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''Renaissance'' (also referred to as ''Act I: Renaissance'') is the seventh studio album by American singer and songwriter
Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...
. It was released on July 29, 2022, by Parkwood Entertainment and
Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...
. Her first solo studio release since ''
Lemonade Lemonade is a sweetened lemon-flavored drink. There are many varieties of lemonade found throughout the world. In some parts of the world, lemonade refers to an un-carbonated, traditionally, homemade drink, using lemon juice, water, and a sw ...
'' (2016) and the first installment of her trilogy project, Beyoncé wrote and produced the album with Nova Wav,
The-Dream Terius Adamu Ya Gesteelde-Diamant ('' né'' Youngdell Nash; born September 20, 1977), known professionally as The-Dream, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is known for having written or co-produced songs for artists in ...
,
Symbolyc One Larry Darnell Griffin Jr. (born August 3, 1976), known professionally as Symbolyc One (or S1), is an American record producer from Waco, Texas. He signed with Kanye West's GOOD Music as an in-house staffer on the label's Very GOOD Beats producti ...
, A. G. Cook,
Honey Dijon Honey Redmond (known professionally as Honey Dijon) is an American DJ, producer, and electronic musician. She was born in Chicago and is based in New York City and Berlin. She has performed at clubs, festivals, art fairs, galleries and fashio ...
, Beam,
Tricky Stewart Christopher Alan "Tricky" Stewart (born January 4, 1974) is an American record producer, record executive, songwriter, and music publisher. Stewart, a five-time Grammy Award recipient, began producing music in 1992 and has contributed to unit s ...
,
BloodPop Michael Tucker (born August 15, 1990), known professionally as BloodPop (stylized as BloodPop®), is an American musician, record producer, songwriter, and gaming executive. Life and early career Tucker was born in Kansas City, Missouri, Uni ...
,
Skrillex Sonny John Moore (born January 15, 1988), known professionally as Skrillex, is an American DJ, record producer, musician, singer. Raised in Northeast Los Angeles and Northern California, he began his career in 2004 as the lead vocalist of the ...
,
Hit-Boy Chauncey Alexander Hollis Jr. (born May 21, 1987), known professionally as Hit-Boy, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He first signed with fellow producer Polow da Don in 2007 as in-house production staff for his l ...
,
No I.D. Ernest Dion Wilson (born June 23, 1971), known professionally as No I.D. (formerly Immenslope), is an American record producer, DJ and songwriter from Chicago, Illinois. He is known for his early work with Chicago-based rapper Common, as well a ...
, P2J and various other collaborators. Beam,
Grace Jones Grace Beverly Jones (born 19 May 1948) is a Jamaican singer, songwriter, model and actress. She began her Model (person), modelling career in New York State, then in Paris, working for fashion houses such as Yves Saint Laurent (brand), Yves St ...
and
Tems Temilade Openiyi (born 11 June 1995), known professionally as Tems, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, and record producer. She rose to prominence after being featured on Wizkid's 2020 single "Essence", which peaked at number 9 on the ''Billbo ...
appear as guest vocalists. Beyoncé conceived and recorded ''Renaissance'' during the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, seeking to inspire joy and escapism in listeners who had experienced isolation and to celebrate a club era in which marginalized people sought liberation through dance music. With its songs seamlessly arranged like a
DJ mix A DJ mix or DJ mixset is a sequence of musical tracks typically beatmixing, mixed together by a Disc jockey, DJ to appear as one continuous track. DJ mixes are usually performed using a DJ mixer and multiple sounds sources, such as Phonograph, tur ...
, the album blends post-
1970s File:1970s decade montage.jpg, Clockwise from top left: U.S. President Richard Nixon doing the V for Victory sign after his resignation from office following the Watergate scandal in 1974; The United States was still involved in the Vietnam War ...
Black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...
dance music Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded dance musi ...
styles such as
disco Disco is a music genre, genre of dance music and a subculture that emerged in the late 1960s from the United States' urban nightclub, nightlife, particularly in African Americans, African-American, Italian-Americans, Italian-American, LGBTQ ...
and
house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...
and pays homage to the Black and
queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are non-heterosexual or non- cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against LGBTQ people in the late 19th century. From the late 1980s, queer activists began to ...
pioneers of those genres. The album's lyrical content explores themes of
escapism Escapism is mental diversion from unpleasant aspects of daily life, typically through activities involving imagination or entertainment. Escapism also may be used to occupy one's self away from persistent feelings of depression or general s ...
,
hedonism Hedonism is a family of Philosophy, philosophical views that prioritize pleasure. Psychological hedonism is the theory that all human behavior is Motivation, motivated by the desire to maximize pleasure and minimize pain. As a form of Psycholo ...
, self-assurance and self-expression. The album debuted at number one on the US ''Billboard'' 200 chart, Beyoncé's seventh consecutive album to do so, and is
certified platinum Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...
. It also reached number one in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. The platinum-certified lead single " Break My Soul" was released on June 20, 2022, and reached number one on several charts worldwide, including the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The album's second single "
Cuff It "Cuff It" is a song by American singer Beyoncé from her seventh studio album, ''Renaissance'' (2022). It was released as the album's second single on September 30, 2022, through Parkwood Entertainment and Columbia Records. The song was written ...
" peaked in the top ten on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100. The album received universal acclaim from
music critics Music journalism (or music criticism) is media criticism and reporting about music topics, including popular music, classical music, and traditional music. Journalists began writing about music in the eighteenth century, providing commentary on ...
for its eclectic yet cohesive sound, joyous mood, and Beyoncé's vocal performance. It became the best-rated album of 2022, named the best album of the year by publications such as the ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'', ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...
'',
NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...
, ''
Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...
'', and ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'', which would later place the record at number 71 on their 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list. ''Renaissance'' and its songs garnered nine nominations at the
65th Annual Grammy Awards The 65th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on February 5, 2023. It recognized the best recordings, compositions, and artists of the eligibility year – October 1, 2021 to September 30, 2022 – as de ...
(including Album of the Year) and won four awards, including
Best Dance/Electronic Album The Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronic Album is an award presented at the Grammy Awards — a ceremony that was established in 1958 — honor quality dance music, dance and electronica albums in any given year. The award was first presented ...
, making Beyoncé the most awarded artist in the Grammy Awards history. In promotion of the album, Beyoncé embarked on the
Renaissance World Tour The Renaissance World Tour was the ninth concert tour by American singer-songwriter Beyoncé. Her highest-grossing tour to date, it was staged in support of her seventh studio album, ''Renaissance (Beyoncé album), Renaissance'' (2022). The to ...
, and released an accompanying documentary concert film. The second installment of the trilogy, ''
Cowboy Carter ''Cowboy Carter'' (also referred to as ''Act II: Cowboy Carter'') is the eighth studio album by American singer and songwriter Beyoncé, released on March 29, 2024, via Parkwood Entertainment and Columbia Records. A concept album, ''Cowboy Cart ...
'', was released on March 29, 2024.


Background and conception

In the latter half of the 2010s, Beyoncé released several critically acclaimed, narrative-driven projects that explored the legacies of Black musicians and artists, including 2016's ''
Lemonade Lemonade is a sweetened lemon-flavored drink. There are many varieties of lemonade found throughout the world. In some parts of the world, lemonade refers to an un-carbonated, traditionally, homemade drink, using lemon juice, water, and a sw ...
''; her 2018 Coachella performance and the
Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...
film A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, sinc ...
and
live album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track or cassette), or digital. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th centur ...
that documented it; and 2019's ''
The Lion King ''The Lion King'' is a 1994 American animated musical coming-of-age drama film directed by Roger Allers and Rob Minkoff, produced by Don Hahn, and written by Irene Mecchi, Jonathan Roberts, and Linda Woolverton. Produced by Walt Disney ...
'' soundtrack album '' The Gift'' and its visual companion, 2020's '' Black Is King''. Beyoncé told British ''Vogue'' that the lockdown due to the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
changed her as a person, stating that she has "spent a lot of time focusing on building my legacy and representing my culture the best way I know how. Now, I've decided to give myself permission to focus on my joy." Further, she called this period the most creative time in her life as she sought to escape feelings of isolation by recording new music. As lockdowns began to end, Beyoncé told ''
Harper's Bazaar ''Harper's Bazaar'' (stylized as ''Harper's BAZAAR'') is an American monthly women's fashion magazine. Bazaar has been published in New York City since November 2, 1867, originally as a weekly publication entitled ''Harper's Bazar''."Corporat ...
'' that "we are all ready to escape, travel, love, and laugh again. I feel a renaissance emerging, and I want to be part of nurturing that escape in any way possible." Beyoncé sought inspiration in post-1970s Black
ball culture The Ballroom scene (also known as the Ballroom community, Ballroom culture, or just Ballroom) is an African-American and Latino underground LGBTQ+ subculture. The scene traces its origins to the drag balls of the mid-19th century United State ...
,
dance music Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded dance musi ...
and
club culture Clubbing (also known as club culture, related to raving) is the activity of visiting and gathering socially at nightclubs ( discotheques, discos or just clubs) and festivals. That includes socializing, listening to music, dancing, drinking alcohol ...
. Beyoncé noted that she was largely introduced to this culture by her "Uncle" Johnny, her
gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late ...
cousin who helped raise her until his death during the
AIDS epidemic The global pandemic of HIV/AIDS (human immunodeficiency virus infection and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome) began in 1981, and is an ongoing worldwide public health issue. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), by 2023, HIV/AIDS ...
. Further, she wanted the album to be a celebration of the underappreciated pioneers of dance music, whose contributions had been unrecognized in the mainstream. ''Renaissance'' was heavily influenced by
Studio 54 Studio 54 is a Broadway theatre, Broadway theater and former nightclub at 254 West 54th Street (Manhattan), 54th Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, New York, U.S. Opened as the Gallo Opera House in 1927, it served ...
. Beyoncé wanted to challenge listeners with songs of longer length,
bridges A bridge is a structure built to span a physical obstacle (such as a body of water, valley, road, or railway) without blocking the path underneath. It is constructed for the purpose of providing passage over the obstacle, which is usually somet ...
, vamps and
melody A melody (), also tune, voice, or line, is a linear succession of musical tones that the listener perceives as a single entity. In its most literal sense, a melody is a combination of Pitch (music), pitch and rhythm, while more figurativel ...
in a musical landscape where it was lacking. An early version of "Thique" was made in 2014, but the track did not fully materialize until Beyoncé picked it back up again 8 years later for the album.


Cover artwork

On June 30, 2022, Beyoncé revealed the album's cover art, shot by fashion photographer Carlijn Jacobs, on her social media accounts. In the image, she is seated atop a mirrored
disco ball A disco ball (also known as a mirror ball or glitter ball) is a roughly sphere, spherical object that reflects light directed at it in many directions, producing a complex display. Its surface consists of hundreds or thousands of facets, nearl ...
horse (dubbed "Reneigh" by fans) in a
3D printed 3D printing, or additive manufacturing, is the construction of a three-dimensional object from a CAD model or a digital 3D model. It can be done in a variety of processes in which material is deposited, joined or solidified under computer ...
silver
bodysuit A bodysuit is a one-piece form-fitting garment, form-fitting or skin-tight garment that covers the torso and the crotch. The design of a basic bodysuit is similar to a one-piece swimsuit and a leotard, though the materials may vary. Thong or T ...
designed by Nusi Quero. The piece is
helix A helix (; ) is a shape like a cylindrical coil spring or the thread of a machine screw. It is a type of smooth space curve with tangent lines at a constant angle to a fixed axis. Helices are important in biology, as the DNA molecule is for ...
-shaped, detailed with spikes and embellished with
crystals A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituents (such as atoms, molecules, or ions) are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions. In addition, macrosc ...
. Critics interpreted the equestrian pose as an allusion both to
John Collier John Collier may refer to: Arts and entertainment * John Collier (caricaturist) (1708–1786), English caricaturist and satirical poet *John Payne Collier (1789–1883), English Shakespearian critic and forger *John Collier (painter) (1850–1934) ...
's 1897 painting ''Lady Godiva'' and to photographs of
Bianca Jagger Bianca Jagger (born Blanca Pérez-Mora Macías; 2 May 1945)
riding a horse into
Studio 54 Studio 54 is a Broadway theatre, Broadway theater and former nightclub at 254 West 54th Street (Manhattan), 54th Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City, New York, U.S. Opened as the Gallo Opera House in 1927, it served ...
. An alternate cover image for the
vinyl Vinyl may refer to: Chemistry * Polyvinyl chloride (PVC), a particular vinyl polymer * Vinyl cation, a type of carbocation * Vinyl group, a broad class of organic molecules in chemistry * Vinyl polymer, a group of polymers derived from vinyl ...
release features Beyoncé atop the same horse, but "wearing a white cowboy hat with a silver headpiece that hides her hair" and "sparkling silver chains that drape her arms and legs, as white, feathery poofs hang along the body of the horse". Behind her lies
Luca Giordano Luca Giordano (18 October 1634 – 3 January 1705) was an Italian late-Baroque painter and printmaker in etching. Fluent and decorative, he worked successfully in Naples, Rome, Florence, and Venice, before spending a decade in Spain. Early l ...
's 1690 painting '' La Conversion de Saint Paul'', depicting the
Conversion of Paul the Apostle The conversion of Paul the Apostle (also the Pauline conversion, Damascene conversion, Damascus Christophany and Paul's transformation on the road to Damascus) was, according to the New Testament, an event in the life of Saul/Paul the Apostle ...
.


Composition

According to critics, ''Renaissance'' has an "innovative" and "playful" approach to genre, blending and shifting between several styles, primarily various genres of post-
1970s File:1970s decade montage.jpg, Clockwise from top left: U.S. President Richard Nixon doing the V for Victory sign after his resignation from office following the Watergate scandal in 1974; The United States was still involved in the Vietnam War ...
black Black is a color that results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without chroma, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness.Eva Heller, ''P ...
dance music Dance music is music composed specifically to facilitate or accompany dancing. It can be either a whole piece or part of a larger musical arrangement. In terms of performance, the major categories are live dance music and recorded dance musi ...
. Described as a dance,
house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...
,
pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop! (British group), a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Album ...
, and R&B album, its songs incorporate elements of a wide variety of sub-genres, namely bounce,
Detroit techno Detroit techno is a type of techno music that generally includes the first techno productions by Detroit-based artists during the 1980s and early 1990s. Prominent Detroit techno artists include Juan Atkins, Eddie Fowlkes, Derrick May, Jeff Mi ...
,
dembow The dembow beat or dembow riddim is a musical rhythm best known for its use as the core percussion element in reggaeton music, having taken its name from the 1990 dancehall song " Dem Bow" by Shabba Ranks. The rhythm, first developed by Jamaican ...
,
reggaeton Reggaeton (, ) is a modern style of popular music, popular and electronic music that originated in Panamanian reggaetón, Panama during the late 1980s, and which rose to prominence in the late 1990s and early 2000s through a plethora of Puert ...
, garage,
Afrobeats Afrobeats, not to be confused with Afrobeat or Afroswing, is an umbrella term to describe popular music from West Africa and the diaspora that initially developed in Ghana, Nigeria, and the UK in the 2000s and 2010s. Afrobeats is less of a st ...
,
boogie Boogie is a repetition (music), repetitive, swung note, swung note or shuffle rhythm,Burrows, Terry (1995). ''Play Country Guitar'', p.42. Dorling Kindersley Limited, London. . groove (music), "groove" or pattern used in blues which was origina ...
,
funk Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the ...
,
gospel Gospel originally meant the Christianity, Christian message ("the gospel"), but in the second century Anno domino, AD the term (, from which the English word originated as a calque) came to be used also for the books in which the message w ...
,
Miami bass Miami bass (also known as booty music or booty bass) is a subgenre of hip hop music that became popular in the 1980s and 1990s. The use of drums from the Roland TR-808, sustained kick drum, heavy bass, raised dance tempos, and frequently sexual ...
, psychedelic soul,
hip hop Hip-hop or hip hop (originally disco rap) is a popular music genre that emerged in the early 1970s from the African-American community of New York City. The style is characterized by its synthesis of a wide range of musical techniques. Hip- ...
, trap,
gqom Gqom () (igqomu (), gqom tech, sgubhu, 3-step or G.Q.O.M) is an African electronic dance music genre and subgenre of house music, that emerged in the early 2010s from Durban, South Africa, pioneered and innovated by Record producer, music produce ...
,
new jack swing New jack swing, new jack, or swingbeat is a fusion genre of the rhythms and production techniques of hip hop and dance-pop, and the urban contemporary sound of R&B. Spearheaded by producers Teddy Riley, Bernard Belle, Jimmy Jam and Te ...
, Jersey club,
Chicago house Chicago house refers to house music produced during the mid to late 1980s within Chicago. The term is generally used to refer to the original house music of DJs and producers from the area, such as Ron Hardy and Phuture History and origins D ...
,
deep house Deep house is a subgenre of house music that originated in the 1980s, initially fusing elements of Chicago house with the lush chords of 1980s jazz-funk and touches of soul music. Its origins are attributed to the early recordings of Larry Heard ...
,
electro house Electro house is a genre of electronic dance music and a subgenre of house music characterized by heavy bass and a tempo around 125–135 beats per minute. The term has been used to describe the music of many ''DJ Mag'' Top 100 DJs, including ...
,
hip house Hip house, also known as rap house or house rap, is a musical genre that mixes elements of house music and hip-hop, which originated in both London and Chicago in the mid-to-late 1980s. A British collaboration between the electronic group Beatm ...
,
synth-pop Synth-pop (short for synthesizer pop; also called techno-pop; ) is a music genre that first became prominent in the late 1970s and features the synthesizer as the dominant musical instrument. It was prefigured in the 1960s and early 1970s b ...
,
hyperpop Hyperpop (sometimes called bubblegum bass) is a loosely defined electronic music movement and microgenre that predominantly originated during the early 2010s in the United Kingdom. It is characterised by an exaggerated or maximalist take on p ...
,
dancehall Dancehall is a genre of Jamaican popular music that originated in the late 1970s. Initially, dancehall was a more sparse version of reggae than the roots reggae, roots style, which had dominated much of the 1970s.Barrow, Steve & Dalton, Peter (2 ...
, and
nu-disco Nu-disco is a 21st-century dance music genre associated with a renewed interest in the late 1970s disco, synthesizer-heavy 1980s European dance music styles, and early 1990s electronic dance music. The genre was popular in the early 2000s, and exp ...
. The tracks are connected by seamless transitions facilitated by
beatmatching Beatmatching or pitch cue is a DJ technique of pitch shifting or time stretching an upcoming track to match its tempo to that of the currently playing track, and to adjust them such that the beats (and, usually, the bars) are synchronized� ...
, evoking a
DJ mix A DJ mix or DJ mixset is a sequence of musical tracks typically beatmixing, mixed together by a Disc jockey, DJ to appear as one continuous track. DJ mixes are usually performed using a DJ mixer and multiple sounds sources, such as Phonograph, tur ...
. This reflects "the shifting moods and the physicality of the dance floor" rather than "the constraints of a radio station or a playlist", according to ''
The New Yorker ''The New Yorker'' is an American magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. It was founded on February 21, 1925, by Harold Ross and his wife Jane Grant, a reporter for ''The New York T ...
'''s Carrie Battan. Some tracks also have unconventional
song structure Song structure is the arrangement of a song, and is a part of the songwriting process. It is typically sectional, which uses repeating forms in songs. Common piece-level musical forms for vocal music include bar form, 32-bar form, verse–chorus ...
s, containing multiple
tempo In musical terminology, tempo (Italian for 'time'; plural 'tempos', or from the Italian plural), measured in beats per minute, is the speed or pace of a given musical composition, composition, and is often also an indication of the composition ...
s and
movements Movement may refer to: Generic uses * Movement (clockwork), the internal mechanism of a timepiece * Movement (sign language), a hand movement when signing * Motion, commonly referred to as movement * Movement (music), a division of a larger c ...
. Lyrically, ''Renaissance'' contains themes of
escapism Escapism is mental diversion from unpleasant aspects of daily life, typically through activities involving imagination or entertainment. Escapism also may be used to occupy one's self away from persistent feelings of depression or general s ...
, self-assurance, self-expression,
hedonism Hedonism is a family of Philosophy, philosophical views that prioritize pleasure. Psychological hedonism is the theory that all human behavior is Motivation, motivated by the desire to maximize pleasure and minimize pain. As a form of Psycholo ...
and pleasure, with Beyoncé inspiring joy and confidence in listeners. According to ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'', it "urg slisteners to wholeheartedly embrace pleasure", particularly referencing joy in
Black culture Black culture can refer to: * African-American culture African-American culture, also known as Black American culture or Black culture in American English, refers to the cultural expressions of African Americans, either as part of or distinc ...
. The album's lyrics emphasize dance as both a measure of personal
catharsis Catharsis is from the Ancient Greek word , , meaning "purification" or "cleansing", commonly used to refer to the purification and purgation of thoughts and emotions by way of expressing them. The desired result is an emotional state of renewal an ...
and a liberating spiritual practice. Beyoncé collaborated with, sampled and interpolated several progenitors of dance music on the album, including both mainstream and underground artists. This made the album a celebration of Black and Black queer dance culture, with ''
Vulture A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to Nort ...
'''s Charlie Harding likening it to "a DJ set curated by house-music pioneers".


Promotion and release

Beyoncé originally intended to release ''
Cowboy Carter ''Cowboy Carter'' (also referred to as ''Act II: Cowboy Carter'') is the eighth studio album by American singer and songwriter Beyoncé, released on March 29, 2024, via Parkwood Entertainment and Columbia Records. A concept album, ''Cowboy Cart ...
'' (2024) as the first installment of her trilogy project, but explained that "with the pandemic, there was too much heaviness in the world", and so released ''Renaissance'' first, because " eopledeserved to dance." Beyoncé began to tease a new album on June7, 2022, by removing her profile picture from all of her
social media Social media are interactive technologies that facilitate the Content creation, creation, information exchange, sharing and news aggregator, aggregation of Content (media), content (such as ideas, interests, and other forms of expression) amongs ...
platforms. Four days later, the text "What is a B7?" appeared on the homepage of the singer's official website. Fans noticed that the website also had a placeholder for "B8", interpreted as referencing an eighth studio album. Beyoncé officially announced the album and released the pre-sale for ''Renaissance'' on her website and digital streaming platforms the following day. After first joining
TikTok TikTok, known in mainland China and Hong Kong as Douyin (), is a social media and Short-form content, short-form online video platform owned by Chinese Internet company ByteDance. It hosts user-submitted videos, which may range in duration f ...
in December 2021, Beyoncé posted her first video, a compilation of people (including American rapper
Cardi B Belcalis Marlenis Cephus (; born October 11, 1992), known professionally as Cardi B, is an American rapper. Noted for her unfiltered public image and lyrics, Cardi B is one of the most successful female rappers. From 2015 to early 2017, she ga ...
) "dancing, vibing, and singing along" to ''Renaissance''s lead single, "Break My Soul", on July 14, 2022. Further, she made her entire catalog available for use on the platform, attracting significant media attention. Two days before the scheduled release, on July 27, the album arrived in retailers in France and eventually leaked onto the Internet. The album was released on July 29, 2022. Upon the album's release, Beyoncé posted a note on her website revealing that ''Renaissance'' is the first part of a trilogy project that she recorded over the past three years, during the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
. Critics opined that ''Renaissance'' appeared to be getting a more conventional rollout than a number of Beyoncé's previous albums, which were surprise releases, an approach Beyoncé herself was credited with popularizing. ''The New York Times'' wrote that the album's rollout reflected its throwback themes and music, with Beyoncé eschewing an exclusive digital release and instead releasing elaborate vinyl and CD packages''.'' This ushered in a revival of CD sales, according to ''Billboard''. However, despite Beyoncé's decision to forego a surprise release, ''Renaissances rollout quickly proved to be unconventional and disruptive in several other ways. Beyoncé kept her public appearances to a minimum, foregoing interviews and promotional efforts, and mostly keeping her communication limited to subtle clues, Easter eggs, and messages placed throughout her online media. She also completely avoided promotional live performances for the album until the
Renaissance World Tour The Renaissance World Tour was the ninth concert tour by American singer-songwriter Beyoncé. Her highest-grossing tour to date, it was staged in support of her seventh studio album, ''Renaissance (Beyoncé album), Renaissance'' (2022). The to ...
. Her only other performance following the album's release was a private concert at Atlantis The Royal in
Dubai, UAE Dubai (Help:IPA/English, /duːˈbaɪ/ Help:Pronunciation respelling key, ''doo-BYE''; Modern Standard Arabic, Modern Standard Arabic: ; Emirati Arabic, Emirati Arabic: , Romanization of Arabic, romanized: Help:IPA/English, /diˈbej/) is the Lis ...
in January 2023, but, despite anticipation, the set list did not contain any material from ''Renaissance''. Most notably, Beyoncé has eschewed a traditional release schedule for music videos. As of now, there are no official music videos available to accompany the songs from the album as part of its promotional efforts.


Singles

On June 20, 2022, Beyoncé announced the album's lead single, " Break My Soul", would be released at midnight
Eastern Time The Eastern Time Zone (ET) is a time zone encompassing part or all of 23 states in the eastern part of the United States, parts of eastern Canada, and the state of Quintana Roo in Mexico. * Eastern Standard Time (EST) is five hours behi ...
on June 21, to coincide with the 2022
summer solstice The summer solstice or estival solstice occurs when one of Earth's poles has its maximum tilt toward the Sun. It happens twice yearly, once in each hemisphere ( Northern and Southern). The summer solstice is the day with the longest peri ...
. The song appeared on music streaming service Tidal hours early, on June 20, and a lyric video was later released on
YouTube YouTube is an American social media and online video sharing platform owned by Google. YouTube was founded on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim who were three former employees of PayPal. Headquartered in ...
. The song peaked atop the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100, making it her twelfth total career chart topper (eighth as a solo artist) and her first song without an accompanying artist to do so since "
Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" is a song by American singer Beyoncé from her third studio album, '' I Am... Sasha Fierce'' (2008). Columbia Records released "Single Ladies" as a single on October 8, 2008, as a double A-side alongside " If I ...
" in 2008. On August 5, 2022, Beyoncé released a remix exclusively through her online store, before releasing it to streaming services; "The Queens Remix" is a collaboration with
Madonna Madonna Louise Ciccone ( ; born August 16, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Referred to as the "Queen of Pop", she has been recognized for her continual reinvention and versatility in music production, ...
, sampling and interpolating her 1990 song "
Vogue Vogue may refer to: Business * ''Vogue'' (magazine), a US fashion magazine ** British ''Vogue'', a British fashion magazine ** '' Vogue Adria'', a fashion magazine for former Yugoslav countries ** ''Vogue Arabia'', an Arab fashion magazine ** ' ...
". It features Beyoncé name-dropping Madonna and many iconic black women during the song's rap verse. On September 21, 2022, ''Hiphop-n-more'' reported that "Church Girl" would be released as the album's second single; a week later, it was announced that it would be simultaneously released alongside "
Cuff It "Cuff It" is a song by American singer Beyoncé from her seventh studio album, ''Renaissance'' (2022). It was released as the album's second single on September 30, 2022, through Parkwood Entertainment and Columbia Records. The song was written ...
" as the next two singles. "Church Girl" was scheduled to impact rhythmic contemporary radio on October 4, 2022, but the release failed to materialize whereas "Cuff It" was released as the sole second single, being sent to radio in France on September 28, 2022. It impacted rhythmic and
urban contemporary Urban contemporary music, also known as urban music, urban pop, or just simply urban, is a music radio format. The term was coined by New York radio DJ Frankie Crocker in the early to mid-1970s as a synonym for Black music. Urban contemporary r ...
radio stations in the United States on October 4, 2022. The song peaked at number 6 on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100, making it the 21st song in her solo career to reach this milestone, and 31st overall. On April 11, 2023, the song became Beyoncé's longest-charting solo Hot 100 song. Charting for a 34th week on the Hot 100, the song surpassed her collaboration with
Lady Gaga Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her image reinventions and versatility across the entertainment industry, she is an influ ...
, "
Telephone A telephone, colloquially referred to as a phone, is a telecommunications device that enables two or more users to conduct a conversation when they are too far apart to be easily heard directly. A telephone converts sound, typically and most ...
" which released in 2010 and charted for 33 weeks. A remix of " America Has a Problem" featuring
Kendrick Lamar Kendrick Lamar Duckworth (born June 17, 1987) is an American rapper, singer, songwriter and record producer. Regarded as one of the greatest rappers of all time, he was awarded the 2018 Pulitzer Prize for Music, becoming the first music ...
was released through digital and streaming platforms on May 19, 2023, as the third single. The remix debuted at 38 on the US ''Billboard Hot 100''. " Virgo's Groove" impacted Italian radio stations on June 2, 2023, as the radio follow-up to "Cuff It" and fourth overall single.


Tour

On February 1, 2023, Beyoncé announced the
Renaissance World Tour The Renaissance World Tour was the ninth concert tour by American singer-songwriter Beyoncé. Her highest-grossing tour to date, it was staged in support of her seventh studio album, ''Renaissance (Beyoncé album), Renaissance'' (2022). The to ...
via her
Instagram Instagram is an American photo sharing, photo and Short-form content, short-form video sharing social networking service owned by Meta Platforms. It allows users to upload media that can be edited with Social media camera filter, filters, be ...
account. The concert run began on May 10, 2023, at
Friends Arena Nationalarenan, known as Strawberry Arena since 2024 for sponsorship reasons, is a retractable roof multi-purpose stadium in Stockholm, Sweden. Located next to the lake Råstasjön in Solna, just north of the City Centre, it is the largest stadi ...
in Stockholm. It was her first solo tour since
The Formation World Tour The Formation World Tour was the seventh concert tour by American singer-songwriter Beyoncé in support of her sixth studio album, ''Lemonade'' (2016). The all-stadium tour was announced following her guest appearance at the Super Bowl 50 halfti ...
in 2016. The tour quickly received widespread acclaim, with ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' dubbing it a "once-in-a-lifetime show from one of pop's greatest live performers".


Visuals

When ''Renaissance'' was first released, Beyoncé stated through a press release that she wanted fans to focus on the music, rather than any
visual components Visual Components is a developer of 3D simulation software for manufacturing. Visual Components software is used for applications including layout planning, production simulation, off-line programming and PLC verification. History Visual Compon ...
, but confirmed that visuals were eventually forthcoming. On August 9, 2022, Beyoncé released a teaser video for the album's opening track, "I'm That Girl", that included a rapid montage of over twenty outfits that news outlets interpreted as previewing the various impending music videos for each track on the album. Some scenes included Beyoncé recreating Moi Renee performing her 1992 song "Miss Honey", Beyoncé and 2 dancers fronting ''La Conversion de Saint Paul'', and Beyoncé in a
hedge maze A hedge maze is an outdoor garden maze or labyrinth in which the "walls" or dividers between passages are made of vertical hedges. History Hedge mazes evolved from the knot gardens of Renaissance Europe, and were first constructed during the mi ...
labyrinth In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth () is an elaborate, confusing structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos. Its function was to hold the Minotaur, the monster eventually killed by the h ...
. 9 months later, Beyoncé embarked on the album's companion tour on May 10, 2023. Part of her tour visuals additionally included a message stating that, although fans were demanding visuals, "a queen moves at her own pace". During her concert in Louisville, Kentucky, on July 17, 2023, Beyoncé addressed a fan's sign inquiring about the visuals, responding, "You are the visuals, baby." Jeff Sneider of ''Above the Line'' reported on August 31, 2023, that a
visual album A visual album is a type of concept album in which the album is accompanied by a feature-length film or individual music videos for every song. Usually, the film, or "visuals", emphasize the album's overall theme and serve as the "visual vehicle" ...
for ''Renaissance'', directed by Nadia Lee Cohen, was secretly filmed and is being shopped to various studios and streamers. He described it as an
art film An art film, arthouse film, or specialty film is an independent film aimed at a niche market rather than a mass market audience. It is "intended to be a serious, artistic work, often experimental and not designed for mass appeal", "made prima ...
that is "weirder" than Beyoncé's previous works, ''
Lemonade Lemonade is a sweetened lemon-flavored drink. There are many varieties of lemonade found throughout the world. In some parts of the world, lemonade refers to an un-carbonated, traditionally, homemade drink, using lemon juice, water, and a sw ...
'' (2016) and '' Black Is King'' (2020). The last show of the Renaissance World Tour at
Arrowhead Stadium Arrowhead Stadium is an American football stadium in Kansas City, Missouri, United States. It primarily serves as the home venue of the Kansas City Chiefs of the National Football League (NFL). It was built at the same time as neighboring Kauff ...
in
Kansas City, Missouri Kansas City, Missouri, abbreviated KC or KCMO, is the largest city in the U.S. state of Missouri by List of cities in Missouri, population and area. The city lies within Jackson County, Missouri, Jackson, Clay County, Missouri, Clay, and Pl ...
on October 1, 2023, closed out with a trailer for '' Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé.'' Released on December 1, 2023, the film features highlights from the tour and documentary footage from the development of both the album and the tour.


Renaissance Couture

In July 2022, Balmain's creative director Olivier Rousteing was inspired by ''Renaissance'' to sketch designs that related to the songs and lyrics. Rousteing refined the sketches during a vacation in August and proposed to Beyoncé and her stylist Marni Senofonte to create a couture collection in collaboration. Over the next five months, they developed a Balmain x Beyoncé couture collection inspired by the history of the
house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...
and the performer's musical heritage. The collection includes 16 pieces for the 16 tracks on the album, two of which were worn by Beyoncé at the Grammys and the BRIT Awards in early 2023. Rousteing described the collaboration as historic, expressing his gratitude to Beyoncé for launching the collaboration and partnering with him to design a collection that reflected the power of the album's compositions. Rousteing noted that he is the first Black person to lead a Parisian couture house and that he believes Beyoncé is the first Black woman to oversee a collection from a Parisian couture house. Beyoncé fronted the April 2023 edition of ''
Vogue France ''Vogue France'' (stylised in all caps) is the French language, French edition of ''Vogue (magazine), Vogue'' magazine, formerly called ''Vogue Paris'' from its inception until 2021. The magazine started publication in 1920 and has since been re ...
'' to promote the collection.


Reception


Critical response

''Renaissance'' received critical acclaim, many of whom praised its cohesive yet eclectic production, joyous nature, vocal performance, and celebration of post-1970s Black dance music. ''Renaissance'' is the most highly lauded album of 2022, topping many critics' year-end lists. On review aggregator
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
, ''Renaissance'' received a score of 91 out of 100 based on 26 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". Veteran critic
Robert Christgau Robert Thomas Christgau ( ; born April 18, 1942) is an American music journalist and essayist. Among the most influential music critics, he began his career in the late 1960s as one of the earliest professional rock critics and later became a ...
hailed ''Renaissance'' as "the album of the year" and Beyoncé's "finest album", calling it unconventionally political, "erotically explicit, knowledgeable, and felt", with each song a "shrewdly differentiated pop smash". Characterizing it as a "modern classic" and Beyoncé's most impressive album, ''
Exclaim! ''Exclaim!'' is a Canadian music and entertainment publisher based in Toronto, which features coverage of new music across all genres with a special focus on Canadian and emerging artists. The monthly ''Exclaim!'' print magazine publishes seven ...
'' Vernon Ayiku wrote that ''Renaissance'' is "the sound of a once-in-a-generation superstar performing at her peak". According to Kyle Denis of ''
Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...
'', ''Renaissance'' is an "absolutely stunning body of work", and perhaps Beyoncé's most innovative and
experimental An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs whe ...
album with her "most nuanced vocal performances" to date.
NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...
's
Ann Powers Ann K. Powers (born February 4, 1964) is an American writer and popular music critic. She is a music critic for NPR and a contributor at the ''Los Angeles Times'', where she was previously chief pop critic. She has also written for other publicat ...
described it as "Beyoncé's
Sistine Chapel The Sistine Chapel ( ; ; ) is a chapel in the Apostolic Palace, the pope's official residence in Vatican City. Originally known as the ''Cappella Magna'' ('Great Chapel'), it takes its name from Pope Sixtus IV, who had it built between 1473 and ...
", with its "stunning" design and detail, multifaceted nature and "timeless" impact. Describing the album as "intergenerational musical exchange that landed like a cultural comet", ''
Okayplayer Okayplayer is an online hip-hop and alternative music website and community, described by ''Rolling Stone'' as a "tastemaker" and "an antidote to dull promotional Web sites used by most artists". The community was founded by The Roots' drummer ...
'' Robyn Mowatt praised Beyoncé's ability to bring together dance legends (such as Grace Jones and Nile Rodgers) with contemporary underground musicians. ''
The Line of Best Fit ''The Line of Best Fit'' is an independent online magazine based in London, concentrating on new music. It publishes independent music reviews, features, interview, and media. Founded by Richard Thane in February 2007 and currently edited by P ...
'' critic David Cobbald described the album as one of Beyoncé's best, noting that it is a departure from her previous work. Cobbald praised the album for celebrating "underappreciated architects" of disco, house and funk music. Music journalist Kate Solomon, writing for '' i,'' dubbed the album a "dazzling tribute to underground and underappreciated Black culture" and a dancefloor record aimed to heal "the pain and anguish" of the COVID-19 pandemic. Melissa Ruggieri described it "a
danceteria Danceteria was a nightclub that operated in New York City from May 1980 until 1986 and in the Hamptons until 1995. The club operated in various locations over the years, a total of three in New York City and four in the Hamptons. The most famous l ...
devoted to hedonism, sex and most importantly
self-worth Self-esteem is confidence in one's own worth, abilities, or morals. Self-esteem encompasses beliefs about oneself (for example, "I am loved", "I am worthy") as well as emotional states, such as triumph, despair, pride, and shame. Smith and Mackie ...
" in ''
USA Today ''USA Today'' (often stylized in all caps) is an American daily middle-market newspaper and news broadcasting company. Founded by Al Neuharth in 1980 and launched on September 14, 1982, the newspaper operates from Gannett's corporate headq ...
''.
Wesley Morris Wesley Morris (born December 19, 1975) is an American film critic and podcast host. He is currently critic-at-large for ''The New York Times'', as well as co-host, with J Wortham, of the ''New York Times'' podcast '' Still Processing.'' Previou ...
of ''The New York Times'' noted Beyoncé's "galactic" vocal performance, delivery and range. Mikael Wood of the ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' called the album "the year's smartest record ndalso its most deep-feeling", praising its rhythms, harmonies and vocals. ''
Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...
'' critic Julianne Escobedo Shepherd called it "a challenging, densely-referenced album" that forays into dance and
club music Electronic dance music (EDM), also referred to as dance music or club music, is a broad range of percussive electronic music genres originally made for nightclubs, raves, and festivals. It is generally produced for playback by DJs who create s ...
more successfully than similar projects by Beyoncé's peers. Marcus Shorter of '' Consequence'' wrote that ''Renaissance'' is "damn close to perfect" with its "infectious and not overbearing, elegant, but not shallow" songs. John Amen, writing for ''
PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...
'', complimented the album's contemporaneous production, dubbing it "a
litany Litany, in Christian worship and some forms of Jewish worship, is a form of prayer used in services and processions, and consisting of a number of petitions. The word comes through Latin ''wikt:litania, litania'' from Ancient Greek wikt:λιτα ...
of samples,
allusion Allusion, or alluding, is a figure of speech that makes a reference to someone or something by name (a person, object, location, etc.) without explaining how it relates to the given context, so that the audience must realize the connection in the ...
s, and tributes" but with "more style than substance" at times. ''
Resident Advisor ''Resident Advisor'' (also known as ''RA'') is an online music magazine and community platform established in 2001 and dedicated to showcasing electronic music, artists and events across the globe. Its editorial team provides news, music and ev ...
'' Kiana Mickles praised Beyoncé's use of experimental production and genres on the album but wrote that it "falls flat" when Beyoncé references Black/Brown queer ballroom culture.


Featured, sampled and interpolated artists

Producer Kelman Duran, who received permission from the late Memphis rapper Princess Loko's family and main collaborator Tommy Wright III to use her catalog of songs in his productions, sampled a song of hers with Wright (1994s "Still Pimpin") to create
dembow The dembow beat or dembow riddim is a musical rhythm best known for its use as the core percussion element in reggaeton music, having taken its name from the 1990 dancehall song " Dem Bow" by Shabba Ranks. The rhythm, first developed by Jamaican ...
and
reggaeton Reggaeton (, ) is a modern style of popular music, popular and electronic music that originated in Panamanian reggaetón, Panama during the late 1980s, and which rose to prominence in the late 1990s and early 2000s through a plethora of Puert ...
-infused opening track "I'm That Girl". Jamaican singer
Grace Jones Grace Beverly Jones (born 19 May 1948) is a Jamaican singer, songwriter, model and actress. She began her Model (person), modelling career in New York State, then in Paris, working for fashion houses such as Yves Saint Laurent (brand), Yves St ...
was featured on the track "Move"; Jones said how she does not usually collaborate with other artists, but agreed to work with Beyoncé because she is "a beautiful person, a beautiful talent" and she attends the same church as Jones' brother. American television personality Ts Madison, whose viral video clip "Bitch, I'm Black" is sampled on "Cozy", expressed gratitude to Beyoncé for allowing her to "let me use my voice" and "let it be known that we are all Black in totality" to a global audience. Other artists who expressed gratitude for being included on ''Renaissance'' include
Kevin Aviance Kevin Aviance (born Eric Snead on June 22, 1968) is an American drag queen, club/dance musician, fashion designer, and nightclub personality. He is a personality in New York City's gay scene and has performed throughout North America, Europe and ...
, whose song "Cunty" is sampled on "Pure/Honey"; and
ballroom A ballroom or ballhall is a large room inside a building, the primary purpose of which is holding large formal parties called ''balls''. Traditionally, most balls were held in private residences; many mansions and palaces, especially histori ...
commentator Kevin JZ Prodigy, whose chants are borrowed from the 2009 DJ
MikeQ Michael Cox, known by the stage name MikeQ, is an American DJ, musician, music producer, and prominent figure in the ballroom community. He is the founder of the record label Qween Beat. In 2020 MikeQ was the DJ for HBO's Legendary. Early life ...
track "Feels Like" on "Pure/Honey". While many artists felt honored to have their work sampled on this album, a few took issue with it. One of them being American singer and songwriter
Kelis Kelis Rogers (; born August 21, 1979) is an American singer-songwriter and chef. She attended Manhattan, New York's Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, where she played saxophone and was selected for the Girls Ch ...
, whose 2003 single "
Milkshake A milkshake (sometimes simply called a shake) is a sweet beverage made by blending milk, ice cream, and flavorings or sweeteners such as butterscotch, caramel sauce, chocolate syrup, or fruit syrup into a thick, sweet, cold mixture. It may ...
" was interpolated on "Energy". Beyoncé sought permission from
Pharrell Williams Pharrell Lanscilo Williams (; born April 5, 1973), also known mononymously as Pharrell, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, and fashion designer. He first became known as one half of the music production duo ...
and
Chad Hugo Charles Edward Hugo (born February 24, 1974) is an American musician and record producer. Alongside childhood friend Pharrell Williams, he formed the production duo the Neptunes in 1992, with whom he has produced numerous hit records for variou ...
of
the Neptunes The Neptunes were an American record production duo composed of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, formed in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in 1992. Williams often provided backing vocals and music video appearances on the duo's productions, while H ...
– the sole writers, producers, and rights owners of "Milkshake" – who subsequently cleared the interpolation. Kelis voiced anger about this, claiming that the Neptunes made her sign an exploitative contract and that she should have been notified of the song's use in advance. In response, the interpolation was removed from "Energy". British tabloid ''
The Sun The Sun is the star at the centre of the Solar System. It is a massive, nearly perfect sphere of hot Plasma (physics), plasma, heated to incandescence by nuclear fusion reactions in its core, radiating the energy from its surface mainly as ...
'' claimed that English pop duo
Right Said Fred Right Said Fred are an English pop band formed by brothers Fred and Richard Fairbrass in 1989. They are best known for the hit 1991 song " I'm Too Sexy". History 1989–1991: Formation Prior to forming Right Said Fred, the Fairbra ...
said that Beyoncé did not seek permission to interpolate their 1991 single "
I'm Too Sexy "I'm Too Sexy" is a song by British pop band Right Said Fred, released in July 1991 by Tug Records as their debut single from their first album, '' Up'' (1992). The song was written by band members and brothers Fred Fairbrass and Richard Fa ...
" on " Alien Superstar". In response, Beyoncé's representative said that the accusation is false, with permission being sought on May 11, 2022, and granted on June 15, noting that the duo had previously spoken of their gratitude for being on the album on social media. Other featured producers on the album include Sonny John Moore, A.G. Cook,
Nile Rodgers Nile Gregory Rodgers Jr. (born September 19, 1952) is an American musician, songwriter, guitarist and record producer. The co-founder of Chic, he has written, produced, and performed on records that have sold more than 750 million albums and 1 ...
,
Honey Dijon Honey Redmond (known professionally as Honey Dijon) is an American DJ, producer, and electronic musician. She was born in Chicago and is based in New York City and Berlin. She has performed at clubs, festivals, art fairs, galleries and fashio ...
, and
Green Velvet Curtis Alan Jones (born April 26, 1968), better known by his stage name Green Velvet, is an American disc jockey, singer and record producer. He is also known as Cajmere, Geo Vogt, Half Pint, Curan Stone, and Gino Vittori. Early life Curtis Ala ...
. Additionally, the song "Heated" was met with criticism online for its use of the word " spaz" in its lyrics, which, as Australian
disability advocate The disability rights movement is a global social movement that seeks to secure equal opportunities and equal rights for all disabled people. It is made up of organizations of disability activists, also known as disability advocates, around t ...
Hannah Diviney pointed out, is an
ableist Ableism (; also known as ablism, disablism (British English), anapirophobia, anapirism, and disability discrimination) is discrimination and social prejudice against physically or mentally disabled people. Ableism characterizes people as they are ...
slur, and other fans agreed. Other users online said that "spaz" has a different meaning in
African-American English African-American English (AAE) is the umbrella term for English dialects spoken predominantly by Black people in the United States and, less often, in Canada; most commonly, it refers to a dialect continuum ranging from African-American Vernacu ...
and is synonymous with "freaking out". Beyoncé announced the following day that the word would be removed from the song, with the word soon being replaced with "blast".


Accolades

At the end of 2022, ''Renaissance'' appeared atop several critics' lists ranking the year's top albums. According to
Metacritic Metacritic is an American website that aggregates reviews of films, television shows, music albums, video games, and formerly books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created ...
, it was the most prominently ranked record of 2022, and the album that was listed at number one by the most publications (25 publications). ''Renaissance'' was the most nominated album at the
65th Annual Grammy Awards The 65th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on February 5, 2023. It recognized the best recordings, compositions, and artists of the eligibility year – October 1, 2021 to September 30, 2022 – as de ...
, receiving eight including Album of the Year, Song of the Year and
Record of the Year The Grammy Award for Record of the Year is presented by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to "honor artistic achievement, technical proficiency and overall excellence in the recording industry, without re ...
. This tied Beyoncé with Jay-Z as the most Grammy-nominated artists of all time. Her four wins made her the most awarded artist in Grammy history with 32 wins, surpassing the previous record of 31 that was held for 22 years by Hungarian-British conductor
Georg Solti Sir Georg Solti ( , ; born György Stern; 21 October 1912 – 5 September 1997) was a Hungarian-British orchestral and operatic conductor, known for his appearances with opera companies in Munich, Frankfurt, and London, and as a long-servi ...
. ''
Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...
'' placed ''Renaissance'' at number 71 on their 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list. ''
Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...
'' named the record the fifth best album of the 2020s so far, on their ranking of the one hundred best music projects released during this period (2020-2024).


Awards


Year-end rankings


Commercial performance

''Renaissance'' was a commercial success. Upon release, Beyoncé became the first artist in history to simultaneously chart at #1 on 23 or more Billboard charts. ''Renaissance'' garnered the record for the most single-day streams for an album by a female artist on
Spotify Spotify (; ) is a List of companies of Sweden, Swedish Music streaming service, audio streaming and media service provider founded on 23 April 2006 by Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon. , it is one of the largest providers of music streaming services ...
in 2022, with over 43 million streams. Within three months of its release, ''Renaissance'' amassed over 1 billion streams on Spotify. It was also the 17th best-selling album of the year according to the
International Federation of the Phonographic Industry The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a non-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland and founded in Italy in 1 ...
(IFPI). ''Renaissance'' was the number one most streamed album worldwide on
Deezer Deezer is a List of companies of France, French music streaming service and media service provider founded in 2007 that provides users with access to a vast library of music tracks, podcasts, and radio stations. It offers streaming services in ...
in 2023.


United States

''Renaissance'' debuted at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200 chart, with 332,000
album-equivalent unit The album-equivalent unit, or album equivalent, often shortened to just unit, is a sales metric in the music industry that defines the number of streaming media, songs streamed and music download, songs downloaded equal to one Record sales, tradi ...
s—the second biggest 2022 album debut by a female artist and the third-biggest overall. In doing so, ''Renaissance'' became Beyoncé's seventh consecutive studio album to debut at number one and the first album released by a woman in 2022 to reach number one. Already the first artist to have her first six albums all debut at number one, she became the only female artist whose first seven albums did so as well. Following its release, all tracks from ''Renaissance'' charted on the ''Billboard'' Hot 100 in the chart dated August 13, 2022. All 15 new tracks debuted inside the top 70 of the chart, while previously released lead single "Break My Soul" ascended to number one, making ''Renaissance'' Beyoncé's second album to chart all of its tracks simultaneously after ''Lemonade'' achieved the feat in 2016. Additionally, ''Renaissance'' became Beyoncé's first album since '' I Am... Sasha Fierce'' (2008) to achieve multiple top ten singles in the United States, with "Break My Soul" and "Cuff It" peaking at number 1 and 6 respectively. ''Renaissance'' received 179.06 million streams in its first week, the eighth-biggest of the year overall, and the most of Beyoncé's career. In terms of traditional album sales, ''Renaissance'' posted the fourth-largest sales week for an album in 2022 with 190,000 albums sold. Additionally, the album sold 26,000 vinyl copies in its debut week. ''Renaissance'' went on to spend its first 14 consecutive weeks within the top 10 of the ''Billboard'' 200. It returned to the Top 15 after a boost following the 65th Annual Grammy Awards.


Internationally

By its second day of release, ''Renaissance'' was outselling the rest of the week's top five bestselling albums combined in the UK. The album debuted at number one on the
UK Albums Chart The Official Albums Chart is the United Kingdom's industry-recognised national record chart for album, albums. Entries are ranked by sales and audio streaming. It was published for the first time on 22 July 1956 and is compiled every week by the O ...
, becoming Beyoncé fourth album to do so as a solo act, and her fifth including Destiny's Child. The album also debuted at number one on the Official Vinyl Albums Chart. In Ireland, ''Renaissance'' debuted atop the
Irish Albums Chart The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA). The charts were previously compiled on behalf of IRMA by Chart-Track, and have been compiled by t ...
, becoming Beyoncé's fifth number one album in the country. Simultaneously, "Break My Soul" also peaked at number one on the
Irish Singles Chart The Irish Singles Chart is the Republic of Ireland's music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association (IRMA) and compiled on their behalf by the Official Charts Company. Chart rankings are ...
, allowing Beyoncé to score an Irish chart double. In France, ''Renaissance'' debuted at number one on the
SNEP SNEP (, in English National Syndicate of Phonographic Publishing) is the inter-professional organisation that protects the interests of the French record industry. Originally known under the acronym SNICOP, the organisation was established in ...
albums chart, becoming Beyoncé's first number one album and her fourth top-ten album in the country. Previously, ''4'' was Beyoncé's highest-charting album in the country, peaking at number two in 2011. Additionally, the album was the first album by a female artist to top the chart in 2022. In Canada, ''Renaissance'' debuted at number one on the
Canadian Albums Chart The ''Billboard'' Canadian Albums is the official record chart A record chart, in the music industry, also called a music chart, is a ranking of Sound recording and reproduction, recorded music according to certain criteria during a given ...
, becoming Beyoncé's third consecutive album to do so and her fourth number one album overall. In the Netherlands, the album landed atop the
Album Top 100 The Dutch Album Top 100 or Album Top 100 is a weekly hit list of music albums, compiled by Dutch Charts. It shows the 100 best-selling music albums of the moment in the Netherlands. The list has passed through various name changes and has expanded ...
, becoming Beyoncé's third consecutive album to reach the summit in the country. The album has so far spent three non-consecutive weeks at number one, following its return to number one in its 11th week on the chart. In Australia, the album debuted at number one on the
Australian Albums Chart The ARIA Charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling songs and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA became the offici ...
, becoming Beyoncé's third consecutive number-one album in the country after ''Beyoncé'' and ''Lemonade''. Additionally, seven tracks from the album debuted in the top 50. It spent two consecutive weeks at number one, becoming her first album to do so since ''
Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...
''. In New Zealand, ''Renaissance'' debuted at number one on the New Zealand Albums Chart, becoming Beyoncé's second consecutive number one album in the country following 2016's ''Lemonade'', and her seventh top ten albums in the country overall. In Brazil, the album achieved massive success and was awarded diamond certification by
Pro-Música Brasil Pro-Música Brasil (PMB), previously Associação Brasileira dos Produtores de Discos (ABPD) ( English: Brazilian Association of Record Producers), is an official representative body of the record labels in the Brazilian phonographic market. H ...
.


Impact

Upon release, ''Renaissance'' sparked conversations and essays on the history of dance music and its roots in Black culture. Several industry fellows reacted positively toward the release. American singer
Crystal Waters Crystal Waters (born November 19, 1961) is an American house music, house and dance music singer and songwriter, best known for her 1990s dance hits "Gypsy Woman (Crystal Waters song), Gypsy Woman", "100% Pure Love", and 2007's "Destination Cal ...
, who helped make house music mainstream in the 1990s, said she was "ecstatic" when she heard Beyoncé's new music and expressed gratitude for how she is shining a light on underappreciated house singers. Chicago house DJ Ron Carroll described ''Renaissance'' as a "trailblazing" album that has reintroduced house music to the radio and encouraged other musicians to follow Beyoncé's lead. Aluna Francis of English electronic music duo
AlunaGeorge AlunaGeorge are an English electronic music duo from London, consisting of singer-songwriter Aluna Francis and producer George Reid. Since 2020, the duo has been on indefinite hiatus, allowing both members to pursue solo projects. Career 2009 ...
lauded ''Renaissance'' for its impact on dance music and its Black creators. Francis explained that throughout her career, she had hoped and fought for the widespread recognition of Black musicians' place in dance music. Francis wrote that this revolution has now occurred following the release of ''Renaissance'', with Beyoncé breaking stigmas and declaring that dance music is Black music, in turn encouraging listeners to reflect on the visibility and exploitation of Blackness within dance genres. Francis added that ''Renaissance'' could greatly benefit the investment and growth of communities around the world which allow Black dance music to thrive. Other musicians also praised the album for its impact and musicology. British singer-songwriter
Ellie Goulding Elena Jane Goulding ( ; born 30 December 1986) is an English singer, songwriter, and activist. Born in Hereford and raised in Lyonshall, Goulding began writing songs at the age of 15. She released her debut single " Under the Sheets" through ...
said that her then-upcoming album '' Higher Than Heaven'' is a dance and house album in the same vein as ''Renaissance'', with Beyoncé taking those genres to a global level. She later said that ''Renaissance'' restored her faith in pop music after the genre was heading in a bad direction. American singer
SZA Solána Imani Rowe (born November 8, 1989), known professionally as SZA ( ), is an American singer-songwriter. Known for her diaristic lyrics and genre explorations, she has been credited as a prominent figure in influencing contemporary R& ...
said that the album was the biggest risk a mainstream artist has taken in recent years. American musician
Sufjan Stevens Sufjan Stevens ( ; born July 1, 1975) is an American singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist. He has released ten solo studio albums and multiple collaborative albums with other artists. Stevens has received Grammy and Academy Award nomina ...
praised the production on the album, telling ''Stereogum'': "The wizardry on that album is so awesome and frustrating for me as a musician because even if you took out her vocals, I'm still obsessed; I'm still intrigued by the engineering and production that's going on and the harmonic relationship between chords." Beyoncé's mention of Telfar and Birkin bags in the closing track "Summer Renaissance" caused searches for both items to increase on
Google Trends Google Trends is a website by Google that analyzes the popularity of top search queries in Google Search across various regions and languages. The website uses graphs to compare the search volume of different queries over a certain period of ti ...
and multiple re-sale websites. Considered by many music critics and journalists to be the favorite for Album of the Year at the
65th Annual Grammy Awards The 65th Annual Grammy Awards ceremony was held at the Crypto.com Arena in Los Angeles on February 5, 2023. It recognized the best recordings, compositions, and artists of the eligibility year – October 1, 2021 to September 30, 2022 – as de ...
, ''Renaissance''s loss to
Harry Styles Harry Edward Styles (born 1 February 1994) is an English singer, songwriter, and actor. His showmanship, artistry, and flamboyant fashion have had a Cultural impact of Harry Styles, significant impact on popular culture. Styles's musical ca ...
's ''
Harry's House ''Harry's House'' is the third studio album by English singer and songwriter Harry Styles, released on 20 May 2022 by Erskine and Columbia Records. The album was largely written and recorded during 2020 and 2021 and has been noted as Style ...
'' was widely considered a " snub" or upset, with some critics ascribing Beyoncé's repeated losses in this category to the Recording Academy's overlooking or misunderstanding of Black female musicians and African American musical styles.


Track listing

Notes * indicates a co-producer * indicates an additional producer


Samples and interpolations

Source: ''Billboard'' * "I'm That Girl" ** contains elements of "Still Pimpin", written by Tommy Wright III and Andrea Summers and performed by Tommy Wright III & Princess Loko. * "Cozy" ** contains an excerpt of "Bitch I'm Black" by Ts Madison ** contains a sample of "Get with U", written by Curtis Alan Jones and performed by Lidell Townsell & M.T.F ** contains a sample of "Unique", as performed by Danube Dance featuring Kim Cooper. * "Alien Superstar" ** contains an
interpolation In the mathematics, mathematical field of numerical analysis, interpolation is a type of estimation, a method of constructing (finding) new data points based on the range of a discrete set of known data points. In engineering and science, one ...
of "
I'm Too Sexy "I'm Too Sexy" is a song by British pop band Right Said Fred, released in July 1991 by Tug Records as their debut single from their first album, '' Up'' (1992). The song was written by band members and brothers Fred Fairbrass and Richard Fa ...
", written by Rob Manzoli, Richard Fairbrass, and Christopher Fairbrass and performed by
Right Said Fred Right Said Fred are an English pop band formed by brothers Fred and Richard Fairbrass in 1989. They are best known for the hit 1991 song " I'm Too Sexy". History 1989–1991: Formation Prior to forming Right Said Fred, the Fairbra ...
. ** contains a sample of "Moonraker", written by John Michael Cooper and performed by Foremost Poets ** contains a sample of Barbara Ann Teer's " Black Theatre" speech ** contains a sample of "Unique", written by Kim Cooper and Peter Rauhofer and performed by Danube Dance. * "Cuff It" ** contains an interpolation of " Ooh La La La", written by
Teena Marie Mary Christine Brockert (March 5, 1956 – December 26, 2010), known professionally as Teena Marie, was an American Soul music, soul and Contemporary R&B, R&B singer, songwriter, and producer. She was known by her childhood nickname Tina before ...
and Allen McGrier and performed by
Teena Marie Mary Christine Brockert (March 5, 1956 – December 26, 2010), known professionally as Teena Marie, was an American Soul music, soul and Contemporary R&B, R&B singer, songwriter, and producer. She was known by her childhood nickname Tina before ...
. * "Energy" ** contains an interpolation of "Ooh La La La", written by Teena Marie and Allen McGrier and performed by Teena Marie ** contains a sample of "Explode", written by Freddie Ross and Adam Piggot and performed by
Big Freedia Freddie Ross Jr. (born January 28, 1978), better known by her stage name Big Freedia ( ), is an American rapper, singer and performer known for her work in the New Orleans genre of hip hop called bounce music. Freedia has been credited with helpi ...
. ** contains an interpolation of "
Milkshake A milkshake (sometimes simply called a shake) is a sweet beverage made by blending milk, ice cream, and flavorings or sweeteners such as butterscotch, caramel sauce, chocolate syrup, or fruit syrup into a thick, sweet, cold mixture. It may ...
", written by
Pharrell Williams Pharrell Lanscilo Williams (; born April 5, 1973), also known mononymously as Pharrell, is an American musician, singer, songwriter, rapper, record producer, and fashion designer. He first became known as one half of the music production duo ...
and
Chad Hugo Charles Edward Hugo (born February 24, 1974) is an American musician and record producer. Alongside childhood friend Pharrell Williams, he formed the production duo the Neptunes in 1992, with whom he has produced numerous hit records for variou ...
and performed by
Kelis Kelis Rogers (; born August 21, 1979) is an American singer-songwriter and chef. She attended Manhattan, New York's Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts, where she played saxophone and was selected for the Girls Ch ...
(later removed on digital and streaming versions). * "Break My Soul" ** contains elements of " Show Me Love", written by Allen George and Fred McFarlane and performed by Robin S. ** contains a sample of "Explode", written by Freddie Ross and Adam Piggot and performed by Big Freedia. * "Church Girl" ** contains a sample of " Center of Thy Will", written by Elbernita Clark and performed by
The Clark Sisters The Clark Sisters are an American gospel vocal group originally consisting of five sisters: Jacky Clark Chisholm (born 1948), Denise "Niecy" Clark-Bradford (born 1953), Elbernita "Twinkie" Clark (born 1954), Dorinda Clark-Cole (born 1957), ...
. ** contains elements and interpolations of "Where They At", written by Jimi Payton, Dion Norman, and Derrick Ordogne and performed by DJ Jimi. ** contains elements and interpolations of "
Think (About It) "Think (About It)" is a funk song recorded by Lyn Collins and released as a single on James Brown's People Records in 1972. The recording was produced by Brown (who also wrote the song) and features instrumental backing from his band The J.B.' ...
", written by
James Brown James Joseph Brown (May 3, 1933 – December 25, 2006) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, musician, and record producer. The central progenitor of funk music and a major figure of 20th-century music, he is referred to by Honorific nick ...
and performed by
Lyn Collins Gloria Lavern Collins (June 12, 1948 – March 13, 2005), better known as Lyn Collins, was an American soul singer best known for working with James Brown in the 1970s and for the influential 1972 funk single, "Think (About It)". A favorite ...
. ** contains elements of " Drag Rap (Triggerman)", written by Orville Hall and Phillip Price and performed by the Showboys. ** contains a sample of "Mister Magic" written by Ralph MacDonald and William Salter and performed by Grover Washington Jr. * "Heated" ** contains a sample of "Where to Land", written by Travis Garland and The Stereotypes and performed by Travis Garland. * "America Has a Problem" ** contains a sample of "Cocaine", written by Tino McIntosh and Andrell Rogers and performed by Kilo Ali. * "Pure/Honey" ** contains a sample of "Miss Honey", written by Andrew Richardson, Count Maurice, and Moi Renee and performed by Moi Renee. ** contains a sample of "Cunty (Wave Mix)", written by Eric Snead and Jerel Black and performed by
Kevin Aviance Kevin Aviance (born Eric Snead on June 22, 1968) is an American drag queen, club/dance musician, fashion designer, and nightclub personality. He is a personality in New York City's gay scene and has performed throughout North America, Europe and ...
. ** contains a sample of "Feels Like", written by Michael Cox and Kevin Bellmon and performed by
MikeQ Michael Cox, known by the stage name MikeQ, is an American DJ, musician, music producer, and prominent figure in the ballroom community. He is the founder of the record label Qween Beat. In 2020 MikeQ was the DJ for HBO's Legendary. Early life ...
& Kevin Jz Prodigy. * "Summer Renaissance" ** contains elements and interpolations of "
I Feel Love "I Feel Love" is a song by the American singer-songwriter Donna Summer. Produced and co-written by Giorgio Moroder and Pete Bellotte, it was recorded for Summer's fifth studio album, '' I Remember Yesterday'' (1977). The album concept was to ha ...
" written by
Donna Summer Donna Adrian Gaines (December 31, 1948May 17, 2012), known professionally as Donna Summer, was an American singer and songwriter. She gained prominence during the disco era of the 1970s and became known as the "Queen of Disco", while her music ...
,
Giorgio Moroder Giovanni Giorgio Moroder (, ; born 26 April 1940) is an Italian composer and music producer. Dubbed the "Honorific nicknames in popular music, Father of Disco", Moroder is credited with pioneering Euro disco and electronic dance music. His work ...
, and
Pete Bellotte Peter John Bellotte (born 28 August 1943)Ancestry.com. England & Wales, Birth Index: 1916–2005 atabase on-line Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008. Original data: General Register Office. England and Wales Civil Registration Inde ...
and performed by Donna Summer.


Credits and personnel


Recording locations

Atlanta, Georgia * Sing Mastering (1–16) * Tree Sound Studios (3, 16) Los Angeles, California * Avenue A Studio West (1–16) * Hardcover (13) * Henson Recording Studios (6, 11) * The Juicy Juicy (1–16) * Kings Landing West (5, 8–12, 15–16) * Nightbird Recording Studios (3) * Parkwood West (1–16) *
Record Plant The Record Plant was a recording studio established in New York City in 1968 and last operating in Los Angeles, California. Known for innovations in the recording artists' workspace, it produced highly influential albums, including the New York ...
(2, 15) New York City, New York * Trailer East Hampton (1, 3, 5–7, 11–12, 14) North Hollywood, California * Blakeslee Studios (3,15)
Ocho Rios Ocho Rios (Spanish for "Eight Rivers") () is a town in the parish of Saint Ann on the north coast of Jamaica, and is more widely referred to as ''Ochi'' by locals. Beginning as a sleepy fishing village, Ocho Rios has seen explosive growth ...
, Jamaica * Zak Starkey Studio (10) Westport, Connecticut * Le Crib (3)


Personnel

*
Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...
– vocals (all tracks), programming (tracks 1, 15), horn (15), vocal production * Beam – vocals (4, 5, 11), drums (5) *
Grace Jones Grace Beverly Jones (born 19 May 1948) is a Jamaican singer, songwriter, model and actress. She began her Model (person), modelling career in New York State, then in Paris, working for fashion houses such as Yves Saint Laurent (brand), Yves St ...
– vocals (10) *
Tems Temilade Openiyi (born 11 June 1995), known professionally as Tems, is a Nigerian singer, songwriter, and record producer. She rose to prominence after being featured on Wizkid's 2020 single "Essence", which peaked at number 9 on the ''Billbo ...
– vocals (10) *
The-Dream Terius Adamu Ya Gesteelde-Diamant ('' né'' Youngdell Nash; born September 20, 1977), known professionally as The-Dream, is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is known for having written or co-produced songs for artists in ...
– background vocals (1, 11), synthesizer (3, 4, 9), programming (7, 14), drums (13, 15) * Kelman Duran – programming (1, 11) * Stuart White – programming (1), drums (7, 11, 12, 15) * Mike Dean – synthesizer (1–3, 13, 14, 16), drums (13), programming (16) * Nija Charles – background vocals (2) * Chris Penny – keyboards (2, 3), programming (2–4) *
Honey Dijon Honey Redmond (known professionally as Honey Dijon) is an American DJ, producer, and electronic musician. She was born in Chicago and is based in New York City and Berlin. She has performed at clubs, festivals, art fairs, galleries and fashio ...
– programming (2–4) * Luke Solomon – programming (2–4) * Dave Giles – vocals (2) * Blu June – background vocals (3, 15) *
Raphael Saadiq Raphael Saadiq (; born Charles Ray Wiggins; May 14, 1966) is an American singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, and record producer. He rose to prominence as a vocalist and bassist for the R&B band Tony! Toni! Toné!, which he formed with h ...
– bass,
clavichord The clavichord is a stringed rectangular keyboard instrument that was used largely in the Late Middle Ages, through the Renaissance music, Renaissance, Baroque music, Baroque and Classical period (music), Classical eras. Historically, it was most ...
, drums, strings (4); horn (15) *
Nile Rodgers Nile Gregory Rodgers Jr. (born September 19, 1952) is an American musician, songwriter, guitarist and record producer. The co-founder of Chic, he has written, produced, and performed on records that have sold more than 750 million albums and 1 ...
– guitar (4) * Sheila E. – percussion (4) * Daniel Crawford – piano (4) * Scott Mayo – saxophone (4) * Lemar Guillary – trombone (4) * Jamella Adisa – trumpet (4) * Al Cres – drums (5) *
Skrillex Sonny John Moore (born January 15, 1988), known professionally as Skrillex, is an American DJ, record producer, musician, singer. Raised in Northeast Los Angeles and Northern California, he began his career in 2004 as the lead vocalist of the ...
– drums (5) * Nova Wav – synthesizer (5) *
The Samples The Samples is an American rock band formed in Boulder, Colorado in 1987. The band's name came from the members' early sustenance of food samples from the local grocery store. The music has been described as "reggae influenced rock/pop" and a ...
– choir (6) * Jason White – conductor (6) * Caleb Curry – vocals (6) * Danielle Withers – vocals (6) * Jasmine Patton – vocals (6) * Jorel Quinn – vocals (6) * Kim Johnson – vocals (6) * Kristen Lowe – vocals (6) *
Sabrina Claudio Sabrina Claudio (born September 19, 1996) is an American singer and songwriter. In late 2016, Claudio uploaded several songs to SoundCloud, before compiling a select collection as part of her debut extended play, ''Confidently Lost'', which was ...
– background vocals (8) * Patrick Paige II – bass (8) * Derek Renfroe – guitar (8) *
Leven Kali Leven Kali is a Netherlands, Dutch-born American singer, songwriter, producer, and multi-instrumentalist, best known for his work on Beyoncé's Renaissance (Beyoncé album), ''Renaissance'', Drake (musician), Drake's ''More Life'' and Playboi Car ...
– synthesizer (8), background vocals (9, 16) * Annika Gesteedle-Diamant – background vocals (9) * Ashlee Wingate – background vocals (9) * Kye Young – background vocals (9) * Laylani Gesteedle-Diamant – background vocals (9) * Ari PenSmith – background vocals (10) * Tatiana "Tatu" Matthews – background vocals (11) * Calev – guitar (11) * Cadenza – programming (11) *
Hit-Boy Chauncey Alexander Hollis Jr. (born May 21, 1987), known professionally as Hit-Boy, is an American rapper, singer, songwriter, and record producer. He first signed with fellow producer Polow da Don in 2007 as in-house production staff for his l ...
– programming (12) * Lil Ju – programming (12) * Jameil Aossey – drums (13) * S1a0 – drums (13) * BAH – programming (13) *
BloodPop Michael Tucker (born August 15, 1990), known professionally as BloodPop (stylized as BloodPop®), is an American musician, record producer, songwriter, and gaming executive. Life and early career Tucker was born in Kansas City, Missouri, Uni ...
– programming (13, 15), synthesizer (13) * DIXSON – background vocals (15) * Kenneth Whalum – saxophone (15) * Lee Blaske – strings (15) * Keyon Harrold – trumpet (15) * Colin Leonardmastering * Stuart Whitemixing, recording * Andrea Roberts –
engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...
(all tracks), recording (11) * John Cranfield – engineering * Brandon Harding – recording (1, 2, 4–7) * Chi Coney – recording (3–5, 11, 15, 16) * Hotae Alexander Jang – recording (4, 15), engineering assistance (15) * Russell Graham – recording (4) * Steve Rusch – recording (4) * Chris Mclaughlin – recording (6) * Delroy "Phatta" Pottinger – recording (10) * GuiltyBeatz – recording (10) * Jabbar Stevens – recording (13) * Matheus Braz – engineering assistance * Mariel Gomerez – A&R * Ricky Lawson – A&R/Project Manager


Charts


Weekly charts


Year-end charts


Certifications and sales


Release history


See also

* List of ''Billboard'' 200 number-one albums of 2022 * List of number-one albums of 2022 (Australia) * List of number-one albums of 2022 (Belgium) * List of number-one albums of 2022 (Canada) * List of number-one albums from the 2020s (Denmark) * List of number-one hits of 2022 (France) * List of number-one albums of 2022 (Ireland) *
List of number-one albums from the 2020s (New Zealand) This is the Recorded Music NZ list of number-one albums in New Zealand during the 2020s. In New Zealand, Recorded Music NZ compiles the top 40 albums chart each Friday, and dates the chart for the following Monday. Over-the-counter sales of both ...
* List of number-one albums of 2022 (Scotland) * List of number-one singles and albums in Sweden *
List of UK Albums Chart number ones of the 2020s A list is a set of discrete items of information collected and set forth in some format for utility, entertainment, or other purposes. A list may be memorialized in any number of ways, including existing only in the mind of the list-maker, but ...


Notes


References

{{Authority control 2020s concept albums 2022 albums Albums impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic Albums produced by A. G. Cook Albums produced by Beam Albums produced by Beyoncé Albums produced by BloodPop Albums produced by Boi-1da Albums produced by GuiltyBeatz Albums produced by Hit-Boy Albums produced by Mike Dean (record producer) Albums produced by Morten Ristorp Albums produced by No I.D. Albums produced by P2J Albums produced by Raphael Saadiq Albums produced by Skrillex Albums produced by Syd (singer) Albums produced by Symbolyc One Albums produced by The-Dream Albums produced by Tricky Stewart Beyoncé albums Columbia Records albums Contemporary R&B albums by American artists Grammy Award for Best Dance/Electronica Album House music albums by American artists LGBTQ-related albums Parkwood Entertainment albums Pop albums by American artists