Beyoncé was always a fan of country music, says dad

Image source, Getty Images

By Luke Wolstenholme and Riyah CollinsBBC Newsbeat

In case you've been living under a rock, Beyoncé is releasing country music and it's already topping the charts.

Her new hit Texas Hold 'Em is the first song by a black woman to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard country chart.

The R&B and pop kingpin may have surprised some, but his father believes it was always in his blood.

The Dr. Mathew Knowles tells BBC Asian Network that when she was a child, Beyoncé spent time with her parents in Alabama who loved country music.

"When Beyoncé was a little baby, and I'm talking about two or three years old, she would come down and spend the summer with my parents," Dr. Knowles said.

"And she grandfather - my father - loved country music and he sang to him. From a very young age, she heard this music.

"And when you are two or three years old, unconsciously, the music stays in your head", says -he.