Weekend jam session: Beyoncé's comeback album 'Renaissance' has arrived
Six years of waiting is over. Beyoncé has released her seventh studio album: Renaissance.
After taking a hiatus to focus on her family and business ventures, Beyoncé has treated fans to a 16-track album that's guaranteed to take you off the floor and dance the night away.
Dubbed as Renaissance: Act I, the latest album serves as the first act of an apparent three-part project from the multi-awarded artist. Since it's been six years since the release of her recent album Lemonade, this serves as the longest time between musical releases.
Beyoncé first teased returning to music in August of 2021, calling it an "escape" amid the COVID-19 lockdowns at the time. She even teased of the album title almost a year in advance.
"I feel a renaissance emerging, and I want to be part of nurturing that escape in any way possible. I’ve been in the studio for a year and a half," she shared with Harpers' Bazaar. "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!"
True enough, Renaissance sees the reemergence of Queen B as an artist in her own right, following no one's rules but hers. In the lead single, Break My Soul, the artist encourages her listeners to break free from their own shackles, crooning: "Now, I just fell in love / And I just quit my job / I'm gonna find new drive."
Her song has since served as an anthem for "The Great Resignation"—wherein employees are reaching a boiling point in their jobs amid the demands of the pandemic.
Meanwhile, the rest of the album serves as a reminder of how years of determination and hard work has given Beyoncé the confidence to take life into her own hands.
Although all songs present this theme, the track Cozy said it best with the lyrics: "Confident and she lethal / Might I suggest you don't fuck with my sis / 'Cause she comfortable."
Listen to Renaissance here: