ENTERTAINMENT
Beyoncé to Release Long-Awaited 7th Studio Album, Renaissance, in July
Renaissance marks Beyoncé’s first solo album in six years, after she released Lemonade in 2016
Beyoncé fans, rejoice!
The Grammy Award winner’s seventh studio album, Renaissance, is officially scheduled to drop on July 29th, Columbia Records announced on social media early Thursday morning.
Sharing an image of a black square with “act i” and “RENAISSANCE” written in white on each side, the record label simply captioned the post: “Beyoncé. RENAISSANCE. July 29.” The same graphic was shared to social media by high-def streamer Tidal around the same time.
Beyoncé, 40, also updated the bios on her Facebook, Twitter and Instagram pages to reflect the upcoming release.
The soon-to-be-available project is said to have 16-tracks total, per BeyLegion. Four unique box sets are currently available for pre-order on Beyoncé’s website, which include a CD, T-shirt, mini-poster and a 28-page photo booklet. The product “begins shipping July 29th upon album release.”
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A rep for Beyoncé did not immediately respond to PEOPLE’s request for comment.
Renaissance will mark the star’s first solo album in six years. She previously released 2003’s Dangerously in Love, 2006’s B’Day, 2008’s I Am… Sasha Fierce, 2011’s 4, 2013’s Beyoncé and 2016’s Lemonade.
Beyoncé also appeared on the 2018 collaborative album Everything Is Love with husband JAY-Z, as well as 2019’s The Lion King: The Gift, a soundtrack for Disney’s live-action adaptation that features original music by the artist.
The star also released Homecoming: The Live Album in 2019, which went hand in hand with her iconic Coachella performance from the year prior. The LP features live renditions of some of the former Destiny Child member’s biggest hits.
News of Beyoncé’s latest project comes about after she dropped hints for her loyal legion of fans — collectively known as the Beyhive — in recent days.
The “Crazy in Love” singer previously teased fans with some potentially big news last week, mysteriously deleting her profile photos from her pages on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube. According to The Tab, she last deleted her branding right before she dropped Lemonade years ago.
Beyoncé has been known to utilize the element of surprise with her solo music career, providing no warning before she dropped her self-titled 2013 album exclusively on iTunes. The lack of marketing didn’t hurt, as the album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200.
Beyoncé previously chatted with Harper’s Bazaar for its September 2021 cover story, where she touched upon new music.
There, the 28-time Grammy Award winner included a “renaissance” mention, telling the publication, “With all the isolation and injustice over the past year [from COVID-19], I think 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 then told Harper’s Bazaar that she had “been in the studio for a year and a half,” noting, “Sometimes it takes a year for me to personally search through thousands of sounds to find just the right kick or snare. One chorus can have up to 200 stacked harmonies.”
Added Beyoncé: “Still, there’s nothing like the amount of love, passion, and healing that I feel in the recording studio. After 31 years, it feels just as exciting as it did when I was nine years old. Yes, the music is coming!”
Renaissance will be available to purchase and stream on July 29.
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