Beyoncé released her long-awaited album Renaissance – her first solo studio record in six years – to a critical and critical response as well as controversy.
A 16-track dance record filled with high-profile collaborators spanning a variety of genres, including Drake, Skrillex and Grace Jones, Renaissance is the first in a planned trilogy, Beyoncé said in a statement posted to her website a day before the album’s release.
“This three-act project was recorded over three years during the pandemic,” the 28-time Grammy-winning artist wrote. “My intention was to create a safe place. A place without judgment. A place without perfectionism and overthinking. A place to scream, release, feel free.”
BEYONCE DEADASS TAKES MY HAND AND DRAGS ME TO EVERY CLUB
“Will Gardner didn’t deserve this.” (@ScottieBeam) July 29, 2022
In the statement, she also paid tribute to her “beautiful husband and muse” Jay-Z and her family, as well as her late uncle Johnny, a gay man whom Beyonce called “my godmother and the first person who exposed me to a lot of the music and culture that serve as inspiration for this album”.
These inspirations come thick and fast on the album, according to Renaissance’s four-star Guardian review, which called it “the soundtrack to a wild summer of mayhem and joy”, rife with references to international dance traditions including Afrobeat, Jersey Club and New Jack Swing . “It’s a celebration of life in abundance and beyond the realms of others’ expectations,” writes Tara Joshi.
Rolling Stone praised Beyoncé’s refreshing lineup of collaborators, which also included queer club leaders Big Freedia and Honey Dijon: “Her broad palette illustrates how the best parties combine racial and gender identity, sexual orientation, and aesthetic sensibilities in a harmonious way that belies our tortured and often bigoted public discourse.’
In a tweet in June, Big Freedia said it was “surreal” to be on a song with Beyoncé: “So honored to be a part of this special moment.”
It feels surreal to be back on the track with Queen Beyoncé. I am so honored to be a part of this special moment, I am forever grateful Lord 🙏🏽🙏🏽🙏🏽💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾💪🏾❤️❤️❤️❤️ 🔥🔥🔥🔥someone please catch me 🤩 #beyonce # bigfreedia #BreakMySoul pic.twitter.com/AL8jn5lX6J
— Big Freedia 💋 (@bigfreedia) June 21, 2022
Many on Twitter praised the seamless transitions of Renaissance’s songs – each song blending into the next as if placed in a club mix.
This album is truly a sonic experience. I accept everything. The raw vocals. The flawless production and transitions. The empowering messages. Beyoncé, you’ve outdone yourself again. #RENAISSANCE pic.twitter.com/Rxg7GcTj5K
— 𝐉𝐔𝐍𝐈𝐎𝐑 (@WrittenByTerry) July 29, 2022
The build-up to Renaissance has been unusually long — at least by Beyoncé’s standards, following the surprise drops of her two most recent albums, 2013’s self-titled album and 2016’s wildly acclaimed visual album Lemonade .
Renaissance, by comparison, was preceded by a six-week run, including last month’s lead single Break My Soul, a song that – with its call to “free the work” – was hailed as the anthem of the Great Resignation.
Information leakage – and controversy
However, the launch was not without problems. It leaked in its entirety two days early, though her legion of fans – collectively known as the Beyhive – immediately urged listeners to “respect her wishes” on Twitter and wait for the official release.
Beyoncé thanked her fans in a statement made during the official launch of Renaissance. “I can’t thank you enough for your love and protection,” she said. “I appreciate you calling out anyone trying to sneak into the club early.”
The album features many songs, from Donna Summer’s I Feel Love to Right Said Fred’s I’m Too Sexy. But one in particular made headlines – a song called Energy, whose liner notes went on to list an “interpolation” of Kelis’ single Milkshake, with Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, also known as the Neptunes, crediting the song.
After a fan account claimed earlier this week that Energy would feature a Kelis sample, Kelis commented: “I heard about it the same way everyone else did. Nothing is ever what it seems.”
In a 2020 interview with the Guardian, Kelly claimed that she had been “blatantly lied to and cheated” by her early collaborators the Neptunes, and as a result “didn’t make anything from the sales of her first two albums”. In an interview with Vulture earlier this year, Hugo dismissed the comments: “I heard about her take on it. I mean, I can’t handle it. I usually hire people from the business to help with things like this.
In a follow-up Instagram post on Friday, Kelis said the problem was bigger than Beyoncé — but added “from one artist to another, you have to have the decency and common sense to reach out … even if you’re going to do it anyway.” . The Guardian has contacted Beyoncé’s representatives for comment.
House musician Robyn C, whose song Show Me Love was sampled on Beyoncé’s Break My Soul, said she was also unaware of the use before the single’s release – although she took the news more positively. In an interview with Good Morning Britain in June, she said her son was the one who informed her she was trending, before sending her thanks to Beyoncé: “Thank you so much for giving me your flowers while I’m still alive she said. “It’s an honor.”
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