Beyoncé Unveils ‘Renaissance,’ the First of Three New Projects

Since “Lemonade” (2016), her last solo studio LP and accompanying film, Beyoncé has tided fans over with a number of ambitious in-between projects.

In 2018, she performed as one of the headliners at the Coachella festival, where her show paid tribute to the marching band tradition of historically Black colleges and universities, and was widely hailed as a triumph — one that “reoriented her music, sidelining its connections to pop and framing it squarely in a lineage of Southern Black musical traditions,” as The New York Times critic Jon Caramanica wrote. The performance was later turned into a Netflix special and an album, both titled “Homecoming.”

Also in 2018, Beyoncé and Jay-Z, her husband, released a joint album, “Everything Is Love,” credited to the Carters. And in June 2020, at the height of national protests in wake of George Floyd’s murder, she released a song, “Black Parade,” with lines like “Put your fist up in the air, show Black love.”

“Black Parade” took the Grammy Award the next year for best R&B performance, one of four prizes that night that brought Beyoncé’s career haul to 28 — more than any other woman. This year, Beyoncé was nominated at the Academy Awards for best original song for “Be Alive,” from the film “King Richard,” a biopic about the father of Venus and Serena Williams.

How the early leak will affect the commercial prospects of “Renaissance” remains unclear. Years ago, the unauthorized release of music in advance could have devastating consequences for an album. But that danger has been mitigated by the shift to streaming.

And Beyoncé, like most other artists today, took advance orders for physical copies of her album, which will count on the charts as soon as they are shipped — usually the week of release. On Beyoncé’s website, the four boxed sets of “Renaissance” and its limited-edition vinyl version are sold out.

Lucia Matuonto to Guest Star in an upcoming TV series, Strange Angels

Lucia Matuonto is a woman of many talents. From writing books to hosting The Relatable Voice podcast and performing in various productions, she has established herself as a multi-faceted artist and entrepreneur. Matuonto is set to take on her biggest challenge yet – she has just been added as a guest star in the upcoming […]

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Critics Choice Awards 2023: The Complete Winners List

The Critics Choice Awards are being handed out on Sunday night. We’re updating the winners as they’re announced at the ceremony, with host Chelsea Handler. Here is the complete list of nominees: Film Best Supporting Actor Ke Huy Quan, “Everything Everywhere All at Once” Best Supporting Actress Angela Bassett, “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever” Best Original […]

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Bill Nighy, Master of Misdirection

Not that Nighy has seen any of those movies, or indeed any movie in which he appears. “Well, would you fancy sitting down and watching yourself for a couple of hours?” he asked. “I tried it when I was younger and less complicated to look at, and there’s nothing in it for me. I’m not […]

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