Updated on Thursday, July 21, to include the album’s full track list.
We’re only halfway through 2022, but it’s been a banner year for hip-hop, pop, and R&B. Kendrick Lamar, Drake, the Weeknd, and Harry Styles have slugged inspired new albums into the stands — and now, it’s time for Queen Bey to come to bat.
On July 29, Beyoncé will release her seventh solo album, Renaissance, after a litany of cryptic Internet hints that something was on the horizon. (This tracks with the approach beyond 2016’s surprise-released Lemonade; she seemingly likes to emotionally wallop the Beyhive without warning.)
While we’re still a month out from this much-anticipated next chapter, here’s everything GRAMMY.com could find about the 28-time GRAMMY winner’s Renaissance.
We Learned About Renaissance Via Instagram — And An Epic Magazine Cover
Not only did Beyoncé change her Instagram bio to reflect the impending Renaissance; she posed for the cover of British Vogue among set pieces both anachronistic and futuristic — like motorcycles and oversized disco balls.
By the looks of the Vogue cover (and Bey’s larger MO), Renaissance is sure to be a gilded appointment.
Speaking Of That British Vogue Writer…
“Instantly, a wall of sound hits me,” Edward Enninful (editor-in-chief of British Vogue) wrote upon hearing Renaissance for the first time. “Soaring vocals and fierce beats combine and in a split second I’m transported back to the clubs of my youth. I want to get up and start throwing moves.
“It’s music I love to my core,” he continued. “Music that makes you rise, that turns your mind to cultures and subcultures, to our people past and present, music that will unite so many on the dance floor, music that touches your soul.”
Renaissance Was Partly Made During The Pandemic
According to British Vogue, the downtime gave Beyoncé freer reign to “spend [time] thinking and rethinking every decision.”
Is Renaissance One Chapter Of Things To Come?
On Beyoncé’s website and Instagram bio, Renaissance is billed as “act i” — further proof yet that we’d be in for a wild 2022 even if not another soul made a record.
A Dancefloor-Ready Single Has Been Unleashed
On June 21, Beyoncé released the lead single from Renaissance, "Break My Soul."
"I just fell in love and I just quit my job/ I’m gonna find new drive, damn they work me so damn hard," she sings in the house-influenced banger.
Keep checking GRAMMY.com as more details about Beyoncé’s new album will be revealed. Let the Renaissance begin!
The Album Features 16 Tracks & A Bunch Of Collaborators
On Wednesday, July 20, a little over a week before the album’s release, Beyoncé revealed the full track list for Renaissance, which features 16 songs in total, including the previously released single “Break My Soul,” in addition to new songs like “I’m That Girl,” “Cozy,” “Alien Superstar,” “Cuff It,” and “America Has a Problem.” Composer credits for and collaborators featured on the album also include Jay-Z, Drake, Skrillex, The-Dream, and 070 Shake, among others. The album also includes samples of music by Donna Summer, Giorgio Moroder, James Brown, and others, Pitchfork reports.
Get Out Your Dancing Shoes (And Get Ready For Some Country)
That’s what an inside source told Variety — both elements will be present in Renaissance.
Raphael Saadiq & OneRepublic’s Ryan Tedder Are Involved
That’s also via Variety. For context, Tedder — a three-time GRAMMY nominee — worked with Bey on her now-beloved power ballad “Halo.”
As for Raphael Saadiq, he helmed hits by Mary J. Blige, D’Angelo, Stevie Wonder, John Legend and Andra Day, and executive-produced “A Seat at the Table,” Beyoncé’s sister Solange’s revered 2016 album. Plus, he’s a luminous solo artist in his own right.
Four Collectible Box Sets Will Be Available
According to the shop on Beyonce.com, the four collections — titled Pose 1, 2, 3 and 4, available only via the website — cost $39.99 and ship the day the album drops.
Each box set will include a Renaissance box, T-shirt, and CD; the cover art and various T-shirt designs will be revealed later.