Oklahoma Country Station Speaks Out After Refusing To Play Beyoncé Song

Often referred to as “Queen Bey”, Beyoncé is considered one of the greatest vocalists of all time. First breaking into the industry in the late 1990s, the singer performed with the group Destiny’s Child. Although successful, Beyoncé explored a solo career that saw her absolutely flourish as she sold over 200 million albums. And during that process, she received a staggering 32 Grammy Awards. While known for hip and R&B, Beyoncé recently dabbled in country music with her new single “Texas Hold Em’”. Although just the latest singer to go country, one fan revealed that a country music radio station in Oklahoma refused to play the song. 

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With Beyoncé announcing two new country singles after appearing in a Super Bowl commercial, fans wanted to share her song. The only problem, the radio station KYKC refused to play it. Sharing the ordeal on Twitter, one user claimed, “I requested ‘Texas Hold ‘Em’ at my local country radio station (KYKC) and after requesting, I received an email from the radio station stating ‘We do not play Beyoncé on KYKC as we are a country music station.'” 

While posting a picture of what they received when requesting the song, Roger Harris, the manager at Southern Central Oklahoma Radio Enterprises discussed the reason behind the response, believing it was all just a misunderstanding. He said, “We are a small market station. We’re not in a position to break an artist or help it that much, so it has to chart a little bit higher for us to add it. But we love Beyoncé here. We play her on our [other top 40 and adult hits stations] but we’re not playing her on our country station yet because it just came out.” 

Not The First Time Beyoncé Dabbled In Country Music

Explaining how the decision was a “standard response”, Harris added, “If somebody calls and requests the Rolling Stones on that station, we’re going to say the same thing.” As for Beyoncé, he explained that he liked her new songs and even wanted new music to bring a fresh voice to the genre. “I’ve heard that [the songs are] leaning toward being country music, and I that like that. I think that’s cool because we get tired of playing the same old beer drinking, truck driving… things like that. So, yeah, I’m really excited about somebody different doing a country music song.”

[RELATED: Beyoncé Returns to Texas Roots with Country Album, New Singles “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages”]

With both “Texas Hold Em’” and “16 Carriages” gaining support from fans, this marks a return to country music for Beyoncé. Back in 2016, she released “Daddy Lessons” and even performed with the Chicks at the Country Music Association Awards. Her newest album “Act II” will be released next month on March 29. 

(Photo by Emma McIntyre/Getty Images for The Recording Academy)

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