How Beyoncé Won the Super Bowl

Beyoncé and Taylor Swift have been busy hijacking global events to create their own big moments. TayTay turned the Grammys into her global platform to announce the April 19 drop date of her new album, The Tortured Poets Department. And then Beyoncé upped the stakes in a huge way. During one of the most anticipated Super Bowls in years — the most watched telecast of all time — she announced her new album, Act II. It was the move no one saw coming. In the run-up to the game, the conversation about the Super Bowl of course focused on both the close match-up that was expected between the Kansas City Chiefs and the San Francisco 49ers and the romance between Taylor Swift and Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce that overshadowed the game itself. All the chatter gave Beyoncé perfect cover to plot her own move.

Of course, she is the master of the big moment, whether surprise dropping her album Beyoncé or teasing the release of Lemonade through her dramatic performance of “Formation” at the 2016 Super Bowl. This time, she turned the 2024 Super Bowl into her own stage, while all eyes were tuned in to watch outcome of a well contested game as well as the inevitable cutaway shots of Taylor Swift watching from her private box. The Super Bowl launch was a well-coordinated event, including her appearance in a Verizon ad, an update of her website and socials, and the release of two singles with evocative visualizers.

The songs, “Texas Hold ’Em” and “16 Carriages,” hint at how the new album will likely re-contextualize country & western music through the voice of a celebrated singer who has owned R&B throughout this century and played comfortably with house and disco (on Renaissance).

The recording arrives March 29, just a few weeks before Taylor Swift’s Tortured Poets Department hits. Act II will most certainly draw attention to the vital yet largely overlooked role Black musicians have played in shaping country music. Beyoncé possesses both the clout and artistic excellence needed to spark a broader conversation about this important topic.

The Super Bowl has always been a huge night of entertainment building on the popularity of one of the world’s most powerful brands, the NFL. By timing her album announcement with the Super Bowl, Beyoncé has made the game and the NFL more culturally relevant, too.