Renaissance (also titled as Act I: Renaissance) is the seventh studio album by American singer Beyoncé, released on July 29, 2022, by Parkwood Entertainment and Columbia Records. Her first solo studio release since Lemonade (2016) and the first installment of a trilogy project, Beyoncé wrote and produced the album with Nova Wav, The-Dream, Symbolyc One, A. G. Cook, Honey Dijon, Beam, Tricky Stewart, BloodPop, Skrillex, Hit-Boy, No I.D., P2J and various others. Beam, Grace Jones and Tems appear as guest vocalists.
Los Angeles (Avenue A Studio West, Hardcover, Henson Recording Studios, The Juicy Juicy, Kings Landing West, Nightbird Recording, Parkwood West, Record Plant)
Beyoncé conceived and recorded Renaissance during the COVID-19 pandemic, seeking to inspire liberation and joy in listeners who had experienced isolation. With its songs seamlessly arranged like a DJ mix, the album blends post-1970s Black dance music styles such as disco and house, and pays homage to the Black and queer pioneers of the genres. The lyrical content explores themes of escapism, hedonism, self-assurance and expression.
The album received widespread acclaim from music critics for its eclectic yet cohesive sound, upbeat mood, and Beyoncé's vocal performance. In November 2022, Renaissance was nominated for eight Grammy Awards at the 65th ceremony (2023), including Album of the Year, Song of the Year and a record-breaking eighth nomination for Record of the Year.[2] The lead single "Break My Soul" was released on June 20, 2022, and reached number one on several charts worldwide, including the US Billboard Hot 100. Renaissance debuted atop the US Billboard 200 chart, Beyoncé's seventh consecutive album to do so, and also reached number one in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. In the summer of 2023, Beyoncé will embark on her eighth headlining tour in support of the album.
Background and conception
Creating this album allowed me a place to dream and to find escape during a scary time for the world. It allowed me to feel free and adventurous in a time when little else was moving. My intention was to create a safe place, a place without judgment. A place to be free of perfectionism and overthinking. A place to scream, release, feel freedom.
In the latter half of the 2010s, Beyoncé released several critically acclaimed, narrative-driven[4] projects that explored the legacies of Black musicians and artists,[5] including 2016's Lemonade; her 2018, HBCU-inspired Coachella performance and the Netflix film and live album that documented it; and 2019's The Lion King soundtrack album The Gift and its visual companion, 2020's Black Is King.[6]
Beyoncé told British Vogue that the lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic changed her as a person, stating that she has "spent a lot of time focusing on building my legacy and representing my culture the best way I know how. Now, I've decided to give myself permission to focus on my joy."[7] Further, she called this period the most creative time in her life as she sought to escape feelings of isolation by recording new music.[3] As lockdowns began to end, Beyoncé told Harper's Bazaar that "we are all ready to escape, travel, love, and laugh again. I feel a renaissance emerging, and I want to be part of nurturing that escape in any way possible."[8]
Beyoncé sought inspiration in post-1970s Black dance music and club culture.[9] Beyoncé noted that she was largely introduced to this culture by her 'Uncle' Jonny, her gay cousin[lower-alpha 1] who helped raise her until his death during the AIDS epidemic.[10][11][12] Further, she wanted the album to be a celebration of the underappreciated pioneers of dance music, whose contributions had been unrecognized in the mainstream.[13]
Cover artwork
The cover art has been compared to Lady Godiva, an 1898 painting by British artist John Collier.
On June 30, 2022, Beyoncé revealed the album's cover art, accompanied by a brief note, on her social media accounts. In the cover image, she is seated atop a "glowing", "holographic", "crystal horse" in a "futuristic, centipede-ish bikini".[14] Critics interpreted the equestrian pose as an allusion both to John Collier's 1897 painting Lady Godiva and to photographs of Bianca Jagger riding a horse into Studio 54.[15][16] Beyoncé's garment was designed by Nusi Quero and is reminiscent of the crystal top she wore on the 2003 Dangerously in Love cover.[17]
An alternate cover image for the vinyl release features Beyoncé atop the same horse, but "wearing a white cowboy hat with a silver headpiece that hides her hair" and "sparkling silver chains that drape her arms and legs, as white, feathery poofs hang along the body of the horse".[1]
Composition
Beyoncé collaborated with several progenitors of dance music on the album, such as Grace Jones (left) and Nile Rodgers. (right)
According to critics, Renaissance has an "innovative" and "playful" approach to genre,[18][19][20] blending and shifting between several styles, primarily various genres of post-1970s black dance music.[21][22][23][5][13] Described as a dance,[23] house,[24] disco,[25] pop and R&B album,[19] its songs incorporate elements of a wide variety of sub-genres, namely bounce, Detroit techno, garage,[26][27] Afrobeats, boogie,[28] funk, gospel, Miami bass, psychedelic soul, hip hop, trap, gqom, new jack swing, Jersey club,[18][20] Chicago house,[23] deep house,[28] electro house,[29] hip house,[18] synth-pop, hyperpop,[30] dancehall, and nu-disco.[23][31]
The tracks are connected by seamless transitions facilitated by beatmatching, evoking a DJ mix.[25][32] This reflects "the shifting moods and the physicality of the dance floor" rather than "the constraints of a radio station or a playlist", according to The New Yorker's Carrie Battan.[33] Some tracks also have unconventional song structures, containing multiple tempos and movements.[18][34][35]
Lyrically, Renaissance contains themes of escapism, self-assurance, self-expression, hedonism and pleasure,[25][36][37] with Beyoncé inspiring joy and confidence in listeners.[38] According to The Guardian, it "urg[es] listeners to wholeheartedly embrace pleasure", particularly referencing joy in Black culture.[20] The album's lyrics emphasize dance as both a measure of personal catharsis and a liberating spiritual practice.[39]
Promotion and release
Beyoncé began to tease a new album on June7, 2022, by removing her profile picture from all of her social media platforms.[40][41] Four days later, the text "What is a B7?" appeared on the homepage of the singer's official website.[42] Fans noticed that the website also had placeholders for her upcoming seventh and eighth studio albums.[43] Beyoncé officially announced the album and released the pre-sale for Renaissance on her website and digital streaming platforms the following day.[44][45][46]
After first joining TikTok in December 2021, Beyoncé posted her first video, a compilation of people (including American rapper Cardi B) "dancing, vibing, and singing along" to Renaissance's lead single, "Break My Soul", on July 14, 2022.[47] Further, she made her entire catalog available for use on the platform,[48] attracting significant media attention.[49][50][51] Two days before the scheduled release, on July 27, the album arrived in retailers in France and eventually leaked onto the Internet.[52]
The album was released on July 29, 2022. Upon the album's release, Beyoncé posted a note on her website revealing that Renaissance is the first part of a three-act project that she recorded over the past three years, during the COVID-19 pandemic.[53]
Singles
On June 20, 2022, Beyoncé announced the album's lead single, "Break My Soul", would be released at midnight Eastern Time on June 21, to coincide with the 2022 summer solstice.[54][55] The song appeared on music streaming service Tidal hours early, on June 20, and a lyric video was later released on YouTube.[56][57]
On September 21, 2022, it was reported that "Church Girl" would be released as the album's second single; a week later, it was announced that it would be simultaneously released alongside "Cuff It" as the next two singles.[58] "Church Girl" was scheduled to impact rhythmic contemporary radio on October 4, 2022,[59] but the release failed to materialize whereas "Cuff It" was released as the sole second single, being sent to radio in France on September 28, 2022.[60] It impacted rhythmic and urban contemporary radio stations in the United States on October 4, 2022.[59][61]
Visuals
When Renaissance was first released, Beyoncé stated through a press release that she wanted fans to focus on the music, rather than any visual components, but confirmed that visuals were eventually forthcoming.[62] On August 9, 2022 Beyoncé released a teaser video for the album's opening track, "I'm That Girl", that included a rapid montage of over twenty outfits that news outlets interpreted as previewing the various impending music videos for each track on the album.[63][64]
Renaissance was met with widespread acclaim from music critics,[75] many of whom praised its cohesive yet eclectic production, joyous nature, vocal performance, and celebration of post-1970s Black dance music.[76][77] On review aggregator Metacritic, Renaissance received a score of 91 out of 100 based on 26 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". On review aggregator AnyDecentMusic?, the album has a rating of 8.6 out of 10 based on 25 reviews.[65]
Veteran critic Robert Christgau hailed Renaissance as "the album of the year" and Beyoncé's "finest album", calling it unconventionally political, "erotically explicit, knowledgeable, and felt", with each song a "shrewdly differentiated pop smash".[68] Characterizing it as a "modern classic" and Beyoncé's most impressive album, Exclaim!'s Vernon Ayiku wrote that Renaissance is "the sound of a once-in-a-generation superstar performing at her peak".[38] According to Kyle Denis of Billboard, Renaissance is an "absolutely stunning body of work", and perhaps Beyoncé's most innovative and experimental album with her "most nuanced vocal performances" to date.[18]
The Line of Best Fit critic David Cobbald described the album as one of Beyoncé's best, noting that it is a departure from her previous work. Cobbald praised the album for celebrating "underappreciated architects" of disco, house and funk music.[78] Music journalist Kate Solomon, writing for i, dubbed the album a "dazzling tribute to underground and underappreciated Black culture" and a dancefloor record aimed to heal "the pain and anguish" of the COVID-19 pandemic.[79] Melissa Ruggieri described it "a danceteria devoted to hedonism, sex and most importantly self-worth" in USA Today.[37] Wesley Morris of The New York Times noted Beyoncé's "galactic" vocal performance, delivery and range.[80] Mikael Wood of the Los Angeles Times called the album "the year's smartest record [and] also its most deep-feeling", praising its rhythms, harmonies and vocals.[81]Pitchfork critic Julianne Escobedo Shepherd called it "a challenging, densely-referenced album" that forays into dance and club music more successfully than similar projects by Beyoncé's peers.[74]
Various reviewers felt the album is not Beyoncé's best work while still praising it.[76] Marcus Shorter of Consequence wrote Renaissance is not a perfect album but comes "pretty damn close" with its "infectious and not overbearing, elegant, but not shallow" songs.[82] John Amen, writing for PopMatters, complimented the album's contemporaneous production, dubbing it "a litany of samples, allusions, and tributes" but with "more style than substance" at times.[83]Resident Advisor's Kiana Mickles was more critical, claiming that "the album falls flat when it tries too hard to immerse itself in a culture that does not belong to Beyoncé."[84]
Sampling reception
American singer and songwriter Kelis, whose 2003 single "Milkshake" was interpolated on Renaissance track "Energy", criticized Beyoncé for not notifying her in advance, calling its use a "theft" and saying that she felt "disrespect and utter ignorance" were displayed both by Beyoncé and by Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo of the Neptunes. Both Williams and Hugo were credited on "Energy" for writing and producing "Milkshake".[85] The interpolation of "Milkshake" was later removed from the song on streaming services following Kelis' unhappiness about not being notified about the use of "Milkshake" in "Energy".[86][87] Kelis subsequently stated that she was "actually [happy]" with that outcome.[88] Other artists who were sampled on the album thanked Beyoncé for referencing their contributions, particularly emphasizing the album's role in honoring Black queer and trans culture. They include Ts Madison, whose viral video clip "Bitch, I'm Black" is sampled on "Cozy";[89]Robin S., whose 1990 house hit "Show Me Love" is credited on lead single "Break My Soul";[90] Kevin Aviance, whose song "Cunty" is sampled on "Pure/Honey";[91] and ballroom commentator Kevin JZ Prodigy, whose chants are borrowed from the 2009 DJ MikeQ track "Feels Like" on "Pure/Honey".[92]
The song "Heated" was met with criticism online for its use of the word "spaz" in its lyrics, which disability advocates said is an ableist slur.[93] Other users online said that "spaz" has a different meaning in African-American Vernacular English and is synonymous with "freaking out".[94][93] Beyoncé announced the following day that the word would be removed from the song, with the word soon being replaced with "blast".[95] Beyoncé's decision to amend these songs also led to American activist Monica Lewinsky tweeting the singer, asking for her name to be removed from the song "Partition", from Beyoncé's self-titled 2013 album.[96]
In October 2022, British tabloid The Sun claimed that English pop duo Right Said Fred said that Beyoncé did not seek permission to interpolate their 1991 single "I'm Too Sexy" on the Renaissance track "Alien Superstar", also stating that the duo did not know she had used their song until after it was released. In response, Beyoncé's representative made a statement: "The comments made by Right Said Fred stating that Beyoncé used 'I'm Too Sexy' in 'Alien Superstar' without permission are erroneous and incredibly disparaging. Permission was not only granted for its use, but they publicly spoke of their gratitude for being on the album. [...] Permission was asked of their publisher on May 11, 2022, and the publisher approved the use on June 15, 2022. They were paid for the usage in August 2022. Furthermore, the copyright percentage of the Right Said Fred writers with respect to the use of 'I'm Too Sexy' is a substantial portion of the composition. Collectively, the Right Said Fred writers own more than any other singular writer and have co-writer credit. This accusation is false."[97]
Upon its release, Renaissance garnered the record for the most single-day streams for an album by a female artist on Spotify in 2022, with over 43 million streams, which was later surpassed by Taylor Swift's Midnights.[102][103] Within three months of its release, Renaissance amassed over 1 billion streams on Spotify.[104]
North America
In the United States, Renaissance debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, with 332,000 album-equivalent units—the second biggest 2022 album debut by a female artist and the third-biggest overall, after Taylor Swift's Midnights and Harry Styles's Harry's House.[105][106] In doing so, Renaissance became Beyoncé's seventh consecutive album to debut at number one and the first album released by a woman in 2022 to reach number one.[105] Already the only artist to have her first six albums all debut at number one, she became the first artist whose first seven albums did so as well.[107]
Renaissance received 179.06 million streams in its first week, the eighth-biggest of the year overall, and the most of Beyoncé's career.[105] In terms of traditional album sales, Renaissance posted the fourth-largest sales week for an album in 2022 with 190,000 albums sold. Additionally, the album sold 26,000 vinyl copies in its debut week.[106]
Renaissance went on to spend its first 14 consecutive weeks within the top 10 of the Billboard 200.[108]
In Canada, Renaissance debuted at number one on the Canadian Albums Chart, becoming Beyoncé's third consecutive album to do so and her fourth number one album overall.[109]
International
By its second day of release, Renaissance was outselling the rest of the week's top five bestselling albums combined in the UK.[25] The album debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, becoming Beyoncé fourth album to do so as a solo act, and her fifth including Destiny's Child. The album also debuted at number one on the Official Vinyl Albums Chart.[110] In Ireland, Renaissance debuted atop the Irish Albums Chart, becoming Beyoncé's fifth number one album in the country. Simultaneously, "Break My Soul" also peaked at number one on the Irish Singles Chart, allowing Beyoncé to score an Irish Chart Double.[111] In France, Renaissance debuted at number one on the SNEP albums chart, becoming Beyoncé's first number one album and her fourth top ten album in the country. Previously, 4 was Beyoncé's highest-charting album in the country, peaking at number two in 2011. Additionally, the album was the first album by a female artist to top the chart in 2022.[112] In the Netherlands, the album landed atop the Album Top 100, becoming Beyoncé's third consecutive album to reach the summit in the country. The album has so far spent three non-consecutive weeks at number one, following its return to number one in its 11th week on the chart.[113]
In Australia, the album debuted at number one on the Australian Albums Chart, becoming Beyoncé's third consecutive number-one album in the country after Beyoncé and Lemonade.[114] Additionally, seven tracks from the album debuted in the top 50.[115] It spent two consecutive weeks at number one, becoming her first album to do so since Beyoncé. Renaissance debuted at number one on the New Zealand Albums Chart, becoming Beyoncé's second consecutive number one album in the country following 2016's Lemonade, and her seventh top ten album in the country overall.[116]
Impact
Upon release, Renaissance sparked conversations and essays on the history of dance music and its roots in Black culture.[117] Beyoncé's mention of Telfar and Birkin bags in the closing track "Summer Renaissance" caused searches for both items to surge on Google Trends and multiple re-sale websites.[118]
A number of producers and musicians praised the release. American singer Crystal Waters, who helped make house music mainstream in the 1990s, said she was "ecstatic" when she heard Beyoncé's new music and expressed gratitude for how she is shining a light on underappreciated house singers.[119] Chicago house DJ Ron Carroll described Renaissance as a "trailblazing" album that has reintroduced house music to the radio and encouraged other musicians to follow Beyoncé's lead.[120] British singer-songwriter Ellie Goulding said that her upcoming album Higher Than Heaven is a dance and house album in the same vein as Renaissance, with Beyoncé taking those genres globally.[121] She later said that Renaissance restored her faith in pop music after the genre was heading in a bad direction.[122] American singer SZA said that the album was the biggest risk a mainstream artist has taken in recent years.[123] Cardi B uploaded a video of herself celebrating the song, singing over it with modified, highly explicit lyrics describing anal sex and promiscuity.[124] Aluna Francis of English electronic music duo AlunaGeorge lauded Renaissance for its impact on dance music and its Black creators. Francis explained that throughout her career, she had hoped and fought for the widespread recognition of Black musicians' place in dance music. Francis wrote that this revolution has now occurred following the release of Renaissance, with Beyoncé breaking stigmas and declaring that dance music is Black music, in turn encouraging listeners to reflect on the visibility and exploitation of Blackness within dance genres. Francis added that Renaissance could greatly benefit the investment and growth of communities around the world which allow Black dance music to thrive.[125]
contains an interpolation of "Ooh La La La", written by Mary Brockert and Allen McGrier and performed by Teena Marie
contains a sample of "Explode", written by Freddie Ross and Adam Piggot and performed by Big Freedia.
contains an interpolation of "Milkshake", written by Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo and performed by Kelis (later removed on digital and streaming versions).[87]
List of number-one albums from the 2020s (Denmark)
List of number-one hits of 2022 (France)
List of number-one albums of 2022 (Ireland)
List of number-one albums from the 2020s (New Zealand)
List of number-one albums of 2022 (Scotland)
List of number-one singles and albums in Sweden
List of UK Albums Chart number ones of the 2020s
Notes
Beyoncé's mother Tina Knowles-Lawson stated that, although Beyoncé and her sister Solange referred to him as 'Uncle', Johnny was her nephew, not her brother.
The Samples choir consists of Alexandria Griffin, Anthony McEastland, Ashley Washington, Ashly Williams, Chelsea Miller, Deanna Dixon, Erik Brooks, Fallynn Rian, Herman Bryant, Jamal Moore, Javonte Pollard, Jonathan Coleman, Naarai Jacobs, and Porcha Clay.
Parkwood Entertainment (July 28, 2022). "BEYONCÉ RELEASES RENAISSANCE" (Press release). New York: Cision. PR News Wire. Retrieved November 4, 2022. The originator of the visual album format, and the preeminent visual artist, decided to lead without visuals giving fans the opportunity to be limitless in their expansive listening journey… [T]he visuals are scheduled for a later date.
"Czech Albums – Top 100". ČNS IFPI. Note: On the chart page, select 202231 on the field besides the word "Zobrazit", and then click over the word to retrieve the correct chart data. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
"CZ Albums Top 100" (in Czech). International Federation of the Phonographic Industry. Archived from the original on August 8, 2022. Retrieved August 8, 2022.
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