Fans had to wait six long years. With “Renaissance” Beyoncé is now releasing her seventh studio album – full of tempos and structures that sum up the zeitgeist. However, the 16 songs cannot be squeezed into one genre. Above all, they are one thing: experimental.
At the age of 40, Beyoncé may be the biggest pop star alive. 28 Grammys, now the highest-paid musician in the world, all previous records at number one in the US charts – what else can come? First of all, a new album that – as is so often the case with Beyoncé – sums up the zeitgeist very well. “Renaissance” is the seventh studio album by the American artist, and most of it is very danceable.
Which should make many people happy in the current post-lockdown summer. After all, every music lover has a great need to work out and dance after two years of going without at concerts due to the pandemic. As such, Beyoncé isn’t the only pop star with a post-lockdown album that’s more dance music focused. Canadian musician Drake recently released one, and British megastar Harry Styles’ current album has more beats than any before.
The previously released single “Break My Soul” is located in the house music of the 90s. It kicks off with a bouncy beat and a catchy, monotonous synth melody reminiscent of the 90’s house classic “Show Me Love” by Robin S. While the instrumentation, which is as simple as it is catchy, remains the same throughout the song, Beyoncé sings and raps over it in all sorts of variations. “Break My Soul,” described a journalist in The Atlantic magazine, “features a keyboard riff that sounds as clear and commanding as one might imagine the ringtone of God.”
A song to which you have no choice but to move. The text alludes to the pandemic and the emergence of a paralyzing rigidity. He describes the status of a “hooded world,” a world of masks where we may have forgotten how to move out there. Good thing Beyoncé is there to show us. “You won’t break my soul,” she sings over and over again, sounding combative and euphoric.
“Creating this album has given me a place to dream and an escape during a scary time for our world,” the artist wrote on Instagram. “I hope it shakes you a bit, ha!”
If you take a look at the artwork of the cover, it becomes clear what the rest of the album is based on. Beyoncé sits on a transparent glowing horse wearing only a pair of diamond-studded straps. On the cover of the British edition of the magazine “Vogue” on the occasion of the new album, she is enthroned on a horse, which in turn is standing on a dance floor. A tribute to Bianca Jagger’s performance in 1977 when she mounted a white horse at the famous Studio 54 club.
In fact, Beyoncé collaborated with legendary disco music producer Nile Rodgers on “Renaissance,” and among the many samples is one from disco queen Donna Summer. But the album cannot be squeezed into one genre. It rarely gets as catchy as in “Break My Soul”, instead the musician plays with tempos and structures in the very bass-heavy album. There really aren’t any classic refrains. But references to all sorts of other genres, in addition to house and disco, such as funk, afrobeat, trap and progressive R
Of course, Beyoncé didn’t choose this sound and look by accident. She refers to genres that have their roots in the culture of black artists, in dance clubs that were politicized simply by giving space to those people who were often denied it. For some time now, the musician has made it her mission to give the culture and legacy of black people a stage.
When Beyoncé releases an album, it’s never just about the music. But also about the message (feminism and empowerment for black artists), the insane pictures (the queen of pop, who is enthroned almost naked on a shimmering horse) – and the money. Parallel to the album PR, Adidas has announced a new collection from Beyoncé’s clothing brand Ivy Park. Probably no coincidence. Ultimately, it all works so well because Beyoncé, in addition to all the entrepreneurial calculations, is not only blessed with a phenomenally extensive voice, but also with a talented team of songwriters who make their pop music sound catchy and modern.
And because the American is an enthusiastic live performer who can mobilize masses. This was shown, for example, by her appearance at the famous Coachella festival in 2018 as the first black headliner. Because of its maximalist staging, this single appearance not only has its own Wikipedia entry, but also a Netflix documentary. The tour to “Renaissance” – if there is one – promises to be exciting.
