Will Beyoncé's 'Texas Hold 'Em' Be a Hot 100 No. 1 Hit Next Week?

The contenders is a midweek column that looks at artists aiming for the top Advertising sign charts and the strategies behind their efforts. This week (for the upcoming Billboard Hot 100 dated March 2), Beyoncé's country crossover leads the pack of challengers setting their sights on the Hot 100's top spot.

Beyoncé, “Texas Hold 'Em” (Parkwood/Columbia/Columbia Nashville): With just four full days of viewing after debuting Sunday night during Super Bowl XVIII (Feb. 11), Beyoncé's “Texas Hold 'Em” still had enough first-week consumption to reach at the top Advertising signHot Country Songs chart (dated February 24), making Bey the first black female artist to ever top the chart. It also earned enough sales, streams and airplay to bow at No. 2 on the Hot 100 this week, trailing only the most dominant early 2024 hit: Jack Harlow's six-week No. 1 “Lovin on Me.”

In the second week, he may have the hidden cards to reach the top of the chart. “Hold 'Em” continues to sell well after debuting on digital song sales this week, with versions of the song taking the No. 1 and No. 3 spots on the iTunes chart in real time. It also remains a top contender in streaming, ranking at No. 2 on the daily charts for both Spotify and Apple Music. With seven full days to put up numbers this week, its consistently strong performance in sales and streams could be enough to top “Lovin'.”

Radio could be the deciding factor in the competition. “Lovin'” spends its fifth week atop Radio Songs this week, with the song still growing in audiences — numbers that kept the song a No. 1 weekly contender even as it continues to decline in sales and streams. But “Hold 'Em” is off to a strong airplay start, too: The song debuts at No. 38 on Pop Airplay and No. 54 on Country Airplay, climbing both formats as well as the rhythmic, mainstream R&B/ Hip-hop, adult R&B and adult pop too. If he makes ground fast enough, “Hold 'Em” could end up taking the entire pot next week.

¥$: Kanye West & Ty Dolla $ign, “Carnival” (YZY): Bey's new smash was the biggest Hot 100 debut last week, but it wasn't the only new entry in the top five: Landing just one spot lower were Kanye West and his new Ty Dolla $ign Vultures 1 focus cut 'Carnival', featuring (uncredited) appearances by Rich the Kid and Playboi Carti. “Carnival,” which also debuted with an incomplete first week after dropping two Saturdays ago (Feb. 10), lacked the sales power of “Hold 'Em,” which debuted at No. 18 in digital song sales. But it was a streaming monster, bowing out at the top of Streaming Songs and relegating Bey to second place on Spotify and Apple Music's daily charts, continuing to lead both.

But while the recent backlash against Kanye's latest controversies — including wearing a “White Lives Matter” T-shirt and making repeated anti-Semitic comments (for which he's since publicly apologized in Hebrew) — doesn't seem to have affected his audience . , may continue to reduce its radio support. (“Carnival” is also part of Ye's first album release as a completely independent artist, meaning he no longer has major label promotion to rely on.) The song has yet to receive significant airplay on any major radio charts, making it in a pretty big hole when competing against a certified FM smash like “Lovin” and a growing multi-format hit like “Hold 'Em.”

Ariana Grande, “Yeah, and?” (Democracy): By Grande Eternal sunshine The lead single has already spent a week atop the Hot 100 – although the song didn't stay at the top of the chart for long, it dropped out of the top 10 in just two weeks and is currently ranked at No. 31 in its fifth frame . A new remix alongside pop&B frontrunner Mariah Carey, which debuted last Friday (February 16), could be just what the song needs to reverse its chart momentum – though it's unlikely to bring it back into the mix for No. 1, as the new remix has already cleared most major daily streaming and sales charts.

The biggest question (for the Lambily at least) may be about whether the new version garnered enough stats in its first few days to top the original for the week, resulting in Carey being added to the official chart listing for the song. We'll have to see next week, though recent history isn't particularly on her side: When Carey was added to Latto's remix of “Big Energy” (which even sidestepped the MC's own “Fantasy”) in 2022, helped download. The song entered the top 10 of the Hot 100 for the first time, but with Latto remaining single on the artist credit.

IN THE MIX

Teddy Swims, “Lose Control” (SWIMS Int./Warner): Teddy Swims' breakout hit could reach No. 2 on the Hot 100 last week before being overtaken by “Hold 'Em” and “Carnival” this week. Don't count it out just yet, though: it's still in the top 10 on Streaming Songs, is back at No. 2 on the iTunes chart, and continues to grow in airplay, climbing 13-12 on Radio Songs this week. He may be just one big remix away from making a real charge at his first Hot 100 No. 1 of Swims – one with Fat Scoopmaybe?

Benson Boone, “Beautiful Things” (Night Street/Warner): Warner label Swims' Benson Boone also broke out of the Hot 100's top three this week, but still holds strong at No. 4, while sitting at No. 2 on Streaming Songs and climbing back into the top 10 on digital sales songs. And radio is really starting to take off for “Beautiful Things”: It's not yet in the top 40 on the Radio Songs chart, but it's up 32-24 on Pop Airplay and climbing quickly in both pop and adult formats. If he continues to make it that far, the sky's the limit for the soaring power ballad.