Los Angeles (Avenue A Studio West, Hardcover, Henson Recording Studios, The Juicy Juicy, Kings Landing West, Nightbird Recording, Parkwood West, Record Plant)
The lead single "Break My Soul" was released on June 20, 2022, and reached the top 10 of the singles charts in eight countries, including a peak of number six on the US Billboard Hot 100. Renaissance is an upbeat dance, pop, and R&B record drawing influences from disco and house music styles, with songs arranged like a DJ mix. The lyrics are strongly hedonistic, discussing sex, joy, and self-worth. The album received widespread acclaim from music critics for its cohesive, eclectic sound and exuberant mood.
In her August 2021 Harper's Bazaar cover story, Beyoncé revealed that she had been working on her seventh studio album for over a year, stating that "with all the isolation and injustice over the past year, I think 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."[2][3]
Beyoncé began to tease a new album on June7, 2022, by removing her profile picture from all of her social media platforms.[4][5] Four days later, the text "What is a B7?" appeared on the homepage of the singer's official website.[6] Fans noticed that the website also had placeholders for her upcoming seventh and eighth studio albums.[7] Beyoncé officially announced the album and released the pre-sale for Renaissance on her website and digital streaming platforms the following day.[8][9][10] It is Beyoncé's first solo studio album since Lemonade (2016), marking the longest gap between studio albums in her career.[11]
Discussing the album's themes and her creative intention, Beyoncé explained her desire 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."[12]
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.[13] She also shared that the album is dedicated to her children, her husband, and 'Uncle' Jonny,[14] her late gay cousin who battled HIV. Although Jonny was the nephew of Beyoncé's mother Tina, Beyoncé and her sister Solange referred to him as "uncle". He played a role in their upbringing and, according to Beyoncé, was "the first person to expose [her] to a lot of the music and culture that serve as inspiration for this album."[15][16]
Cover art
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".[17] 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.[18][12] Beyoncé's garment was designed by Nusi Quero and is reminiscent of the crystal top she wore on the 2003 Dangerously in Love cover.[19]
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]
Lyrically, hedonism is the most prevalent theme in Renaissance.[35][36][37] According to The Guardian, it "urg[es] listeners to wholeheartedly embrace pleasure", particularly referencing joy in Black culture.[30] The album's lyrics emphasize dance as both a measure of personal catharsis and a liberating spiritual practice.[38]
Promotion and release
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.[39][40] The song appeared on music streaming service Tidal hours early, on June 20, and a lyric video was later released on YouTube.[41][42]
After first joining TikTok in December 2021, Beyoncé posted her first video, a compilation of "dancing, vibing, and singing along" to Renaissance's lead single, "Break My Soul", on July 14, 2022.[43] Further, she made her entire catalogue available for use on the platform,[44] attracting significant media attention.[45][46][47]
Two days before the scheduled release, on July 27, the album arrived in retailers in France and eventually leaked onto the Internet.[48] Beyoncé's mention of bag brands Telfar and Birkin in the closing track, "Summer Renaissance", caused the searches for both the items to surge on Google Trends and multiple re-sale websites, including The RealReal, Fashionphile, and Rebag.[49]
Renaissance was met with widespread acclaim from music critics,[59] many of whom praised its cohesive yet eclectic production, joyous nature, and vocal performance.[60] On review aggregator Metacritic, Renaissance received a score of 93 out of 100 based on 20 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[51] On review aggregator AnyDecentMusic?, the album has a rating of 8.6 out of 10 based on 23 reviews.[50]
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.[26]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.[20] Reviewing for Exclaim!, Vernon Ayiku called Renaissance a "modern classic", and placed emphasis on Beyoncé's "super-producers" for their "technical achievements in production and seemingly effortless experimentation".[54]
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.[61] 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.[62] Mikael Wood of Los Angeles Times called the album "the year's smartest record [and] also its most deep-feeling", praising its rhythms, harmonies and vocals.[63]Pitchfork critic Julianne Shepherd called it "a challenging, densely-referenced album" that forays into dance and club music more successfully than similar projects by Beyoncé's peers.[57]Clash's Shahzaib Hussain described Renaissance as Beyoncé's most uninhibited and whimsical album—"a prolonged flex; a parade of joy, emotion, coked-up glam and excess."[64]
Various reviewers felt the album is not Beyoncé's best work while still praising it.[60]The Guardian's Tara Joshi commended the playful lyrical content and cohesive sound of Renaissance. She stated it falls short of being Beyoncé's best album but "still fulfils her liberationist aims."[30] Will Dukes of Rolling Stone felt Renaissance is not much of an evolution from Lemonade but found Beyoncé at her most relatable, "giving listeners all the anthems and sultry slaps we love."[24] 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.[65] 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.[58]Stereogum critic Jumi Akinfenwa said, although the album has its flaws, it is "hedonistic, erotic, experimental and ultimately just great fun."[35]
Interpolation and ableism response
American singer 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, who wrote "Milkshake", own its master recording, and are credited on "Energy".[66] On August 2, it was reported that the vocal interpolation of "Milkshake" was removed from the song on streaming services.[67][68]
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 Robin S., whose 1990 house hit "Show Me Love" is credited on lead single "Break My Soul";[69]Kevin Aviance, whose song "Cunty" is sampled on "Pure/Honey";[70] and ballroom commentator Kevin JZ Prodigy, whose chants are borrowed from the 2009 DJ MikeQ track "Feels Like" on "Pure/Honey".[71]
The song "Heated" was met with criticism online for its use of the word "spaz" in its lyrics, which disability advocates said is an ableistslur.[72] Other users online said that "spaz" has a different meaning in African-American Vernacular English and is synonymous with "freaking out".[73][72] Beyoncé announced the following day that the word would be removed from the song.[74]
Commercial performance
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.[75] In the United States, Billboard reported that Renaissance had earned over 275,000 album-equivalent units in its first four days of availability, including 175,000 album sales, of which 25,000 are vinyl LP sales.[76]
In the United Kingdom, as of its second day of availability, Renaissance outsold the rest of the week's top five best-selling albums combined.[77] In Australia, the album debuted at number one on the Australian Albums Chart, becoming Beyoncé's third consecutive number-one album in the country.[78]
^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.