Six years later and Queen Bey is reborn.
Beyonce released her seventh studio album, Renaissance, on Friday after announcing the record in mid-June. A club-nostalgic mix of disco, dancehall and electronic music, the hour-long album contains 16 tracks, giving fans of the pop superstar a run for their money.
Renaissance, which follows Beyonce’s 2016 studio album Lemonade, is the first act of a three-part project, according to the singer’s website. This is a departure from the visual style of Beyonce’s previous two albums, which were accompanied by short films and album-length music videos.
The album cover, revealed last month, depicts Beyoncé sitting atop a holographic horse, wearing sparkling body jewelry.
After recording it for the better part of three years, mostly during the pandemic, Beyonce told fans the album was a creative escape for her during a difficult time – and that she hoped listening to it would be a liberating experience.
“Making this album gave me a place to dream and find an escape in a scary time for the world,” the 40-year-old pop star wrote on Instagram in June. “It allowed me to feel free and adventurous at a time when nothing else was moving. My intention was to create a safe place, a place without judgment.”
CBC News breaks down the long-awaited release — contributors, reviews and all.
Canadian manufacturers of two tracks
Besides contributions from Drake, NOVA, Skrillex, Pharrell and The-Dream, Renaissance is interpolated with hits from Diana Ross, Robin S. and Grace Jones.
In a statement on her website, Beyoncé thanked her children and husband Jay-Z, whom she calls her “muse.”
When the album’s first single, BREAK MY SOUL, was released in late June, fans noted that — in between a sample of Robin S.’s 1990 club classic Show Me Love — the haunting lyrics were equal parts liberating and uplifting.
The rest of the album, while sonically diverse, is confidently imbued with this feeling.
CUFF IT is a funky disco track in which Beyonce declares she wants to go where no one has been, while VIRGO’S GROOVE, the album’s six-minute centerpiece, is an ecstatic ode to “the love of my life.”
MOVE is a delightfully imperious, no-nonsense track that teams Beyonce with Grace Jones and Afrobeats artist Tems, while SUMMER RENAISSANCE samples Donna Summer’s 1977 disco hit I Feel Love.
The Drake-produced track from the album, HEATED, pays tribute to three other top Canadian talents: Toronto’s Boi-1da, one of the country’s most prolific record producers; as well as Sevn Thomas, who has worked with Rihanna, Travis Scott and Nicki Minaj; and Mississauga’s Neenyo, whose previous records include songs with Drake, Future and PARTYNEXTDOOR.
Third track ALIEN SUPERSTAR credits Montreal producer Dave Hamelin, who counts Jessie Reyez, Gord Downie and The Tragically Hip among past collaborators, as collaborators.
CBC News reached out to those four producers but did not hear back.
“This is not a collaboration. this is theft
One artist says she wasn’t consulted before Beyoncé sampled her song.
R&B singer Kelis took to Instagram on Friday to express her disappointment that her 2003 hit Milkshake was included on the fifth track of the Energy album without her permission.
The track was co-produced by Pharrell and Chad Hugo, who – under the moniker The Neptunes – have been a production duo since the early 90s.
Farrell and Hugo often worked with Kelis. She says she and Beyoncé should have asked her permission before using the song.
“My mind is also blown because the level of disrespect and complete ignorance of all three parties involved is staggering,” Kelis said on Instagram. “I heard about it the same way everyone else did. Nothing is ever what it seems, some of the people in this business have no soul or integrity and they are fooling everyone.”
“This is not collaboration, this is theft,” Kelis later commented on her post.
Renaissance hit a small bump in the road two days before its official release when it leaked online. Many fans refrained from listening, and Beyoncé thanked them for sticking to the album’s intended release date in a statement on her website.
“I can’t thank you enough for your love and protection,” she wrote.
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