Beyoncé loves to play with her Beyhive. Never one to give too much away, she communicates through clues, leaving little breadcrumbs for her devoted fans to pick up and dissect. Here’s everything we know so far about her first solo album in six years, Renaissance.
It’s primarily a dance record
Ahead of British Vogue’s cover story with the queen B, editor-in-chief Edward Enninful became one of the very first people to experience the new album, describing “soaring vocals and fierce beats” that transported him “back to the clubs of his youth” in the late ’80s and ’90s. The accompanying shoot represents a sort of club kid fantasia, referencing the ’70s (the cover is a nod to Bianca Jagger’s infamous arrival on horseback at Studio 54), plus the “1990s garage scene [and] ’80s excess”. Expect parallel notes of “retro-futurism” in “music that will unite so many on the dance floor, music that touches your soul”.
The date is set — although there’s a chance you might hear it earlier
First announced through Tidal, Renaissance will drop on 29 July – the first time since 2013’s self-titled visual album that Beyoncé has given advance warning of a release. The record’s first single, “Break My Soul”, was expected to premiere on 21 June at midnight EST, but actually dropped three hours earlier on Tidal. Could the same happen for the full album?
“Break My Soul” is a taste of what’s to come
The sixth track on the album, “Break My Soul” uses two samples: the ‘90s house classic “Show Me Love” by Robin S, and Big Freedia’s bounce anthem “Explode”. It was produced by The-Dream (who helped create three of Beyoncé’s biggest hits, “Single Ladies”, “Partition” and “Flawless”), while Jay-Z is credited as a writer. With rumours that Honey Dijon has produced at least two tracks, we’re sure to get more house music that proudly calls on its Black queer roots. And with Beyoncé’s mysterious Renaissance box sets each named “Pose” – from Pose 1 to Pose 4 – expect plenty more tracks to vogue the house down to.
There are 16 tracks – with even more to come
The Beyhive sleuths were the first to discover that, on Apple Music, the husk of the Renaissance page contained 16 tracks, but as Beyoncé’s announcement named Renaissance as “act i”, that may only be the start, with rumours swirling that a double album is en route. On 20 July, Bey followed up with a track list on Instagram Stories, including songs titled “America Has A Problem”, “I’m That Girl”, “Virgo’s Groove” and “Thique”.
The credits are out, so we know who is featuring…
The full credits were released on 21 July, which show that the album includes features from Jay-Z, Drake, Skrillex, 070 Shake, The-Dream and Tems (!) along with samples of Donna Summer, Giorgio Moroder, Teena Marie and James Brown. Get ready to get down!
The dates are meaningful
“Break My Soul” was intentionally released to align with the summer solstice on 21 June and mark the start of a “new era with new anthems”, as reported by Pitchfork. But there is another meaningful date the song release coincides with: Bey’s debut album Dangerously In Love came out on 20 June 2003, the record that saw her become the queen of both pop and R&B – as well as dabbling in country and rap. Looks like she might be closing that chapter, and taking over as the queen of dance imminently.
The album took two years of sleepless nights
Enninful describes in the July issue how “the creation has been a long process… with the pandemic giving her far longer to spend thinking and rethinking every decision”. Her mother Tina Knowles confirmed in an Entertainment Tonight interview that Beyoncé put “two years of love” into the record, with “many many nights [spent] all night working”.
During a pandemic lockdown, the album set Beyoncé free
On 30 June, Bey posted the album artwork on Instagram – and the equestrian moment echoes her British Vogue cover. “Creating this album allowed me a place to dream and to find escape during a scary time for the world,” she wrote online. “It allowed me to feel free and adventurous in a time when little else was moving.” It seems this could be her most carefree, happiest sound yet. “My intention was to create a safe place, a place without judgment,” she went on. “A place to be free of perfectionism and overthinking. A place to scream, release, feel freedom. It was a beautiful journey of exploration. I hope you find joy in this music. I hope it inspires you to release the wiggle. Ha! And to feel as unique, strong, and sexy as you are.”
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She’s set to break new frontiers… again
Some argue that Beyoncé’s first visual album was not 2013’s Beyoncé, but B’Day, way back in 2006, which she released with a companion DVD featuring videos for all 13 tracks. And it could be that she once again has her sights set on pioneering new musical experiences – this time through virtual reality. She is reported to be working with the Jay-Z-backed studio Spatial Labs, which builds technology for the metaverse, and The Wave, which creates live interactive and immersive musical experiences.
