Shining a big ballroom spotlight on a culture that is often overlooked yet so influential.

Written By Sizwe Shabalala

First things first, Beyoncé is in her bag. When Beyoncé started dropping clues on her official website regarding B7, the hive wasted no time with theories for what the album would be. It had been 6 years since the critically acclaimed LEMONADE album and even though she did put out other music since that time (Everything is Love and The Gift), fans had been eagerly waiting for a new solo project from the her. The theories and speculations about the possibility of dance-inspired record were basically confirmed to be true when she appeared on the cover of British Vogue in June 2022 with photos heavily inspired by disco. The excitement for a new Beyonce record was palpable and finally, almost a month after she revealed the title, RENAISSANCE arrived on all music platforms on the 29th of July.

It has been such a long time since Beyoncé released new music with no music video being released at the same time and, with Break My Soul as the lead single and no music video out as of yet, it almost feels like the perfect move. It was very common in that era of 70’s and 80’s disco and house music to let the song have a life of its own in the clubs before introducing a music video. The energetic and motivational song was released during Pride Month and it features one of the most prominent voices and inspirations in Bounce music, the iconic Big Freedia, who you may remember from Formation back in 2016.

Break My Soul draws heavy inspiration from the iconic “Show Me Love” hit song by legendary artist, Robin S, released in 1990 in the UK but only gained mainstream popularity in America 2 years later. If you enjoy Break My Soul, perhaps “Gypsy Woman” by Crystal Waters and “Finally” by Cece Peniston might be worth checking out too.

In terms of collaborators, RENAISSANCE is stacked. The Dream, who has worked with Beyoncé in the past, reunited again for this album to write and produce on several songs. Another prominent collaborator on this album is synth god, Mike Dean. This is not the first time Mike Dean has worked with Beyoncé; he is the genius behind “Love Drought” from Lemonade. Other producers include, No I.D., Skrillex, Boi-1da and many more.

The transitions on this album sound like they were crafted by the music gods themselves. Each song is cooked to perfection, the finesse is falling off the bone. Almost every song on the album either has a sample or an interpolation of some kind. TS Madison, who has become very popular in the queer community in recent years, is sampled on the second song of the album: COZY. All the colours that Beyoncé is listing halfway into this song are the colours of the Progress Pride flag, designed by multi-disciplinary designer, artist, Daniel Quasar.

The transition from COZY to ALIEN SUPERSTAR is smoother than silk on ice. The synth sounds used on ALIEN SUPERSTAR, paired with the Foremost Poets “Moonraker” vocal sample and the hard-hitting drums transport you to a different time. On this song, Beyoncé also interpolates "I'm Too Sexy" by Right Said Fred, who you may remember was also used by Drake last year for his own album. Speaking of Drake, he is credited as a one of the collaborators on the song HEATED, along with frequent collaborators, Boi-1da, Sevn, Jahaan Sweet and Neenyo.

Songs like, CUFF IT or PLASTIC OFF THE SOFA and VIRGO’S GROOVE, are some of the songs on the album that sonically veer off slightly from the up-tempo Nola Bounce and Chicago house DNA that runs through the album. Instead, these songs see Beyoncé tap into her 70’s and 80’s R&B/Disco bag as she enlists the services of Nile Rodgers (one of the greatest players from the late 70’s and 80’s) on CUFF IT.

On the heartfelt song PLASTIC OFF THE SOFA, Beyoncé shows off her whispery upper register and it almost feels like a nod to Donna Summer, someone who is an iconic figure of disco music. Sabrina Claudio and Syd are credited as songwriters and producers and if you listen closely, you can hear the soft background vocals from Sabrina. PLASTIC OFF THE SOFA and VIRGO’s GROOVE feel like the children of “Blow” from her 2013 self-titled.

Other very important contributors and influences on the album include Kevin Aviance’s “Cunty” vogue ballroom banger makes an appearance as a sample on PURE/HONEY. This song also includes a hypnotizing loop of a 2011 song called “Feels Like” by MikeQ, a much-loved ballroom DJ and noticeably featured on HBO Max’s Legendary. The song progresses even further by transitioning into Prince territory and just when you think the song couldn’t elevate further, Beyoncé samples “Miss Honey (Vocal Mix)”, one of the most memorable samples on the album. The late Moi Renee gained popularity in the 90’s as a drag performer and singer in New York and so, it’s very fitting that Beyoncé pays homage on an album of this nature. This song is an entire journey and by the time it comes to a close, you’re transported back into the discotheque again.

A.G. Cook, one of the most revered creatives when it comes to PC Music and Hyper-Pop, is credited as a producer on the song “ALL UP IN YOUR MIND”. Cook has worked with Charlie XCX and Lady Gaga during Gaga’s Chromatica era. In the greater scheme of mainstream pop music, Beyoncé doing a song that’s heavily influenced by hyper-pop is a big deal because many people regard hyper-pop as a sub-genre that’s way ahead of its time. Other artists who have explored this sound in recent years include FKA twigs.

Throughout this album, Beyoncé explores Funk, Pop, Disco, and a variety of house music sub-genres including Vogue Ballroom House, Chicago House, Techno and her New Orleans roots via Nola Bounce, while simultaneously paying respect to those who came before her and also uplifting queer artists who have dedicated their careers to pouring life into these genres and cultures.

Ultimately, this feels like a culmination of all her solo albums. There is a subtle softness and sensuality that was present on her debut, Dangerously in Love and hearing the Donna Summer influence on this album feels like a full-circle moment because Beyoncé once interpolated Donna’s “Love to Love You Baby” on her track “Naughty Girl” from the Dangerously in Love album. The energy in the instrumentation is reminiscent to what she was doing on B’Day. The confidence and boldness of this album is a callback to I Am…Sasha Fierce and her unbelievable vocal performance feels like you’re listening to a Beyoncé from “4” but better. Her exploration of multiple genres in these songs takes you back to the experimentation thread that ran through Lemonade.

With a career spanning over two decades now, it’s almost unbelievable to imagine that she is still tapping into new spaces and giving the fans “something new”. If this new era is all about exploring different genres with black origins that have been historically ignored or erased then, it wouldn’t be a completely far-fetched theory that Act 2 and Act 3 will perhaps see Beyoncé deep dive into genres like Country and Rock…only time will tell. What we know for a fact right now is that, Beyoncé’s final words on this album were, “I’m in my bag” and no lies were detected. RENAISSANCE is Beyoncé’s triumphant love letter to a culture that is often overlooked yet so influential.