FEATURE:
Renaissance Woman
PHOTO CREDIT: Rafael Pavarotti for British Vogue
The Return of Beyoncé: The Essential Mix
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I do sort of loathe the term ‘return’…
when applied to an artist that brings out new music after a gap. It is prevalent in the music press, and that word often accompanies an artist’s new song that comes maybe a matter of months after their last release. Maybe it will be a year or two. In any case, that is not a ‘return’. What it is, instead, is an artist doing their job, and not throwing out music every five minutes! Sure, if a band or artist releases new music after a couple of decades away, I think that we can say that this is a return. Aside from that, that word is liberally added to any track from artists who have not gone anywhere. I have used the word ironically in this feature, as Beyoncé has been working steadily through her career. Her next studio album, Renaissance (alternatively titled act i: RENAISSANCE), is out on 29th July. Since 2016’s Lemonade, Beyoncé has released music and been active. It is not like she has been in the wilderness and disappeared. That said, her upcoming seventh studio album does seem like a new chapter. Now in her forties, I think we are not going to hear something similar to Lemonade or her earlier work. That said, what with gun crime in the U.S., race issues and a world divided, Renaissance will have political elements, in addition to personal ones. The sound of a proud and iconic woman reborn. I am really looking forward to it! Ahead of its release next month, I want to celebrate the new album by compiling a collection of the best Beyoncé solo hits and deeper cuts. To show her evolution, sheer variety and talent as an artist. Before that, I want to introduce an article from Pitchfork and the news of Renaissance:
“Beyoncé is back. A new album, Renaissance, is out July 29, a product listing on her website confirms. The record is seemingly subtitled “Act I.” Tweets from streaming services alluded to the album after Beyoncé’s social media bios were updated with the title and date. In keeping with her trademark mysterious release strategies, no further information has been revealed, though an unverifiable tweet from the tireless fan account Beyoncé Legion suggests Renaissance is a 16-song album. Pitchfork has emailed Beyoncé’s publicist for comment and more information.
In a new British Vogue cover story unveiled shortly after the announcement, Edward Enninful, the editor-in-chief of British Vogue, described hearing the album in person: “Instantly, a wall of sound hits me,” Enninful wrote. “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. 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. As ever with Beyoncé, it is all about the intent. I sit back, after the wave, absorbing it all.”
The box set listing confirming Renaissance includes a CD, T-shirt, and a collectible box. The product image will update when campaign artwork is revealed. The box will include a 28-page booklet and mini poster. Yesterday (June 15), after Beyoncé’s profile pictures went blank, fans speculated that a graphic tweeted by her nonprofit, Beygood, cryptically signaled imminent music. In a montage of album covers, only one square showed an unexplained image: a gloved red hand, pointing towards the album cover to its left—Brandy’s B7. We now know that B7, Beyoncé’s seventh album, is Renaissance.
The new era of ceremonious Beyoncé releases began the night of December 13, 2013, when she surprised the world by suddenly releasing her self-titled visual album. One week before she released Lemonade, she shared a teaser trailer for its visual album counterpart; details weren’t revealed until the full album was released. Those albums were filled with star contributors who kept their work secret. Beyoncé featured Frank Ocean, Drake, Jay-Z, and Sia. Lemonade credited Kendrick Lamar, Jack White, the Weeknd, James Blake, Vampire Weekend’s Ezra Koenig, and Father John Misty.
In the time since she released Lemonade, she has teamed with her husband Jay-Z on the 2018 album Everything Is Love. In 2019, she released Homecoming, a live album and concert film that documented her iconic headlining Coachella set. She appeared in the film and soundtrack of Disney’s update of The Lion King and executive produced the companion compilation The Lion King: The Gift. In 2020, she released another accompanying visual album, Black Is King.
Beyoncé kicked off 2021 with a milestone. When “Black Parade” won Best R&B Performance at the 2021 Grammy Awards, she set the record for most Grammys won by a female artist. The record was previously held by Alison Krauss.
At the end of that same year, Beyoncé released “Be Alive”—an Oscar-nominated contribution to the Venus and Serena Williams biopic King Richard. While the song didn’t win the Oscar (which went to Billie Eilish’s James Bond theme), Beyoncé opened the show with a performance of the song at the Compton tennis courts where the Williams sisters practiced as children. Blue Ivy joined her for the performance, which was secretly filmed one week in advance under the code name “Project Red”.
To mark the release of an album that has caused great excitement, below is a selection of the best Beyoncé songs. I can well imagine Renaissance being ranked alongside her very best albums. As her fans hold their breath in anticipation, it is a perfect opportunity to dive back into her solo catalogue (either for studio albums or soundtracks) from Beyoncé. There is no doubting the fact that she is…
A musical icon.