Beyoncé has revealed the cover of her highly anticipated seventh album, Renaissance.
The artwork shows the global icon sitting on a silver horse in front of a black backdrop. She shared the inspiration behind her album in an Instagram post.
“Creating this album allowed me a place to dream and to find escape during a scary time for the world. It allowed me to feel free and adventurous in a time when little else was moving,” Beyoncé wrote.
She added, “My intention was to create a safe place, a place without judgment. A place to be free of perfectionism and overthinking. A place to scream, release, feel freedom. It was a beautiful journey of exploration. I hope you find joy in this music. I hope it inspires you to release the wiggle. Ha! And to feel as unique, strong, and sexy as you are.”
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Renaissance will release July 29 via Parkwood Entertainment/Columbia Records. The album will feature her current single “Break My Soul,” produced by The-Dream and Tricky Stewart. The self-empowerment anthem made a strong debut on multiple Billboard charts with only three days of tracking. It debuted at No. 1 this week on Billboard’s Digital Sales chart and the Dance/Electronic Digital Songs Sales chart. It also reached No. 15 on the Hot 100, marking her sixth-highest debut on this chart as a solo artist.
While there still aren’t many details available for Renaissance at this time, Beyoncé has been sharing mini hints. Beyoncé also told Harper’s Bazaar in a 2021 interview that she had been in the studio for a year and a half. “With all the isolation and injustice over the past year, 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,” she said.
In her July 2022 cover story with British Vogue, Edward Enninful described what he heard when Beyoncé played music from the album at her private studio.
“Instantly, a wall of sound hits me. Soaring vocals and fierce beats combine and in a split second I’m transported back to the clubs of my youth. I want to get up and start throwing moves,” Enninful shared. “It’s music I love to my core. Music that makes you rise, that turns your mind to cultures and subcultures, to our people past and present, music that will unite so many on the dance floor, music that touches your soul.”
