Beyoncé has returned. Six years after releasing Lemonade, Queen Bey has issued her latest solo album Renaissance. The 16-track LP—the first installment of a “three act project”—includes lead single “Break My Soul,” as well as songs with contributions from Jay-Z, Skrillex, 070 Shake, The-Dream, Drake, and more. The largely featureless record does include two songs with guest vocalists; Jamaica-born, Miami-raised reggae artist Beam appears on “Energy,” while Grace Jones and Tems lend their voices to “Move.” Listen to Renaissance in full below. (Pitchfork earns a commission from purchases made through affiliate links on our site.)
Almost three years in the works, Beyoncé recorded Renaissance over the course of the pandemic. “Creating this album allowed me a place to dream and to find escape during a scary time for the world,” she said in press materials. “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. It was a beautiful journey of exploration.”
In addition to a diverse cast of co-composers, Renaissance interpolates music by Donna Summer and Giorgio Moroder (“I Feel Love” on “Summer Romance,”) James Brown (“Church Girl”), Teena Marie, and others. “Break My Soul” features a synth line reminiscent of Robin S.’ classic house hit “Show Me Love” and a vocal sample of Big Freedia’s “Explode,” from the 2014 LP Just Be Free: “Release ya anger/Release ya mind/Release ya job/Release the time/Release ya trade/Release ya stress/Release the love/Forget the rest.” The album also includes contributions from Nile Rodgers, NOVA, NO ID, Raphael Saadiq, Mike Dean, Honey Dijon, Chris Penny, Luke Solomon, and others.
Two days before the album was set to arrive, it leaked. Just before the album’s official release, Beyoncé released a statement thanking her fans for waiting. “So, the album leaked, and you all actually waited until the proper release time so you can all enjoy it together,” she wrote. “I’ve never seen anything like it. I can’t thank y’all enough for your love and protection.”
Renaissance marks the first solo studio album from Beyoncé since the release of 2016’s visual album Lemonade. A press release for Renaissance discusses the artist’s decision to stray from the visual album format. Beyoncé “decided to lead without visuals giving fans the opportunity to be limitless in their expansive listening journey,” the release notes. “It is a chance again to be listeners and not viewers, while taking in every gem of the pristine production.” The release also refers to Renaissance as “a celebration of a club era when anyone who felt like an outsider sought each other and formed a community of freedom-seekers to express themselves creatively through the rhythm, which we still celebrate today.”