SCORE), provided a more extensive statement, explaining that the station is not in a position to break new artists and needs songs to chart higher before adding them to the playlist. However, he emphasized that they love Beyoncé and play her on their other stations. This incident draws parallels to the controversy surrounding Lil Nas X's "Old Town Road," which was initially included on Billboard's Hot Country Songs chart before being removed due to insufficient country music elements.

Despite the initial refusal to play "Texas Hold 'Em," KYKC later commented on Facebook that they had already played the song twice. The incident serves as a reminder of the ongoing debate surrounding the representation of diverse musical genres on mainstream platforms, and the importance of supporting artists from all backgrounds.