Maps of Music

Renaissance (2022)

Where the lyrics of Renaissance take you, and where it was really made.

The album's lead single reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, yet Beyoncé released no music videos for the album itself.

Key places

Recording studio in North Hollywood (2022)

Recording site Blakeslee — Blakeslee is listed among the recording locations for Renaissance in the album credits. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Atlanta studio tied to mastering (2022)

Recording site Tree Studios — Tree Sound Atlanta is listed in the credits and is linked with Sing Mastering, which handled work for the album. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Los Angeles studio of the sessions (2022)

Recording site Motown Recording Studios — Avenue A Studio West is named among the studios where sessions for all tracks took place, and the point sits at the city center of Los Angeles. Google Maps · Apple Maps

How to get there: See the map for directions.

Album story

Overview

• Renaissance: seventh studio album by Beyoncé, also titled Act I: Renaissance
• Released 29 July 2022 by Parkwood Entertainment and Columbia Records
• First installment of a planned trilogy; the second, Cowboy Carter, followed on 29 March 2024
• Guest vocals from Beam, Grace Jones, and Tems
• Arranged like a continuous DJ mix of post-1970s Black dance music such as disco, house, and funk
• Lyrical themes: escapism, hedonism, confidence, and self-expression

Background

• Follows a late-2010s run of narrative-focused projects on Black identity, including Lemonade (2016)
• Conceived and recorded during the COVID-19 pandemic to inspire joy and escapism after collective isolation
• Celebrates the club culture that served as a refuge for Black and queer communities
• Aims to honor underappreciated Black queer pioneers of dance music who went unrecognized in the mainstream
• Beyoncé framed the album as a sign of a renaissance emerging as lockdown began to end

Recording

• Recording began around 2019–2020, and the whole process spanned nearly three years
• Most sessions took place at studios throughout Los Angeles, with Sing Mastering in Atlanta also used
• Nova Wav contributed to eight tracks; The-Dream co-wrote nine
• Stuart White handled vocal production, audio mixing, and recording throughout the process
• Mike Dean helped produce, program, play synthesizers, and perform drums on six tracks

Cover

• Shot by Carlijn Jacobs; Beyoncé sits atop a mirrored disco ball horse that fans dubbed Reneigh
• She wears a 3D-printed silver bodysuit designed by Nusi Quero

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Tracklist

Sources: musicbrainz.org

Artist

Formation

• Rose to fame in the late 1990s as the lead singer of Destiny's Child, one of the best-selling girl groups in history.
• Solo debut album Dangerously in Love (2003) became one of the best-selling albums of the 21st century.
• Destiny's Child disbanded in 2005 after the Destiny Fulfilled... and Lovin' It tour.

Career

• Released B'Day (2006), I Am... Sasha Fierce (2008), 4 (2011), Beyoncé (2013), Lemonade (2016), Renaissance (2022), and Cowboy Carter (2024).
• Renaissance and Cowboy Carter form a trilogy highlighting the overlooked contributions of Black pioneers to dance music and country music.
• Estimated sales of over 200 million records; the most-certified female artist by the RIAA.
• Holds a record 35 Grammy Awards, 30 MTV Video Music Awards, and a Primetime Emmy Award.
• Headlined Super Bowl XLVII halftime show (2013) and the Coachella festival (2018).
• Acted in films including Dreamgirls (2006), Cadillac Records (2008), and The Lion King (2019).

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Reception

At release

• Universal acclaim from critics, who praised the eclectic yet cohesive sound, celebratory tone, and Beyoncé's vocals
• Metacritic average of 91 from 26 reviews, indicating universal acclaim
• Robert Christgau called it the album of the year and Beyoncé's finest album
• Exclaim!'s Vernon Ayiku called it a modern classic and Beyoncé's most impressive album
• Resident Advisor's Kiana Mickles praised the experimental production and genre blending, but argued it falls flat in its engagement with Black and Brown queer ballroom culture
• Pitchfork's Julianne Escobedo Shepherd called it a challenging, densely-referenced album

Reappraisal

• Rolling Stone ranked it number 71 on its 500 Greatest Albums of All Time list (2023)
• Pitchfork ranked it fifth-best album of the 2020s so far in its list of the 100 best music projects of 2020–2024
• Paste placed it at number eight on its list of the best albums of the 21st century so far (2025)

Records

• Debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 with 332,000 album-equivalent units in its first week, 190,000 of them physical
• Certified two-times platinum by the RIAA in the United States
• Debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, Beyoncé's fourth solo UK number one album
• Received eight nominations at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards and won four

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

Trivia

• Break My Soul, the lead single, topped the Billboard Hot 100 for two weeks, her eighth solo chart-topper.
• No music videos were released for the album; Beyoncé wanted the focus to stay on her voice and the music.
• Kelis objected to the interpolation of her Milkshake on Energy, and the interpolation was later removed.
• Right Said Fred claimed Alien Superstar used their single without permission; Beyoncé's team refuted this, citing clearance on 15 June 2022.
• The word spaz in Heated drew criticism, and Beyoncé replaced it with blast.
• Renaissance lost Album of the Year at the 65th Grammys to Harry's House, a result widely described as a snub or upset.

Sources: en.wikipedia.org

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