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Beyhive, this is not an exercise.
On Wednesday evening, Beyoncé announced that her highly anticipated seventh studio album, Renaissance, will be released on July 29. The announcement comes shortly after the singer sparked fans’ suspicions by deleting the profile pictures on her social media accounts – suggesting something big is afoot.
The ‘Formation’ artist broke the news via her social media bio, which now read: ‘act i RENAISSANCE 7.29’. Tidal, the music streaming platform co-owned by Beyoncé and husband Jay-Z, also shared the title and release date on social media.
Also, a mysterious box set of “Renaissance” items — including CD, t-shirt and 28-page booklet — is available for pre-order now on Beyoncé’s website.
Renaissance will be released six years after Beyoncé’s last studio album Lemonade. This groundbreaking project was nominated for nine Grammy Awards, including record (“Formation”), song (“Formation”) and album of the year. In 2020, Rolling Stone ranked “Lemonade” at number 32 on its list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.
Since 2018’s Lemonade, Beyoncé has been busy headlining Coachella (dubbed “Beychella” by fans) and releasing a Grammy-winning Netflix documentary, Homecoming. She also starred as Nala in Disney’s 2019 remake of The Lion King and recorded an entire tandem album — including the Golden Globe-nominated song “Spirit” — for the film.
The following year, Beyoncé co-wrote, co-directed, and executive produced Black Is King, a visual version of her Lion King album. And in 2021, the visionary musician became the artist with the most Grammys of all time after accepting the award for her R&B performance for her hit single “Black Parade.”
Most recently, the music icon opened the 2022 Oscars with a stunning live performance of “Be Alive” – her song from the movie “King Richard” – filmed on a public tennis court in Compton.
Ahead of the debut of Renaissance, Beyoncé will grace the July cover of British Vogue. The singer told the fashion magazine that creating new music has been a lengthy process, which has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, giving her more time to consider and reconsider every decision.
“Soaring vocals and wild beats combine and in a split second I’m transported back to the clubs of my youth,” wrote British Vogue’s Edward Enninful upon hearing the album for the first time.
“I want to get up and start throwing moves. It’s music I love to the core. Music that lifts you up, that makes you aware of cultures and subcultures, of our peoples past and present, music that will unite so many on the dance floor, music that touches your soul. As always with Beyoncé, it’s all about intent. After the wave, I sit back and soak it all up.”
Of course, the Beyhive has been humming non-stop since the album title came up. Although “Renaissance” has already received more advance promotion than some of her other surprise releases, fans remain impressed by Queen B’s unique ability to sell a product without even trying.
Who could forget when Beyoncé changed the music game in 2013 by releasing her eponymous fifth studio album without a shred of notice? After that project sold nearly a million copies within three days of its unexpected release, the performer employed the same underhanded strategy for Lemonade, and other big artists began to follow her lead.
“Only Beyoncé, a woman who’s been in the game for 25 years, could rock the whole WORLD (again!) after midnight to charge $40 for CDs with no music, no artwork, no tracklist, no trailer, and no visuals.” one person tweeted. “AND WE WILL ALL BUY IT!”
“Beyoncé makes people buy boxes without knowing what’s in them during inflation.” wrote Philip Lewis, Editor-in-Chief of the Huffington Post’s front page. “Your power.”
See more reactions to the latest Bey Bomb below.