Beyonce James Devaney/GC Pictures
An Oklahoma radio station realized to not get on the Beyhive’s unhealthy facet after initially declining to play Beyoncé’s new nation songs, “Texas Maintain ’Em” and “16 Carriages.”
On Tuesday, February 13, one native fan shared a screenshot of an e mail from KYKC 100.1 in response to his request to listen to the singles. “Hello — we don’t play Beyoncé on KYKC as we’re a rustic music station,” learn the station’s response, which the fan shared by way of X.
The listener believed KYKC’s response was the results of “blatant racism,” however the radio station later claimed that wasn’t the case (and confirmed that the unique e mail was actual). “We initially refused to play it in the identical method if somebody requested us to play the Rolling Stones on our nation station,” common supervisor Roger Harris mentioned in an announcement. “Truth is we play Beyoncé on TWO of our different stations and love her … she is an icon. We simply didn’t know concerning the track … then after we discovered about it, we tried to get the track … which we did and we’ve already performed it 3 instances on YKC, our nation station. We additionally play her on 105.5, KXFC-FM and KADA-FM 0n 99.3.”
Harris went on to say that KYKC is “not a ‘huge boy’ station” and thus doesn’t all the time get new singles instantly. “However … lastly we bought our fingers on it, and primarily based on the fan assist, we determined to air it,” he continued. “Honestly, usually we’d (often) wait some time to see how the track performs on the charts and on greater nation stations than ours, as we’re simply the little guys.”
Beyonce Kevin Mazur/Getty Pictures for The Recording Academy
He famous that the station desires to be “throughout” Beyoncé’s upcoming nation album, Renaissance Act II, which drops subsequent month. “We’re not fools,” Harris added. “We all know how huge she is and we’re glad to air it and need her the very best success.”
Whereas KYKC was fast so as to add Beyoncé to its playlist, the Beyhive will definitely be watching as Act II rolls out. Nation radio has lengthy been infamous for enjoying very feminine artists — and even fewer Black artists. A 2023 examine discovered that nation stations play feminine artists back-to-back a median 0.5 % of the time, with the vast majority of these performs occurring between midnight and 6 a.m.
Prepared for spherical two? As a result of the second a part of Beyoncé’s Renaissance is on its method. Throughout Tremendous Bowl LVIII on February 11, the music icon dropped a bombshell, saying her new album, Renaissance Act II, after teasing the brand new music in a Verizon industrial. The model’s spot for the massive sport featured Beyoncé trying to […]
The identical examine discovered that songs by girls of coloration and LGBTQIA+ artists earned lower than 1 % of airplay in 2022, and simply six solo Black girls and one group of Black girls have ranked on nation radio charts since 1958.
“The bar for entry is excessive for brand new girls, BIPOC and LGBTQ+ artists,” examine coauthor Dr. Jada Watson informed Billboard. “After which we’re left with this apply by which radio helps one lady at a time — and that length for which white girls are supported is turning into shorter. … This can be a tradition that limits house for white girls after which tosses out their music as soon as it’s peaked on the charts. They don’t even open the door to BIPOC girls and LGBTQ+ artists.”
