Third instalment dedicated to Beyoncé: today we’re talking about “Renaissance”.
In February 2016, three years after the release of Beyoncé, the artist dropped the single Formation, which set the stage for her sixth studio album Lemonade (2016). Featuring 12 tracks, the album shattered further records, becoming one of the most critically acclaimed works of her career and earning her Grammy Awards in 2017 for Best Urban Contemporary Album and Best Music Video for Formation.
2018 saw the release of Everything Is Love, a collaborative album with her husband Jay-Z under the name The Carters, followed in 2019 by The Lion King: The Gift, released alongside the remake of The Lion King. Another three years would pass before the arrival of Renaissance in 2022 — Beyoncé’s penultimate album to date.
Conceived as the first act of a trilogy recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic, Renaissance continues to honour the legacy of Black artists and musicians, much like its two predecessors, but with a focus on the pioneers of dance music and ballroom culture from the 1970s onwards. Beyoncé’s deep connection to these worlds is linked to her “Uncle” Johnny, her gay cousin who died during the AIDS epidemic in the 1980s.
“The creation of this album allowed me a place to dream and to find escape during a scary time for the world. [...] I wanted to create a safe space, free of judgement. [...] A place to scream, release, feel freedom,” Beyoncé said of Renaissance, likening her creative process to the way queer people in the '70s and '80s found liberation through dance music. This sentiment is perfectly captured in the album’s lead single, Break My Soul, a thumping house track about letting go of work, stress and worry in favour of love. The song, like many on the album, includes samples — such as Show Me Love (StoneBridge Mix) by Robin S. and Explode by Big Freedia — selected to pay tribute to lesser-known figures of dance music. Renaissance also features more recognisable interpolations, like Donna Summer’s I Feel Love in Summer Renaissance, which closes out the uninterrupted DJ-style mix that begins with I'm That Girl. The album spans a broad spectrum of genres — from the disco-funk of Cuff It and Virgo’s Groove, to the R&B-soul tones of Plastic Off the Sofa and Church Girl, and even the hyperpop energy of All Up in Your Mind, alongside Afrobeat influences in Energy and Heated, Renaissance boasts a huge roster of collaborators, from producers such as A.G. Cook, The-Dream, Skrillex, Honey Dijon and BloodPop, to artists like Grace Jones and Tems — both featured on the track Move. Despite its eclectic mix, the album maintains a cohesive and fluid sound, earning universal acclaim from critics. At the 2023 Grammy Awards, Renaissance received nine nominations and won four, making Beyoncé the most awarded artist in the history of the event. The album and Break My Soul topped the US charts and several others around the globe, cementing once again her unstoppable dominance.
Today’s listening tip: Alien Superstar, one of the fan-favourite tracks from Renaissance. This electrifying synth-pop anthem, infused with house and ballroom elements, celebrates our uniqueness with unapologetic flair. Enjoy the ride!
