Following the release of the single “Break My Soul” and the reveal of the album cover, Beyoncé’s seventh solo album, “Renaissance,” officially released Thursday at 9 p.m. ET/Friday at midnight. However, the pop queen’s project appears to have been leaked ahead of time.
On Wednesday, Variety reported that “high-quality flac files that do sound like albums” are easy to find online. According to the entertainment publication, the leak occurred about 36 hours before Beyonce’s scheduled album release. Some Beyonce fans took to Twitter to hold off on listening to the leaked version of the album.
It looks like Beyonce has not responded to the news.
“Renaissance” will be Beyoncé’s first solo album since 2016’s “Lemonade.” Beyonce brought other music in the years following Lemonade – music from the 2019 remake of the animated film The Lion King: The Gift, Disney+ visual album Black Is King, Netflix music The film “Homecoming” and “Everything Is Love” with Jay-Z. She was nominated for an Oscar (her first) for “Be Alive” and also won a Grammy for Best R&B Performance for her single “Black Parade.” But nothing is more convincing than Beyonce’s solo album.
The day before Beyoncé announced the album, a tweet from her nonprofit, BeyGood, appeared to suggest it was a solo album. The tweet included a collage of album covers, with some keen-eyed Twitter users noting that one was different from the others. “This album with red gloves is not a real album and the hand is pointing to brandy’s album…brandy’s album title is B7 OMG!!!! Beyonce!!!” one person Twitter user wrote. Basically, the gloved hand appears to be an Easter egg that previews Beyoncé’s seventh solo album.
When will the new album arrive?
One can look forward to Renaissance Friday at midnight ET/Thursday at 9pm PT. It will be available on streaming services including Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music, YouTube Music and Tidal.
This is the release date posted on Instagram by Beyonce’s mother, Tina Knowles.
How many songs are on the album?
“Renaissance” will consist of 16 songs — including her first single “Break My Soul,” which is track number six.
This tweet from Beyoncé fan account @BeyLegion has the track list.
What does Beyonce say about the album?
Here’s what Beyonce had to say about the new album in a June 30 Instagram post:
“Creating this album allowed me to have a dream place and find escape in a scary time in the world. It made me feel free and adventurous in a time when there was little other activity. My intention was to create a safe A place, a place where there is no judgment, a place where you can escape perfectionism and overthinking, a place where you can scream, release, feel free. It’s a beautiful journey of discovery. I hope you find joy in this music. I hope it inspires you to unleash your writhing power. Ha! And feel unique, powerful, and sexy.”
What will Beyonce’s new album sound like?
In June, British Vogue published a story for its July issue featuring Beyonce, written by editor-in-chief Edward Enninful.
“In an instant, a wall of sound hit me. Soaring singing combined with an intense beat, and in a split second, I was transported back to the club of my youth… This is music I love, Enninful wrote of hearing the album for the first time in Beyoncé’s home studio, “Music that gets you on your feet, turns your mind to cultures and subcultures, to the people of our past and present.” Music, the music that will unite so many people on the dance floor, the music that touches your soul.”
On Apple Music, Renaissance is listed as a “Popular” album. Her previous solo albums are also listed in the same genre.