Always one for surprises, Beyonce sent the BeyHive into a frenzy this week when she announced she’ll be dropping a new album.
Titled Renaissance: Act 1, the work marks the singer’s seventh studio album and will be released on 29 July, according to cryptic messages posted on the star’s social media pages.
The first single from the album, “Break My Soul”, was touted to release at midnight last night but instead dropped early at about 10pm EST on Monday night.
“Break My Soul” gives us a first glimpse into the album’s dance and country-inspired sound. The song’s 1990’s style house jam was produced and co-written by The Dream and Tricky Stewart.
It also features a sample from the 1993 pop classic Show Me Love by Robin S. In the song, Beyonce sings about the search for liberation, eager to break free from a crushing job and confines of the pandemic (when the song was written).
“Release your anger, release your mind/Release your job, release the time/Release your trade, release the stress/Release the love/forget the rest,” she sings.
Renaissance is the follow up to Beyonce’s 2016 LP Lemonade. The album will be a 16-track body of work, and judging by the “act 1” in the title, it could mean there’ll be more “acts” to follow after the initial release.
“Break My Soul” is available to listen to via streaming services. There is currently no music video to accompany the song.
