Music

Beyoncé finally announces new album and the world’s collective spirit is ready

Beyoncé at the 63rd Grammys

Beyoncé accepts the Best R&B Performance award for ‘Black Parade’ onstage during the 63rd Annual GRAMMY Awards. (Getty Images for The Recording Academy/ Kevin Winter)

Beyoncé has announced that her new album RENAISSANCE – her seventh – will be released 29 July. This year. No, really.

Streaming service Tidal was the first to make the announcement of Beyoncé’s new album at 6:22AM, revealing little else than the title and its release date.

Titled RENAISSANCE, Beyoncé’s upcoming album is billed as “act 1′ and will feature 16 songs.

Fans have been speculating for months now that Queen Bey was on the verge og dropping a new album.

Those suspicions went into overdrive on 10 June when the singer changed all her social profile images.

There was then radio silence until Tidal posted what will undoubtedly become an iconic a simple black image with ‘act i’ and ‘RENAISSANCE’ in white text.

Since then, both Spotify and Apple Music have also confirmed the intended release date, adding countdowns to their socials.

As the title not so subtly hints, this seems like only the first act of potentially many. Naturally, fans are now collectively losing their minds over the news.

Some noticed that Beyoncé teased the album’s title back in August 2021.

RENAISSANCE will be Beyoncé’s seventh studio album and the successor to the critically acclaimed Lemonade, released in 2016.

Praised by critics and fans alike for its stunning visuals and raw vocal power, Lemonade quickly amassed an onslaught of positive reviews, won two Grammys and a Peabody.

Since its release, Beyoncé has released a number of projects, including a joint album with husband Jay-Z Everything is Love, and her soundtrack album for Disney’s The Lion King remake (which she also starred in), The Lion King: The Gift.

In 2020 Beyoncé released a visual album to accompany The Gift titled Black Is King, which won widespread acclaim.

Fans however have been desperate for a true follow-up to Lemonade. Six years since its release, it continues to inspire debate and praise, and it is largely regarded as one of the singer’s best albums to date.

Consequently, a lot is riding on Beyoncé’s RENAISSANCE, with fans hoping that it will embody the same potency that its predecessor did.

It goes without saying that social media is now trying to anticipate what kind of musical direction the album will take, dubbing this Beyonce’s “comeback.” However, we think it’s fair to say that Beyonce never left, she’s merely been biding her time to steal the show this summer.

For now, all we can do is wait with bated breath for more tidbits and news, and eagerly watch as the days count down to 29 July.

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