Renaissance Artist: Beyoncé.
Producer: Nova Wav, The-Dream, Symbolyc One, A. G. Cook, Honey Dijon, Beam, Tricky Stewart, BloodPop, Skrillex, Hit-Boy, No I.D., P2J and various others.
Label: Parkwood; Columbia.
Released: 2022.
Genre: ElectroIndie. Stream it: Anywhere you stream your music!
Rating: Listener discretion advised. Frequent swearing.
Trailer: You won't break my soul.
Isn't this promo for the album just to die for? The fringe? Come ON. Love it.
If there was one phrase to describe Renaissance it would be this: joyous empowerment. This album gives a bouncy, dance-y beat to the deepest self-love and reflection. In one of the most popular songs from the album, "Break my Soul", Beyoncé sings:
I'm lookin' for motivation I'm lookin' for a new foundation, yeah And I'm on that new vibration I'm buildin' my own foundation, yeah Hold up, oh, baby, baby You won't break my soul (Renaissance, Beyoncé)
This song reflects a joyous self-advocacy that encourages people to prioritize their happiness over the demands of work and other forces outside of oneself. In another song, "Church Girl" she sings ,
I'm warning everybody, soon as I get in this party I'm gon' let go of this body, I'm gonna love on me Nobody can judge me but me, I was born free (Renaissance, Beyoncé)
Continuing on the theme of radical self-love, Beyoncé exudes confidence and whimsy. This song offers an alternative to the dichotomy of religious or fun by suggesting that the two ways of being can co-exist. This dance jam continues on to tell audiences, "I ain't tryna hurt nobody/Trying to bring the life up in your body (Renaissance, Beyoncé). That last line of the song is a great phrase to describe the theme of the album: self-love, positivity, and harm reduction for communities that have experienced subjugation and/or persecution, particularly Black and Queer communities.
Created by: For many years, Beyoncé has been the unofficial Queen of the Universe. Everything she touches turns to gold. She's so iconic, in fact, that her website doesn't even have an "about me" section. It's Beyoncé, you know about her already. LOL. But for real, Beyoncé started her career as a member of the iconic girl-band Destiny's Child who put out absolute bangers such as: "Say My Name", "Bills, Bills, Bills" and "Independent Women Part I". Born in Houston, Texas, Beyoncé considers herself a southern woman. She has seven studio albums of various genres and innumerable singles that she's featured on or released herself (Beyoncé, Wikipedia).
For tax, here is one of the many amazing Destiny's Child songs. It was made for a movie called Charlie's Angles that came out in 2000. Probably one of the most enjoyable movies ever made and I 10/10 suggest watching it. Or don't. If Beyoncé has taught us anything it's that we should do what we want to do.
Analysis: The thing about Beyoncé is she's going to produce quality music or she's not going to produce anything at all. This woman doesn't miss, and Renaissance is a prime example of the talent this person holds within them. As a Queer person myself, I immediately recognized the rhythms, beats, and other production elements as being reminiscent of gay club music. I'm sure that someone a little older might identify the sound as disco, but for a young(ish) gay person this is without a doubt a Gay Album ™. I'm going to interrupt myself here and ask that you, the reader, give her 2023 Grammy acceptance speech a listen so you can understand how important the Gay community is to this album (also to the world, duh).
I'm not crying, you're crying! Okay, now back to analysis. When we talk about the production of an album we are usually discussing the way the beats and the vocals intertwine. Usually, someone else makes the beats and then the main artist is doing the vocals. This Beyoncé album features approximately 1,000 producers (okay, I'm exaggerating. But it is a lot, check out the list at the top of this entry) which is cool because it provides a lot of diversity between the tracks. While they all have this cool gay club music vibe each artist who made a beat provided something unique. Sometimes electronic music can be a little one dimensional--just a pounding unce-unce-unce beat--but this album is really intricate and interesting.
In the Library: Three little words, one fabulous evening. Beyoncé. Dance. Party. Come one, come all to an evening of booty popping, arm pumping, feet stamping, hair flipping, and more. I would love to host this either as a silent disco or an actual out-loud dance party after hours in a larger event space.
Potential Issues: This album includes swearing and adult themes. The album will undoubtedly be marked with one of those "explicit content" stickers that are on CDs, so guardians will be empowered to make the decision best for their family in regards to streaming the album.
Reason for Inclusion: This album recently won a Grammy which says enough about the quality of the piece. More than that, this music promotes self-love and acceptance which is a lesson that is valuable for everyone at every age.
Sources: Beyoncé. (2022, July 28). Beyoncé - Renaissance... YouTube. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Hd2WpRFgro Beyoncé. (2022, July 29). Renaissance [Album]. Parkwood; Columbia.
Beyoncé. (n.d). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beyonc%C3%A9
Beyoncé breaks record for most Grammy wins in history | 2023 Grammys. (2023, February 5). YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DXnnucnZyek
Renaissance (Beyoncé album). (n.d). Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Renaissance_(Beyonc%C3%A9_album)
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