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00:00 Until recently, it might have been strange to imagine three black women on the stage
00:08 of country music's iconic Grand Ole Opry.
00:11 But black singers have been riding a wave of attention since Beyoncé announced her
00:14 country album last month.
00:17 It's opening up country music as a whole to a completely new demographic.
00:20 People who probably primarily listen to hip-hop, R&B, rap, all the things.
00:25 Like, country's not even on their radar.
00:26 They're not even thinking about it.
00:28 But by the end of the week, they're like, you know, maybe I will go buy a pair of boots.
00:32 Beyoncé is one of music's biggest superstars.
00:35 Yet she said she still faced industry resistance to this album.
00:39 Country is still seen by some as a genre for white people, even though it traces its roots
00:44 to the 1600s, where it began as a hodgepodge of European and African folk traditions.
00:50 In the 1920s, however, industry executives segregated the music charts, creating the
00:55 categories of hillbilly music for white artists and race records for black ones.
01:01 But in the 21st century, with the rise of social media, black artists have been able
01:06 to sidestep the gatekeepers.
01:18 I think that country music is a beautiful genre for that storytelling purpose.
01:23 I think we've just only heard a certain type of story.
01:26 And I think that there's room for many more stories in this beautiful quilt of what country
01:32 music is.
01:33 Since its release last month, the single "Texas Hold 'Em" has been a runaway success, making
01:38 Beyoncé the first black woman to top the U.S. country charts.
01:42 (upbeat music)