RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — The upbeat banjo playing heard throughout Beyoncé’s newest single “Texas Hold ‘Em” was strummed by North Carolina Grammy-award winner and folk musician Rhiannon Giddens.
Giddens, a Greensboro native, said in a Facebook post on Tuesday, “I woke up yesterday morning to new music from Beyoncé, featuring none other than my banjo and viola playing throughout.”
Beyoncé had teased new music during a Verizon commercial during the Super Bowl on Sunday and dropped “Texas Hold ‘Em” along with another country record “16 Carriages.”
Giddens studied at UNC-Greensboro as a music graduate. Along with being a two time Grammy-award winner, she’s also a Pulitzer Prize-winning singer and instrumentalist and a MacArthur “Genius” grant recipient.
A big focus of her work involves uplifting the contributions of Black Americans in music that is often ignored, especially in genres like country and folk.
Giddens expressed that her goal was that one day her banjo playing would be featured on a track with Beyoncé.
“I used to say many times as soon as Beyonce puts the banjo on a track my job is done.” she continued in her post, “Well, I didn’t expect the banjo to be mine, and I know darn well my job isn’t done, but today is a pretty good day.”
Glyniss Wiggins
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