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Everything We Learned from Night One of Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour

I t’s the moment everyone’s been waiting for: Beyoncé finally kicked off her Renaissance World Tour in Stockholm, Sweden , Wednesday night. This comes close to a year after the release of her seventh album, RENAISSANCE , a period during which she has rarely acknowledged the album with interviews or public performances of the new music, nor put out any music videos to accompany the songs. Nonetheless, the BeyHive was still buzzing with excitement on social media as they shared clips of the stage, the merchandise, the view from different VIP sections, and, most importantly, the artist performing the songs live for the first time.

Beyoncé is gearing up for a second night at the Friends Arena in Stockholm. As she gets ready to hit the stage, let’s take a look at what was revealed in the first show that might offer an indication of what could happen on the rest of the highly anticipated tour. A lot has already happened—from Bey herself addressing the lack of visuals to her celebration of the LGBTQ+ community, in keeping with the themes of the album.

Here’s everything we learned from night one of the Renaissance World Tour.

Beyoncé said not to rush a queen for music videos

omg not beyoncé addressing the visuals i’m crying 😭 #RenaissanceWorldTour pic.twitter.com/xQ9AkBCp3p — rasmus (@rasmusbravado) May 10, 2023

If we haven’t learned by now, Beyoncé releases things when she is good and ready . This is her first solo album since 2016’s Lemonade , so we can’t act surprised that she told her fans to be patient and stop asking about the music videos. Her last solo albums, Lemonade , Beyoncé , and The Gift (a concept album for The Lion King ), all had visual components that included music videos for each song. This built up the expectation that RENAISSANCE would get the same treatment.

Beyoncé is online and knows her fans have been hounding her, and she has finally responded. During a break on the first night, a disembodied voice addressed the crowd as the words it spoke were displayed on stage: “Aww, you mad? Well, there’s no remedy for that, bitches… I know you’ve asked for the visuals. You’ve called for the Queen. But a Queen moves at her own pace, bitch. Decides when she wants to give you a f-cking taste. So get your fork and your spoon if you got one.”

She is cutting out some of her biggest hits to make room for the new album and deep cuts

Attendees at the concert in Stockholm filmed every moment for the world to see on social media, and many of Beyoncé’s fans were quite surprised by some of the songs she decided to perform. She opened the show with “Dangerously In Love” from her debut album of the same name and ran through a string of popular songs, both mainstream hits and fan favorites. At the opening night show, she also performed songs like “Rather Die Young,” “Flaws and All,” and “Black Parade,” which have not gotten much attention from Beyoncé in recent memory.

Beyonce - Rather Die Young 🎤 SINGGGGGG!!!! #RenaissanceWorldTour pic.twitter.com/MEZwAVYNWk — ram (@oyyram) May 10, 2023

Some of Beyoncé’s most popular songs, many of which she has made a point to perform on past tours, are notably missing from the set list. “Run The World” fans, do not worry: she still performs the song. But those who are fans of “If I Were a Boy,” “Single Ladies,” and “Halo,” a notorious closer for Beyoncé—as evidenced by the Homecoming concert film and her Formation World Tour— may be disappointed.

Beyoncé did NOT perform her hit songs “Single Ladies”, ”If I Were a Boy” and “Halo” at the opening night of her #RENAISSANCEtour show in Sweden. pic.twitter.com/ejXi5b7fXf — Buzzing Pop (@BuzzingPop) May 10, 2023

Beyoncé brought back the Les Twins, who have accompanied her on multiple tours and performances

The Les Twins, Laurent and Larry, were approached by Beyoncé years ago after a video of them dancing went viral and they appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show . They were invited to perform with Beyoncé at the Billboard Music Awards in 2011, and she took them on the road with her for the Mrs. Carter World Tour, her joint On The Run Tour with Jay-Z, and her Coachella performance in 2018 . Her fans were excited to see the Les Twins back on stage with her for this new tour.

Beyoncé performing Thique and Les Twins are officially back 😭 #RenaissanceWorldTour pic.twitter.com/zPKiGAPCjG — J (@wenttojarrett) May 10, 2023

It was gay as hell: An unabashed celebration of the LGBTQ+ community

In the lead-up to the album, Beyoncé dedicated the project to her Uncle Johnny, who battled HIV when she was young. He is referenced in the song “HEATED,” and in the outro of the song, Beyoncé takes on the role of MC at a ball (a queer dance party) where she starts “reading.” All of these influences took center stage at the Renaissance World Tour and will make a strong statement when it comes stateside in July, given the wave of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation being introduced across the country.

BEYONCÉ IS HEATED😭😭😭 #RENAISSANCEtour pic.twitter.com/ddL9s1ByUA — 𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗻𝘆🫧💚 (@beyoncegarden) May 10, 2023

One of the biggest displays of affection for her queer fans came even before the concert started. As concertgoers poured into the stadium, they were greeted with a fake TV error screen, but if you look closely, some of the colors are different. This error screen has the colors of the progress pride flag, which includes colors from the transgender pride flag, as well as brown and black to indicate the greater discrimination experienced by those members of the community. Twitter users joked, “Nashville is gonna be ready to arrest Beyoncé for this, lord Jesus,” referencing the state’s attempt to ban drag shows and broader attempts across the US to infringe on trans people’s rights.

Nashville is gonna be ready to arrest Beyoncé for this lord Jesus pic.twitter.com/jAz6ObNSEQ — 💫 (@heyjaeee) May 10, 2023

There is also a ball that happens in the show. Beyoncé makes space for her dancers to vogue and dance to her song, “PURE/HONEY.”

BEYONCÉ HOSTING A BALL IS SO WILD TO ME OMG pic.twitter.com/1JwnRMX8TR — Pocket (@islandthembo) May 10, 2023

Some people might recognize Honey Balenciaga from The House of Balenciaga, which appeared in season two of HBO Max’s Legendary . She was seen voguing on stage with the rest of Beyoncé’s dancers.

@legendaryvoguex HONEY BALENCIAGA @Honey. YOU WILL ALWAYS BE THE IT GIRL #RENAISSANCE ♬ original sound - Legendary Vogue X

As we’ve seen with other tours from major artists like Harry Styles, Taylor Swift, and the 1975, their fervent fan base will keep everyone up to date on all the song changes, new outfits, and surprises that these artists pull out of their bag of tricks on the road. As we’ve seen with Swift’s notoriously sold-out Eras Tour, her fans made sure to give people who couldn’t get tickets a chance to see the tour play out online. Based on how night one played out, it seems like Beyoncé’s fans will be doing the same for those of us stuck at home.

Correction, May 11: The original version of this story misgendered Honey Balenciaga. She uses she/her pronouns.

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Beyoncé Announces ‘Renaissance’ 2023 World Tour

By Larisha Paul

Larisha Paul

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission.

Another Ticketmaster war is on the horizon as the BeyHive prepares for battle. After weeks of speculation, Beyoncé has officially confirmed a world tour in support of Renaissance , scheduled to make stops in stadiums across the world in 2023 .

The musician confirmed the news on Wednesday morning. The tour will begin in Europe this May before landing in North America on July 8 with back-to-back nights at Toronto’s Rogers Centre. The tour will make stops in Philadelphia, Nashville, Chicago, Boston, Atlanta, Miami, Houston, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, New Orleans, and more.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Beyoncé (@beyonce)

The Renaissance tour marks Beyoncé’s first extended stretch on the road since the On the Run tour, which made 48 stops across North America and Europe in 2018. Those shows were proceeded by the singer’s redefining Coachella performance, which arrived as the Netflix concert film Homecoming the following year.

The clips sparked multiple viral moments, the most notable being Beyoncé’s new vocal arrangements on familiar records, including “Drunk in Love” and “Countdown.” The private concert, notably, did not include any Renaissance tracks on the setlist, even the chart-topping lead single “Break My Soul.”

The tour announcement arrives as a saving grace for a starved BeyHive, still yearning for any meaningful visual companion pieces to the singer’s acclaimed seventh studio album. If Beyoncé is heading on the road again, maybe the wait for the music videos she teased in the record release trailer won’t be too much longer.

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“As is customary for her, she layers the album with enough totems to fuel a million think pieces and dissertations,” Rolling Stone shared of Renaissance . “Yet it’s also possible to simply dance and vibe to the music. This is Beyoncé at her joyous peak, and you won’t get it unless you pull the “plastic off the sofa,” “drop it like a thottie,” and enjoy Queen Bey at her thrilling best.”

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Beyoncé Renaissance Tour: The Full Setlist From Opening Night

By Thania Garcia

Thania Garcia

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It’s time. Beyoncé ‘s Renaissance World Tour — her first jaunt in nearly five years — has officially kicked off at Stockholm’s Friends Arena where she’s set to perform for nearly three hours at the Swedish capital.

The stadium trek will continue across Europe through June, with the North American leg kicking off in Toronto on July 8. Club Renaissance will run for at least 40 dates, mainly in stadiums, and make stops at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey (July 29) and at the SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. (Sept. 2) amid dates in Chicago, Philadelphia, Toronto, Atlanta, Phoenix and Miami.

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ELA TEM O POVO! E ainda tá chegando mais… #RenaissanceWorldTour https://t.co/C2u6Wsb0KL — Beyoncé Access (@beyonceaccess) May 10, 2023

Beyoncé performed her first full concert in four years  in January at the new Atlantis Royal Resort in Dubai. It was an elaborate and highly theatrical performance — for which sources say she was paid some $24 million — with an all-female orchestra, a battery of dancers, a small lake, fireworks, a 50-foot hydraulic platform, three costume changes for the singer and a guest appearance from her and Jay-Z’s daughter Blue Ivy, but no songs at all from “Renaissance.”

Her last official tour was the “On the Run II” tour with Jay in 2018, which was tied to their joint album, “Everything Is Love,” by the duo billed as the Carters. That same year, she headlined the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival but her last solo trek was behind her previous solo album, “Lemonade,” in 2016.

See the full setlist for opening night of the Renaissance tour below (updating live).

Opening Act

“Dangerously In Love 2″

“Flaws and All”

“1+1”

“I’m Goin’ Down” (Mary J. Blige cover)

“I Care”

Renaissance

“I’m That Girl”

“Cozy”

“Alien Superstar”

“Lift Off” (Jay-Z and Kanye West cover)

Motherboard

“Energy”

“Break My Soul”

“Formation”

“Diva”

“Run the World (Girls)”

“My Power”

“Black Parade”

“Savage” (Remix)

“Partition”

“Church Girl”

“Get Me Bodied”

“Before I Let Go”

“Rather Die Young”

“Love On Top”

“Crazy In Love”

Anointed Pt. 2

“Love Hangover” (Diana Ross cover sung by choir)

“Plastic Off The Sofa”

“Virgo’s Groove”

“Naughty Girl”

“Move”

“Heated”

“Thique”

“All Up in Your Mind”

“Drunk in Love”

Mind Control

“America Has a Problem”

“Pure/Honey”

“Summer Renaissance”

* Throughout the setlist, Beyoncé incorporated songs from her older discography including “Sweet Dreams,” “Say My Name,” and more.

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Beyoncé Announces Renaissance World Tour

By Evan Minsker and Allison Hussey

Beyoncé has announced that she’s touring in support of her latest album, Renaissance . The tour begins with a European leg in May, followed by dates in Canada and the United States that extend from from early July through late September. It’s her first tour since her 2018 co-headlining On the Run II Tour with Jay-Z behind their collaborative album, Everything Is Love , and her first headlining tour since 2016’s Formation World Tour behind Lemonade . The Renaissance World Tour is produced by Parkwood Entertainment and promoted by Live Nation. See all of the dates below.

Renaissance arrived July 29, rising swiftly to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 and marking Beyoncé’s seventh album to summit the albums chart. It is the first act in what will be a three-part series, she has indicated.

Beyoncé hinted at her world tour in late October, during the fifth annual Wearable Art Gala, where the raffle included “ a UNIQUE experience ” to see her on the Renaissance tour. Purported images from the auction featured descriptions of the summer 2023 trek. Valued at $20,000, the package included first-class plane tickets, a three-night hotel stay, two concert tickets, and a guided backstage tour from Beyoncé’s mother, Tina Knowles aka Miss Tina. Beyoncé was reportedly in attendance at the gala. In January, she performed at the opening of a new luxury resort in Dubai, but did not play any Renaissance material at the private concert . It was her first live performance since 2020.

Since sharing Renaissance , Beyoncé has made a few adjustments to the album; she replaced ableist lyrics in “ Heated ,” and removed an interpolation of Kelis ’ “Milkshake” on “Energy” after Kelis said she was not informed by Beyoncé and her team that her music was going to be used on the new album. Beyoncé also dropped Honey Dijon and Madonna remixes of “ Break My Soul .” 

In 2019, Beyoncé released Homecoming: The Live Album . The next year, she shared Black Is King , a visual album based on her 2019 soundtrack for The Lion King: The Gift . (Beyoncé voiced adult Nala in the CGI remake film.) On Juneteenth of that year, she surprise-released “ Black Parade ,” which would go on to win the Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance . At the same ceremony, she also won Best Rap Performance and Best Rap Song (for her feature on the remix of Megan Thee Stallion ’s “ Savage ”), as well as Best Music Video (for The Gift ’s “ Brown Skin Girl ”). “ Be Alive ”—her contribution to the King Richard soundtrack—was nominated for an Oscar at last year’s ceremony.

Beyoncé is nominated for nine honors at the 2023 Grammy Awards : Record of the Year , Song of the Year , and Best Dance/Electronic Recording for “Break My Soul”; Album of the Year and Best Dance/Electronic Music Album for Renaissance ; Best R&B Performance for “Virgo’s Groove”; Best Traditional R&B Performance for “Plastic Off the Sofa”; Best R&B Song for “Cuff It”; and Best Song Written for Visual Media for “Be Alive.”

Read “ 5 Takeaways From Beyoncé’s New Album, Renaissance ” over on the Pitch.

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05-10 Stockholm, Sweden - Friends Arena 05-14 Brussels, Belgium - King Baudoin Stadium 05-17 Cardiff, Wales - Cardiff Principality Stadium 05-20 Edinburgh, Scotland - BT Murrayfield Stadium 05-23 Sunderland, England - Stadium of Light 05-26 Paris, France - Stade de France 05-29 London, England - Tottenham Hotspur Stadium 05-30 London, England - Tottenham Hotspur Stadium 06-08 Barcelona, Spain - Olympic Stadium 06-11 Marseille, France - Orange Velodrome 06-15 Cologne, Germany - RheinEnergieStadion 06-17 Amsterdam, Netherlands - Johan Cruijff Arena 06-21 Hamburg, Germany - Volksparkstadion 06-24 Frankfurt, Germany - Deutsche Bank Park 06-27 Warsaw, Poland - PGE Nardowy 07-08 Toronto, Ontario - Rogers Centre 07-09 Toronto, Ontario - Rogers Centre 07-12 Philadelphia, PA - Lincoln Financial Field 07-15 Nashville, TN - Nissan Stadium 07-17 Louisville, KY - L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium 07-20 Minneapolis, MN - Huntington Bank Stadium 07-22 Chicago, IL - Soldier Field 07-23 Chicago, IL - Soldier Field 07-26 Detroit, MI - Ford Field 07-29 East Rutherford, NJ - MetLife Stadium 07-30 East Rutherford, NJ - MetLife Stadium 08-01 Foxborough, MA - Gillette Stadium 08-03 Pittsburgh, PA - Acrisure Stadium 08-05 Washington, D.C. - FedEx Field 08-06 Washington, D.C. - FedEx Field 08-09 Charlotte, NC - Bank of America Stadium 08-11 Atlanta, GA - Mercedes-Benz Stadium 08-16 Tampa, FL - Raymond James Stadium 08-18 Miami Gardens, FL - Hard Rock Stadium 08-21 St. Louis, MO - Dome at America’s Center 08-24 Glendale, AZ - State Farm Stadium 08-26 Las Vegas, NV - Allegiant Stadium 08-30 Santa Clara, CA - Levi’s Stadium 09-02 Inglewood, CA - SoFi Stadium 09-03 Inglewood, CA - SoFi Stadium 09-11 Vancouver, British Columbia - BC Place 09-13 Seattle, WA - Lumen Field 09-18 Kansas City, MO - GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium 09-21 Dallas, TX - AT&T Stadium 09-23 Houston, TX - NRG Stadium 09-24 Houston, TX - NRG Stadium 09-27 New Orleans, LA - Caesars Superdome

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Meet the Ballroom Legend Who Became the MVP of Beyoncé's Renaissance Tour

By Heven Haile

About midway through the Renaissance World Tour show, Philly ballroom commentator and artist Kevin JZ Prodigy reintroduces Beyoncé during a robotic rebirth sequence: “Everyone! Welcome to Mother’s Mind!” Throughout the tour, Beyoncé has been jubilant and braggadocious, and Kevin’s contribution to the show has been a major factor. Not only is he the narrator but also, according to Beyoncé herself, the “ heartbeat ” of the world tour—guiding Queen Bey and millions of stadium attendees through a thrillingly maximalist show.

Though he has just been thrust into the mainstream, ask anyone in the ballroom scene, and they’ll tell you that Kevin is a legend. He stumbled upon the craft by accident. Accompanying some friends to the club in 1997, Kevin became enamored with three iconic voguers: Aamina , Dee Dee , and Niambi . His friends Dennis and Lloyd introduced him to Aamina and all three taught him to vogue. Kevin eventually found a support system in the House of Movado, a premier ballroom collective in Philadelphia, where he became the force he is now.

“Nobody had a sound like him—that is like a lion roaring,” Alvernian Prestige Du’Mure, president of the Philadelphia Ballroom Alliance, told the Philadelphia Inquirer about Kevin. He has performed at balls across the world. Recently, BET tapped him for a live segment at the 2022 Awards show, and Mugler requested his vocal presence for a runways show and 2022 campaign starring Chloë Sevigny, Adut Akech, Megan Thee Stallion, and Bella Hadid, among others.

At a time when queer people are constantly under attack, both from the government and in the real world, Kevin has provided much-needed respite through his oration. He’s been releasing live and studio recordings of his chants via YouTube and DK Records for the past couple of decades, but his digital reach catapulted these past few years. TikTokers have been eating up viral snippets from his frenetic tracks “Here comes the Hurricane Legendary Katrina” (feat. Legendary Katrina Ebony), “This is What I Wanna See,” and “Bam Bam Shawam.” His RWT tour interludes are no exception, becoming the official soundtrack for robots everywhere. The Beyhive is now demanding a live version of the Renaissanc e album, featuring Kevin whose addictive lyrics are already featured throughout “Pure/Honey.”

Kevin spoke to GQ about the language of cunt, performing at the Atlanta tour show, and his tribute to his late friend O’Shae Sibley—a 28-year-old Black gay man who was tragically murdered by bigots this July for voguing to Renaissance with some friends— ahead of commenting at the inaugural Equality Ball hosted by Beyoncé’s foundation, BeyGOOD.

Kevin JZ Prodigy : Her people reached out. I said give [the sample] to her. Fuck that! That’s Beyoncé. You don’t tell Beyoncé no. Yous a fool!

The Renaissance Way is a movement. It is coming into your own. It's about acceptance. You be yourself. You go out there and you be unapologetic to whatever it is that you want to do, you know. Look at the people on the tour. There are so many different people from so many different backgrounds, walks of life, all shapes, sizes, colors, avenues, styles, looks, and they're beautiful. They are wonderful and she brought that to life to show the people that she is aware of who her fans are. Beyoncé is very aware. She's a businesswoman. She's a mother, she's a friend, she's a sister, she's an aunt. People need to understand that she works hard.

It was out of this world. Words can’t describe performing next to such a monumental artist like her. Beyoncé is music. The show was Michael Jackson-level. For us who experienced the rise of Janet and Madonna, Beyoncé is a continuation of that legacy. God gave her this incredible gift so that she could share it with us.

Baby, her mother is a breath of fresh air. Tina Knowles is extremely beautiful. Michelle Williams makes you feel good. She just has this calming energy around her. I can't wait to meet Kelly. Jay-Z is cool as hell. I met Jermaine Dupri. I met Kandi Burruss. When I met Jermaine Dupri, I was like, [deepening voice] "Yo, you." I got a dap from Jay-Z. I was like, [deepening voice] "Yo, what's up?" Parkwood made me feel at home.

Madonna has been a part of my life since I was a child. I've loved Madonna since I first seen her go “strike a pose.” It’s emotional when I talk about Madonna and Janet. I love those women so much to the point where I have to thank them. When I met Madonna and told her how I felt, I burst into tears because she has gotten me out of some of the darkest places in my life. I listen to [her and Janet] when I'm sad or when I feel like I can't do it no more. They both saved me.

Cunt is a feeling, cunt is a mood, cunt is not a read. If you feel cunt, you feel soft, you feel feminine. You feel really good. I feel cunt right now. Do you feel cunt?

Cunt to the feminine, what! Exactly. You have to feel it. You feel cunt walking into your place. You work, you feel cunt with it. But bring the cunt! It's an embodiment. It's a formula. Kevin Aviance started that, and I took and ran with it.

It was everything. Kevin is as crazy as I am. Because we are here, they see us, we're visual. We've lived through so much and now we're here with artists like Beyoncé, it's like what more could you ask for? And I went up to him, “I said yes bitch, we’re here!” And he was like, "Cunt. I'm Cunt to the feminine what!" We got to own it and I'm here to own it. I ain't scared of shit.

You can find a connection from my voice because I mean it. Because I mean it and it comes from the heart. And it's fun to watch, but when you hear me, you know I mean it, you can feel it.

He was like a little brother to me, we just talked, we vogued. It was a regular friendship. It was so easy to make the song because I was already hurt. I had funerals. I used to hang with him constantly. It's hard to talk about, but he's wonderful, and making a song is absolute, it's a piece of cake to me. I have so many rhythms and rhymes in my head, but when it came to him, I just needed to do it. I'm actually making an album right now, but I don't know when it's coming out.

Fight back. Don't be scared. Fight back with all you have and don't let them shut you down. I used to be afraid, but you attack me, you getting attacked back and I'm coming with it. Fight back, fight smart. Do something, but just know there is a time and place for everything, but just—you'll know when—but stand up for yourself.

Baby, you better leave Beyoncé alone. I'm a very protective person. I don’t want her to cuss me out.

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Beyoncé Announces Renaissance World Tour

The star’s first solo tour since 2016 will start May 10 in Stockholm.

• Share full article

By Joe Coscarelli

For the first time since 2016 — a world before Beychella , Covid-19 and “Renaissance” — Beyoncé will headline a solo tour, the singer announced in a social media post on Wednesday.

Beginning on May 10 in Stockholm, and continuing in Europe through June before coming to North America, the Renaissance World Tour, in support of her seventh solo album, will run for at least 40 dates, largely in stadiums, according to dates posted to Beyoncé’s website . The tour includes one night at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey (July 29) and one at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood, Calif. (Sept. 2) amid stops in Chicago, Philadelphia, Toronto, Atlanta, Phoenix and Miami.

Limited tickets for certain tour dates will go on sale beginning Monday for members of Beyoncé’s BeyHive fan club, followed by the staggered release of additional tickets by market, using a complex registration system for various tiers of buyer.

The tour, produced by Beyoncé’s Parkwood Entertainment and promoted by Live Nation, will use Ticketmaster’s Verified Fan system , which aims to limit bots and professional scalpers, marking one of the first major tests for Ticketmaster since extraordinary demand for early tickets to Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour last year led to fan backlash and regulatory scrutiny . At a Senate Judiciary hearing last month spurred by the botched presale, artists, fans and politicians cast Live Nation Entertainment, the concert industry giant that owns Ticketmaster, as a monopoly that hinders competition and harms consumers.

Beyoncé’s shows will be the singer’s first live events available to the public since the On the Run II tour with her husband, Jay-Z, in 2018, tied to the surprise release of a joint album, “Everything Is Love,” by the duo billed as the Carters. Beyoncé last toured alone behind her previous solo album, “Lemonade,” in 2016. Two years later, she headlined the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

That show — which went on to be released as “Homecoming” (2019), a live album and concert film — was called “rich with history, potently political and visually grand” in a review by the New York Times critic Jon Caramanica. “By turns uproarious, rowdy, and lush. A gobsmacking marvel of choreography and musical direction.”

In the years since, Beyoncé has surfaced intermittently, including with songs like “Black Parade,” which won a Grammy Award for best R&B performance, and “Be Alive,” which appeared in the movie “King Richard” and was nominated for an Oscar. Last year, in a taped performance, Beyoncé performed the song at the 94th annual Academy Awards.

But the singer made a return to the pop mainstream in earnest with the July 2022 release of “Renaissance,” a dance-floor-oriented album that she said was inspired by the L.G.B.T.Q. community and has spawned hits like “Break My Soul” and “Cuff It.” At the Grammy Awards on Sunday, Beyoncé is nominated nine times , with a chance to become the most-awarded artist in history.

Upon its release, the singer called “Renaissance” part of a “three act project” that she recorded during the pandemic. “My intention was to create a safe place, a place without judgment,” she wrote of the album, which was billed as Act I. “A place to be free of perfectionism and overthinking. A place to scream, release, feel freedom.”

Major music touring has largely recovered, especially at its highest levels, since the Covid-19 pandemic. According to the industry trade publication Pollstar , touring grossed a record-setting $6.28 billion last year, up more than 13 percent from 2019, due in part to pent-up fan demand, inflation and major acts like Bad Bunny, Elton John and Harry Styles.

In addition to Beyoncé’s shows, this year will see blockbuster tours from artists including Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Metallica, Morgan Wallen and Madonna.

Last month, Beyoncé proved more polarizing than usual when she headlined the grand opening of a luxury hotel in Dubai, performing for an invite-only collection of guests, including influencers and journalists.

While some fans decried the optics of taking a major payday in a place that criminalizes homosexuality — “Beyoncé’s Dubai performance isn’t just an affront to LGBTQ+ fans, but workers’ rights in the UAE,” The Guardian declared — others noted that the singer’s set list did not yet include songs from “Renaissance.”

An earlier version of this article misstated the year Beyoncé headlined Coachella. It was 2018, not 2016.

How we handle corrections

Joe Coscarelli is a culture reporter with a focus on pop music. His work seeks to pull back the curtain on how hit songs and emerging artists are discovered, made and marketed. He previously worked at New York magazine and The Village Voice. More about Joe Coscarelli

Everything to Know About Beyoncé's Renaissance World Tour

Queen Bey is back baby 👸🏽🐝

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By now we've all seen those TikToks from Beyoncé's Exclusive Dubai performance with her viral Siren-esque vocal runs (even though it was technically supposed to be a photo and video-free event, but we're not complaining 🤭). Those clips of Bey absolutely slaying in Dubai have been leaving us hot with Bey fever, so we literally jumped for joy when we saw that Beyoncé *finally* dropped the deets on her world tour.

The singer posted to her Instagram in a disco cowgirl ensemble to make the announcement. She looked fierce sitting atop a shimmering horse with a cowgirl hat to match and an intricate crystal bodysuit. She captioned the post, "RENAISSANCE WORLD TOUR 2023." Beyoncé's last tour was in 2018 when she and her husband Jay-Z blessed us with their On The Run Tour .

"See you soon mother," a fan commented.

Beyoncé's album Renaissance set the music world on fire and broke records. Released on July 29, 2022, her album quickly landed at the number one spot on the Billboard 200, making her the first female artist to have all seven of her solo albums make it to first. Renaissance has been nominated for an astounding nine Grammys at this year's ceremony which will take place on February 5.

In a letter to her fans posted on her official website, Beyoncé wrote, "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. 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."

Renaissance World Tour Dates and Locations

How can i buy tickets to beyoncé's renaissance world tour.

Tickets likely won't be very easy to snag after the Taylor Swift Ticketmaster incident , but BeyHive Verified Fans, Ticketmaster Verified Fans, and Citi credit card members will have access to a presale for tour tickets , so set your alarms and register on time if seeing Bey is on your bucket list. Registration groups for presale are determined by the location of the desired show, so make sure to check on beyonce.livenation.com for the full rundown. Registration for group A is open until February 2, group B until February 9, and group C until February 16 at 11:59 pm ET. While there is no official sale date for the general public, the Verified Fan ticket lotteries will determine which lucky fans get that highly anticipated early access or a spot on the waitlist.

Bri is the editorial and social media assistant at ELLE.com. Before joining the team at ELLE, she worked as the editorial assistant for Seventeen.com and Cosmopolitan.com where she covered all things celebrity news and pop culture. You can probably find her sipping an oatmilk iced chai while searching for the best new makeup products or thrifting her entire wardrobe.

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Beyoncé's Renaissance Tour Has Officially Begun. Here's Everything We Know So Far

The 'heated' singer kicked off the long-awaited tour in stockholm, sweden this week..

World stop: after months of waiting Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour has officially kicked off.

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The “Alien Superstar” singer performed two nights in Stockholm, Sweden, (May 10-11) marking the first two stops on her international tour. Fans all around the world were waiting in anticipation to see what kind of show Bey would bless them with and I’m happy to report, she BROUGHT THE HOUSE DOWN. Let’s get into it.

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Related products, what songs did she perform.

Divided into seven parts, the Queen Bey naturally performed all the songs off her Grammy-nominated 2022 album. But she also belted out a plethora of songs from her discography and others such as “Dangerously In Love 2,” “Flaws and All,” “1+1,” “I’m Goin’ Down” (Mary J. Blige cover), “I Care,” “Lift Off” (Jay-Z and Kanye West cover, “Formation,” “Diva,” “Run the World (Girls),” “My Power,” “Black Parade,” “Savage” (Remix), “Partition,” “Get Me Bodied,” “Before I Let Go,” “Rather Die Young,” “Love On Top,” “Crazy In Love,” “Love Hangover” (Diana Ross cover sung by choir), “Naughty Girl,” and “Drunk in Love.”

Bey also interspersed snippets and lyrics of some of her older songs such as “Sweet Dreams,” “Say My Name,” “Kitty Kat,” “Signs,” “Dance For You,” and more.

What Outfits Was She Wearing?

According to Page Six , the “Thique” singer was dripped down in designer, as per usual when it comes to her performances. She began the night in a dazzling silver and black Alexander McQueen catsuit before later transitioning into a white bell-sleeved Anrealage dress that transformed into a multi-colored stained glass looking design when under a certain lighting.

Later in the show, she donned a silver custom Courrèges body suit, a pearl-embellished Balmain bodysuit, a flesh-toned, sparkly trompe l’oeil Loewe catsuit with black arms covering up the umm..important parts, a black and yellow bee-inspired Thierry Mugeler get up, and an iridescent minidress by David Koma.

Was She Really Injured?

If you weren’t on Twitter the day multiple fans were live-tweeting the show (a show they were watching via loyal fans Instagram Lives), then you may have missed a myriad of folk commenting on the fact that Bey seemed to be dancing way less than she usually has in the past. Even a reporter from The New York Times who was there in-person picked up on it, too, and said as much in his review.

Per The Daily Mail , let loyal BeeHive members tell it: the “Break My Soul” singer had reportedly suffered a foot injury and had recently had surgery, though no one from Bey’s camp has officially confirmed or denied that that’s really the case. Regardless, as someone who also watched most of the show via Instagram this week, I, too, noticed that she wasn’t hitting the choreography as hard nor was her iconic strut during the opening sounds of “Crazy In Love” as powerful as it had been. I personally chalked it up to her maybe reserving her energy since she had over 50 more tour stops to make, but an injury could definitely make sense.

Who Did She Enlist for Dancing and Music Direction?

As noted by Distractify on Thursday, Bey’s longtime dance captain Ashley Everett, was noticeably missing on the first two stops. Fans who attended that night also confirmed she wasn’t present, which is odd considering she’s always at Bey’s right hand during major performances.

What’s also odd is that Everett posted a video two weeks before the Renaissance Tour was expected to begin about getting a callback for another gig, which sent fans in a tizzy in her comments with many wondering how she had time to take on another project when this massive tour was set to begin.

Of course, the simple answer could be that Everett just could not be performing on European leg of the tour and is just waiting to join Bey when she crossed the pond back over to North America. The other answer could be that they’ve indeed parted ways. We don’t really know at this point.

But what we do know is that legendary dancer Fatima Robinson has been brought on at the Director of Choreography for the Renaissance Tour . Robinson is the same person who received an Emmy nomination last year for Outstanding Choreography for Variety or Reality Programming for Bey’s performance of “Be Alive” at the 2022 Oscars. We also know that popular and super talented producer and filmmaker Amorphous has also been brought on to lend his talents to the Queen’s musical direction.

“Thank you @beyonce for allowing me to be part of your legacy with this tour,” he wrote in a tweet sharing the news after the first night’s show. “Thank you for inviting me into your creative space. thank you for trusting me. this was always my biggest dream. thank y’all for believing in me. played a part in my first tour ever with THE GREATEST.”

As the tour continues to unfold, I have no doubt more goodness will be revealed. Us U.S. folks just have to hold our horses (ha!) until she touches down in July.

Beyoncé adds extra dates for long-awaited Renaissance World Tour: See show schedule

"Please do not be alarmed, remain calm. Do not attempt to leave the dance floor."

Beyoncé announced her long-awaited tour for her seventh studio album " Renaissance " on Wednesday to kick off Black History Month . Demand for tickets skyrocketed so fast, the artist added second show dates seven cities: Toronto; Chicago; Washington D.C.; Atlanta; Houston; Inglewood, Calif. and East Rutherford, New Jersey.

The album, which debuted in July, is an ode to Black queer culture. Disco anthems, soulful ballads and sexy lyrics are packaged together in "Renaissance."

"RENAISSANCE WORLD TOUR 2023," she shared on Instagram .

Beyoncé performs in Dubai  for luxury hotel opening, daughter Blue Ivy joins

Need a break? Play the USA TODAY Daily Crossword Puzzle.

Beyoncé's 'Renaissance' album review: Unapologetic and raunchy as she beckons us to the dance floor

Full Renaissance World Tour dates

Beyoncé's world tour kicks off in May and ends in September and includes stops in Nashville, Louisville, Chicago, Detroit, New York, Boston, Miami, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Los Angeles and many more.

Note: Some dates have changed. For the most up-to-date information, visit  tour.beyonce.com .

• May 10: Stockholm, SE (Friends Arena)
• May 14: Brussels, BE (Baudoin Stadium)
• May 17:  Cardiff, UK (Principality Stadium)
• May 20: Edinburgh, UK (Murrayfield)
• May 23: Sunderland, UK (Stadium of Light)
• May 26:  Paris, FR (Stade de France)
• May 29: London, UK (Tottenham Hotspur Stadium)
• May 30:  London, UK (Tottenham Hotspur Stadium)
• June 6:  Lyon, FR (Groupama Stadium)
• June 8: Barcelona, SP (Olympic Stadium)
• June 11:  Marseille, FR (Orange Vélodrome)
• June 15:  Cologne, DE (Rheinenergiestadion)
• June 17:  Amsterdam, NL (JC Arena)
• June 18: Amsterdam, NL (JC Arena)
• June 21:  Hamburg, DE (Volksparkstadion)
• June 24: Frankfurt, DE (Deutsche Bank Park)
• June 27:  Warsaw, PL (Pge Nardowy)
• July 8:  Toronto, CA (Rogers Centre)
• July 9: Toronto, CA (Rogers Centre)
• July 15: Nashville, TN (Nissan Stadium)
• July 17: Louisville, KY (L&N Federal Credit Union Stadium)
• July 20: Minneapolis, MN (Huntington Bank Stadium)
• July 22: Chicago, IL (Soldier Field)
• July 23: Chicago, IL (Soldier Field)
• July 26: Detroit, MI (Ford Field)
• July 29: East Rutherford, NJ (Metlife Stadium)
• July 30: East Rutherford, NJ (Metlife Stadium)
• Aug. 1: Boston, MA (Gillette Stadium)
• Aug. 3: Pittsburgh, PA (Heinz Field)
• Aug. 5: Washington, DC (FedEx Field)
• Aug. 6: Washington, DC (FedEx Field)
• Aug. 9: Charlotte, NC (Bank of America Stadium)
• Aug. 11: Atlanta, GA (Mercedes Benz Stadium)
• Aug. 12: Atlanta, GA (Mercedes Benz Stadium)
• Aug. 16: Tampa, FL (Raymond James Stadium)
• Aug. 18: Miami, FL (Hard Rock Stadium)
• Aug. 21:  St. Louis, MI (Dome at Americas Center)
• Aug. 24: Phoenix, AZ (State Farm Stadium)
• Aug. 26: Las Vegas, NV (Allegiant Stadium)
• Aug. 30: San Francisco, CA (Levi's Stadium)
• Sept. 2:  Inglewood, CA (SoFi Stadium)
• Sept. 3:  Inglewood, CA (SoFi Stadium)
• Sept. 11: Vancouver, CA (BC Place)
• Sept. 13: Seattle, WA (Lumen Field)
• Sept. 18: Kansas City, MO (Arrowhead Stadium)
• Sept. 21: Dallas, TX (AT&T Stadium)
• Sept. 23: Houston, TX (NRG Stadium)
• Sept. 24: Houston, TX (NRG Stadium)
• Sept. 27: New Orleans, LA (Caesars Superdome)

How to purchase tickets, presale information

Ticketing begins Feb. 6, starting with an exclusive presale to BeyHive members.

There are several presale ticket options for Beyoncé fans. Verified fan registration for North American dates are available on beyonce.livenation.com  and Ticketmaster . Citi cardmembers will have access to a presale via citientertainment.com . Verizon Up members can buy presale tickets at  verizon.com/featured/verizon-up .

Visit the various websites for more on presale tickets as times vary by city.

You can also find "Register" buttons next to each date on her tour website .

Beyoncé returned to the stage for first time in four years in January

Last month, Beyoncé made her return to the stage and performed at the opening of the Atlantis The Royal hotel in Dubai. Despite the luxury experience, the singer left fans wanting more, as she did not perform any songs from "Renaissance," The Hollywood Reporter reported.

The invitation-only event marked her first concert in more than four years. She last performed at the  Global Citizen Festival: Mandela 100 event in 2018.

Beyoncé dominates Grammy nominations

The singer's tour announcement comes days ahead of the Grammys where Beyoncé leads the 2023 lineup with nine nominations, including best dance/electronic album ("Renaissance"), best R&B performance ("Virgo’s Groove") and best traditional R&B performance ("Plastic Off the Sofa"). 

With 28 wins and 88 total career nominations, Beyoncé now ties her husband, rapper Jay-Z , for the most nominations in Grammy history. If Beyoncé picks up four or more awards this year, she will surpass the late Georg Solti for the most Grammy wins of all time. (The Hungarian-born conductor holds the record with 31.) 

Beyoncé's 'Renaissance' has arrived.: What we know, including the album leak, Kelis' sample

Beyoncé called out by Monica Lewinsky: over 'Partition' lyric after ableism controversy

Beyoncé and Jay-Z have got "to be the most intense power couple in the history of music," Recording Academy president Harvey Mason Jr. Mason said after the nominations were revealed. "That’s music and Grammy royalty – that’s the royal family."

Their combined 176 nominations are "absolutely a testament to their talent, to their level of excellence, to their work ethic, to their level of greatness over a long period of time. I don’t even know what the next (leading) couple would be, but it’s not anywhere close.”

Beyoncé's 'Break My Soul.' Taylor Swift's 'Anti-Hero.'  These are the 10 best songs of 2022, ranked.

Beyoncé noticeably was not nominated in any of the music video categories for the Grammys, having not released any album visuals for "Renaissance" since its debut.

Contributing: Patrick Ryan

The Definitive Voice of Entertainment News

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Beyoncé announces ‘renaissance’ tour.

The news comes after the superstar musician performed at her first concert in four years in Dubai and before the Grammys, where she could become the most awarded artist in history.

By Hilary Lewis

Hilary Lewis

Deputy Editor, East Coast, THR.com

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Beyoncé has announced a world tour in support of her Renaissance album, which dropped in July.

The superstar musician broke the news in a bare-bones post on Instagram on Wednesday, featuring merely a photo of her in her Renaissance album look and the words “Renaissance World Tour,” which she repeated in the caption, adding “2023.”

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Tickets for the tour, produced by Parkwood Entertainment and promoted by Live Nation, will be available starting Monday, with an exclusive presale for BeyHive members. More info about the tour and a complete list of dates is available on Beyonce’s website .

The news comes after Beyoncé performed for the first time in more than four years in Dubai last month and ahead of the 2023 Grammys this coming Sunday, where she’s nominated for a leading nine awards and, if she wins four, could become the most awarded artist in Grammys history .

The Dubai concert on Jan. 21 featured the superstar singing songs she rarely performs onstage and duetting with daughter Blue Ivy Carter. The nearly 75-minute, invite-only performance was to help launch the city’s new luxurious and opulent hotel, The Atlantis Royal. Jay-Z and other members of Beyoncé’s family were also in attendance at the Dubai show.

Prior to that, Beyoncé’s last live performance, apart from her opening the 2022 Oscars , was at the Global Citizen Festival: Mandela 100 in Johannesburg in December of 2018. That year, she and Jay-Z also went on their On the Run II tour. And she performed a headline-making set at the 2018 Coachella Festival, with her performance captured for the Emmy-nominated Netflix documentary Homecoming .

Her last solo tour was the Formation jaunt in 2016.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Beyoncé (@beyonce)

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Beyoncé Announces Renaissance World Tour

The singer's record-breaking album is set to make history at this weekend's Grammys.

The superstar dropped the news this Wednesday morning on Instagram. In a post, she shared a photo of herself wearing a bejeweled armor-like bodysuit and silver mirrored cowboy hat while sitting atop a holographic horse.

"RENAISSANCE WORLD TOUR 2023," she simply wrote in the caption.

Beyoncé released her seventh studio album on July 29, 2022, after recording it over three years during the COVID-19 pandemic. The singer wrote about the project in an open letter to fans.

"Creating this album allowed me a place to dream and to find escape during a scary time for the world," she shared. "It allowed me to feel free and adventurous in a time when little else was moving. 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."

With Renaissance , Beyoncé has made Grammys history. For this year's ceremony —which takes place this coming Sunday—the star is nominated for nine awards, bringing her up to a total of 88 nominations to date. In a romantic turn, this ties her for the most-nominated artist in Grammys history with none other than her husband, Jay-Z.

Beyoncé's Renaissance smash "Break My Soul" is nominated for Record of the Year. This is her eighth nomination in the category and makes her the artist with the most ROTY nominations of all time. The track is also up for Best Dance/Electronic Recording, and the album is nominated for Best Dance/Electronic Music Album.

Find ticket information and Renaissance World Tour dates online at tour.beyonce.com .

Rosa Sanchez is the senior news editor at Harper's Bazaar, working on news as it relates to entertainment, fashion, and culture. Previously, she was a news editor at ABC News and, prior to that, a managing editor of celebrity news at American Media. She has also written features for Rolling Stone, Teen Vogue, Forbes, and The Hollywood Reporter, among other outlets. 

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Renaissance

Beyoncé conceived and recorded Renaissance during the COVID-19 pandemic, seeking to inspire joy and escapism in listeners who had experienced isolation and to celebrate a club era in which marginalized people sought liberation through dance music. With its songs seamlessly arranged like a DJ mix, the album blends post-1970s Black dance music styles such as disco and house and pays homage to the Black and queer pioneers of those genres. The album's lyrical content explores themes of escapism, hedonism, self-assurance and self-expression.

The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart, Beyoncé's seventh consecutive album to do so, and is certified platinum . It also reached number one in Australia, Belgium, Canada, Denmark, France, Ireland, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Sweden, and the United Kingdom. The platinum-certified lead single " Break My Soul " was released on June 20, 2022, and reached number one on several charts worldwide, including the US Billboard Hot 100 . The album's second single " Cuff It " peaked in the top ten on the Billboard Hot 100 and internationally.

The album received universal acclaim from music critics for its eclectic yet cohesive sound, joyous mood, and Beyoncé's vocal performance. It became the best-rated album of 2022, named the best album of the year by publications such as the Los Angeles Times , The New York Times , NPR , Pitchfork , and Rolling Stone . Renaissance and its songs garnered nine nominations at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards (including Album of the Year ) and won four awards, including Best Dance/Electronic Album , making Beyoncé the most awarded artist in the Grammy Awards history . In promotion of the album, Beyoncé embarked on the Renaissance World Tour , and released an accompanying documentary concert film .

• 1 Background
• 3 Composition
• 4 Promotion and release
• 5 Photoshoot
• 8.1 Critics' reviews
• 8.2 Featured, sampled and interpolated artists
• 9.1 North America
• 9.2 International
• 11.1 Samples and interpolations
• 12.1 Recording locations
• 12.2 Personnel
• 13 Physical releases
• 14 Release history

Background [ ]

Already on August 10, 2021 the singer had been hinting the title of the 2022 project saying on an interview with BAZAAR that: "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".

Then, on June 30, 2022 she revealed the official cover all over her social media.

On the release day, a message from Queen Bey was posted on her official website, and that also, appeared on the physical editions of the album

Artwork [ ]

On June 30, 2022, Beyoncé revealed the album's cover art, accompanied by a brief note, on her social media accounts. In the cover image, she is seated atop a "glowing", "holographic", "crystal horse" in a "futuristic, centipede-ish bikini". Critics interpreted the equestrian pose as an allusion both to John Collier's 1897 painting Lady Godiva and to photographs of Bianca Jagger riding a horse into Studio 54. Beyoncé's garment was designed by Nusi Quero and is reminiscent of the crystal top she wore on the 2003 Dangerously in Love cover.

An alternate cover image for the vinyl release features Beyoncé atop the same horse, but "wearing a white cowboy hat with a silver headpiece that hides her hair" and "sparkling silver chains that drape her arms and legs, as white, feathery poofs hang along the body of the horse".

Composition [ ]

According to critics, Renaissance has an "innovative" and "playful" approach to genre, blending and shifting between several styles, primarily various genres of post-1970s black dance music. Described as a dance, house, disco, pop and R&B album, its songs incorporate elements of a wide variety of sub-genres, namely bounce, Detroit techno, garage, Afrobeats, boogie, funk, gospel, Miami bass, psychedelic soul, hip hop, trap, gqom, new jack swing, Jersey club, Chicago house, deep house, electro house, hip house, synth-pop, hyperpop, dancehall, and nu-disco.

The tracks are connected by seamless transitions facilitated by beatmatching, evoking a DJ mix. This reflects "the shifting moods and the physicality of the dance floor" rather than "the constraints of a radio station or a playlist", according to The New Yorker 's Carrie Battan. Some tracks also have unconventional song structures, containing multiple tempos and movements.

Lyrically, Renaissance contains themes of escapism, self-assurance, self-expression, hedonism and pleasure, with Beyoncé inspiring joy and confidence in listeners. According to The Guardian , it "urg[es] listeners to wholeheartedly embrace pleasure", particularly referencing joy in Black culture. The album's lyrics emphasize dance as both a measure of personal catharsis and a liberating spiritual practice.

Beyoncé collaborated with, sampled and interpolated several progenitors of dance music on the album, including both mainstream and underground artists. This made the album a celebration of black and queer dance culture, with Vulture 's Charlie Harding liking it to "a DJ set curated by house-music pioneers".

Promotion and release [ ]

Beyoncé began to tease a new album on June 7, 2022, by removing her profile picture from all of her social media platforms. Four days later, the text "What is a B7?" appeared on the homepage of the singer's official website. Fans noticed that the website also had placeholders for her upcoming seventh and eighth studio albums. Beyoncé officially announced the album and released the pre-sale for Renaissance on her website and digital streaming platforms the following day.

After first joining TikTok in December 2021, Beyoncé posted her first video, a compilation of people (including American rapper Cardi B) "dancing, vibing, and singing along" to Renaissance 's lead single, "Break My Soul", on July 14, 2022. Further, she made her entire catalog available for use on the platform, attracting significant media attention. Two days before the scheduled release, on July 27, the album arrived in retailers in France and eventually leaked onto the Internet.

The album was released on July 29, 2022. Upon the album's release, Beyoncé posted a note on her website revealing that Renaissance is the first part of a three-act project that she recorded over the past three years, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Critics noted that Renaissance had a more conventional rollout than a number of Beyoncé’s previous albums, which were all surprise releases . The New York Times wrote that the album’s rollout reflected its throwback themes and music, with Beyoncé eschewing an exclusive digital release and instead releasing elaborate vinyl and CD packages . This ushered in a revival of CD sales, according to Billboard .

Photoshoot [ ]

Main page: Renaissance/Photoshoot

Singles [ ]

On June 20, 2022, Beyoncé announced the album's lead single, " Break My Soul ", would be released at midnight Eastern Time on June 21, to coincide with the 2022 summer solstice. The song appeared on music streaming service Tidal hours early, on June 20, and a lyric video was later released on YouTube.

On September 21, 2022, it was reported that " Church Girl " would be released as the album's second single; a week later, it was announced that it would be simultaneously released alongside " Cuff It " as the next two singles. " Church Girl " was scheduled to impact rhythmic contemporary radio on October 4, 2022, but the release failed to materialize whereas " Cuff It " was released as the sole second single, being sent to radio in France on September 28, 2022. It impacted rhythmic and urban contemporary radio stations in the United States on October 4, 2022.

Visuals [ ]

When Renaissance was first released, Beyoncé stated through a press release that she wanted fans to focus on the music, rather than any visual components, but confirmed that visuals were eventually forthcoming. On August 9, 2022, Beyoncé released a teaser video for the album's opening track, " I'm That Girl ", that included a rapid montage of over twenty outfits that news outlets interpreted as previewing the various impending music videos for each track on the album.

Reception [ ]

Critics' reviews [ ].

Renaissance was met with universal acclaim from music critics, many of whom praised its cohesive yet eclectic production, joyous nature, vocal performance, and celebration of post-1970s Black dance music. Renaissance is the most highly lauded album of 2022, topping many critics' year-end lists. On review aggregator Metacritic, Renaissance received a score of 91 out of 100 based on 26 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim". On review aggregator AnyDecentMusic?, the album has a rating of 8.6 out of 10 based on 25 reviews.

Veteran critic Robert Christgau hailed Renaissance as "the album of the year" and Beyoncé's "finest album", calling it unconventionally political, "erotically explicit, knowledgeable, and felt", with each song a "shrewdly differentiated pop smash". Characterizing it as a "modern classic" and Beyoncé's most impressive album, Exclaim!' s Vernon Ayiku wrote that Renaissance is "the sound of a once-in-a-generation superstar performing at her peak". According to Kyle Denis of Billboard , Renaissance is an "absolutely stunning body of work", and perhaps Beyoncé's most innovative and experimental album with her "most nuanced vocal performances" to date. NPR's Ann Powers described it as "Beyoncé's Sistine Chapel", with its "stunning" design and detail, multifaceted nature and "timeless" impact.

Describing the album as "intergenerational musical exchange that landed like a cultural comet", Okayplayer 's Robyn Mowatt praised Beyoncé's ability to bring together dance legends (such as Grace Jones and Nile Rogers) with contemporary underground musicians. The Line of Best Fit critic David Cobbald described the album as one of Beyoncé's best, noting that it is a departure from her previous work. Cobbald praised the album for celebrating "underappreciated architects" of disco, house and funk music. Music journalist Kate Solomon, writing for i, dubbed the album a "dazzling tribute to underground and underappreciated Black culture" and a dancefloor record aimed to heal "the pain and anguish" of the COVID-19 pandemic. Melissa Ruggieri described it "a danceteria devoted to hedonism, sex and most importantly self-worth" in USA Today .

Wesley Morris of The New York Times noted Beyoncé's "galactic" vocal performance, delivery and range. Mikael Wood of the Los Angeles Times called the album "the year's smartest record [and] also its most deep-feeling", praising its rhythms, harmonies and vocals. Pitchfork critic Julianne Escobedo Shepherd called it "a challenging, densely-referenced album" that forays into dance and club music more successfully than similar projects by Beyoncé's peers. Marcus Shorter of Consequence wrote that Renaissance is "damn close to perfect" with its "infectious and not overbearing, elegant, but not shallow" songs. John Amen, writing for PopMatters , complimented the album's contemporaneous production, dubbing it "a litany of samples, allusions, and tributes" but with "more style than substance" at times. Resident Advisor 's Kiana Mickles praised Beyoncé's use of experimental production and genres on the album but wrote that it "falls flat" when Beyoncé references queer ballroom culture.

Featured, sampled and interpolated artists [ ]

Jamaican singer Grace Jones was featured on the track "Move"; Jones said how she does not usually collaborate with other artists, but agreed to work with Beyoncé because she is "a beautiful person, a beautiful talent" and she attends the same church as Jones' brother. American television personality Ts Madison, whose viral video clip "Bitch, I'm Black" is sampled on "Cozy", expressed gratitude to Beyoncé for allowing her to "let me use my voice" and "let it be known that we are all Black in totality" to a global audience. Other artists who expressed gratitude for being included on Renaissance include Robin S., whose 1990 house hit "Show Me Love" is credited on lead single "Break My Soul"; Kevin Aviance, whose song "Cunty" is sampled on "Pure/Honey"; and ballroom commentator Kevin JZ Prodigy, whose chants are borrowed from the 2009 DJ MikeQ track "Feels Like" on "Pure/Honey".

American singer and songwriter Kelis' 2003 single "Milkshake" was interpolated on "Energy". Beyoncé sought permission from Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo of the Neptunes – the sole writers, producers and rights owners of "Milkshake" – who subsequently cleared the interpolation. Kelis voiced anger about this, claiming that the Neptunes made her sign an exploitative contract and that she should have been notified of the song's use in advance. In response, the interpolation was removed from "Energy". British tabloid The Sun claimed that English pop duo Right Said Fred said that Beyoncé did not seek permission to interpolate their 1991 single "I'm Too Sexy" on "Alien Superstar". In response, Beyoncé's representative said that the accusation is false, with permission being sought on May 11, 2022 and granted on June 15, and the duo subsequently speaking of their gratitude for being on the album on social media.

The song "Heated" was met with criticism online for its use of the word "spaz" in its lyrics, which disability advocates said is an ableist slur. Other users online said that "spaz" has a different meaning in African-American Vernacular English and is synonymous with "freaking out". Beyoncé announced the following day that the word would be removed from the song, with the word soon being replaced with "blast".

Commercial performance [ ]

Upon its release, Renaissance garnered the record for the most single-day streams for an album by a female artist on Spotify in 2022, with over 43 million streams, which was later surpassed by Taylor Swift's Midnights . Within three months of its release, Renaissance amassed over 1 billion streams on Spotify.

North America [ ]

In the United States, Renaissance debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, with 332,000 album-equivalent units—the second biggest 2022 album debut by a female artist and the third-biggest overall, after Taylor Swift's Midnights and Harry Styles's Harry's House . In doing so, Renaissance became Beyoncé's seventh consecutive album to debut at number one and the first album released by a woman in 2022 to reach number one. Already the only artist to have her first six albums all debut at number one, she became the first artist whose first seven albums did so as well.

Renaissance received 179.06 million streams in its first week, the eighth-biggest of the year overall, and the most of Beyoncé's career. In terms of traditional album sales, Renaissance posted the fourth-largest sales week for an album in 2022 with 190,000 albums sold. Additionally, the album sold 26,000 vinyl copies in its debut week.

Renaissance went on to spend its first 14 consecutive weeks within the top 10 of the Billboard 200.

In Canada, Renaissance debuted at number one on the Canadian Albums Chart, becoming Beyoncé's third consecutive album to do so and her fourth number one album overall.

International [ ]

By its second day of release, Renaissance was outselling the rest of the week's top five bestselling albums combined in the UK. The album debuted at number one on the UK Albums Chart, becoming Beyoncé fourth album to do so as a solo act, and her fifth including Destiny's Child. The album also debuted at number one on the Official Vinyl Albums Chart. In Ireland, Renaissance debuted atop the Irish Albums Chart, becoming Beyoncé's fifth number one album in the country. Simultaneously, "Break My Soul" also peaked at number one on the Irish Singles Chart, allowing Beyoncé to score an Irish Chart Double. In France, Renaissance debuted at number one on the SNEP albums chart, becoming Beyoncé's first number one album and her fourth top ten album in the country. Previously, 4 was Beyoncé's highest-charting album in the country, peaking at number two in 2011. Additionally, the album was the first album by a female artist to top the chart in 2022. In the Netherlands, the album landed atop the Album Top 100, becoming Beyoncé's third consecutive album to reach the summit in the country. The album has so far spent three non-consecutive weeks at number one, following its return to number one in its 11th week on the chart.

In Australia, the album debuted at number one on the Australian Albums Chart, becoming Beyoncé's third consecutive number-one album in the country after Beyoncé and Lemonade . Additionally, seven tracks from the album debuted in the top 50. It spent two consecutive weeks at number one, becoming her first album to do so since Beyoncé . Renaissance debuted at number one on the New Zealand Albums Chart, becoming Beyoncé's second consecutive number one album in the country following 2016's Lemonade , and her seventh top ten album in the country overall.

Upon release, Renaissance sparked conversations and essays on the history of dance music and its roots in Black culture. American singer Crystal Waters, who helped make house music mainstream in the 1990s, said she was "ecstatic" when she heard Beyoncé's new music and expressed gratitude for how she is shining a light on underappreciated house singers. Chicago house DJ Ron Carroll described Renaissance as a "trailblazing" album that has reintroduced house music to the radio and encouraged other musicians to follow Beyoncé's lead. Aluna Francis of English electronic music duo AlunaGeorge lauded Renaissance for its impact on dance music and its Black creators. Francis explained that throughout her career, she had hoped and fought for the widespread recognition of Black musicians' place in dance music. Francis wrote that this revolution has now occurred following the release of Renaissance , with Beyoncé breaking stigmas and declaring that dance music is Black music, in turn encouraging listeners to reflect on the visibility and exploitation of Blackness within dance genres. Francis added that Renaissance could greatly benefit the investment and growth of communities around the world which allow Black dance music to thrive.

British singer-songwriter Ellie Goulding said that her upcoming album Higher Than Heaven is a dance and house album in the same vein as Renaissance , with Beyoncé taking those genres globally. She later said that Renaissance restored her faith in pop music after the genre was heading in a bad direction. American singer SZA said that the album was the biggest risk a mainstream artist has taken in recent years. American musician Sufjan Stevens praised the production on the album, telling Stereogum : "The wizardry on that album is so awesome and frustrating for me as a musician, because even if you took out her vocals, I'm still obsessed; I'm still intrigued by the engineering and production that's going on and the harmonic relationship between chords."

Beyoncé's mention of Telfar and Birkin bags in the closing track "Summer Renaissance" caused searches for both items to surge on Google Trends and multiple re-sale websites.

Tracklisting [ ]

Samples and interpolations [ ].

Source: Billboard

• contains elements of "Still Pimpin", written by Tommy Wright III and Andrea Summers and performed by Tommy Wright III & Princess Loko.
• contains an excerpt of "Bitch I'm Black" by Ts Madison
• contains a sample of "Get With U", written by Curtis Alan Jones and performed by Lidell Townsell & M.T.F
• contains a sample of "Unique", as performed by Danube Dance featuring Kim Cooper.
• contains an interpolation of "I'm Too Sexy", written by Rob Manzoli, Richard Fairbrass, and Christopher Fairbrass and performed by Right Said Fred.
• contains a sample of "Moonraker", written by John Michael Cooper and performed by Foremost Poets
• contains a sample of Barbara Ann Teer's "Black Theatre" speech
• contains a sample of "Unique", written by Kim Cooper and Peter Rauhofer and performed by Danube Dance.
• contains an interpolation of "Ooh La La La", written by Mary Brockert and Allen McGrier and performed by Teena Marie.
• contains an interpolation of "Ooh La La La", written by Mary Brockert and Allen McGrier and performed by Teena Marie
• contains a sample of "Explode", written by Freddie Ross and Adam Piggot and performed by Big Freedia.
• contains an interpolation of "Milkshake", written by Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo and performed by Kelis (later removed on digital and streaming versions).
• contains elements of "Show Me Love", written by Allen George and Fred McFarlane and performed by Robin S.
• contains a sample of "Center of Thy Will", written by Elbernita Clark and performed by The Clark Sisters.
• contains elements and interpolations of "Where They At", written by Jimi Payton, Dion Norman, and Derrick Ordogne and performed by DJ Jimi.
• contains elements and interpolations of "Think (About It)", written by James Brown and performed by Lyn Collins.
• contains elements of "Drag Rap (Triggerman)", written by Orville Hall and Phillip Price and performed by the Showboys.
• contains a sample of "Mister Magic" written by Ralph MacDonald and William Salter and performed by Grover Washington Jr.
• contains a sample of "Cocaine", written by Tino McIntosh and Andrell Rogers and performed by Kilo Ali.
• contains a sample of "Miss Honey", written by Andrew Richardson, Count Maurice, and Moi Renee and performed by Moi Renee.
• contains a sample of "Cunty (Wave Mix)", written by Eric Snead and Jerel Black and performed by Kevin Aviance.
• contains a sample of "Feels Like", written by Michael Cox and Kevin Bellmon and performed by MikeQ & Kevin Jz Prodigy.
• contains elements and interpolations of "I Feel Love" written by Donna Summer, Giorgio Moroder, and Pete Bellotte and performed by Donna Summer.

Credits & Personnel [ ]

Recording locations [ ].

Atlanta, Georgia

• Sing Mastering (1–16)
• Tree Sound Studios (3, 16)

Los Angeles, California

• Avenue A Studio West (1–16)
• Hardcover (13)
• Henson Recording Studios (6, 11)
• The Juicy Juicy (1–16)
• Kings Landing West (5, 8–12, 15–16)
• Nightbird Recording Studios (3)
• Parkwood West (1–16)
• Record Plant (2, 15)

New York City, New York

• Trailer East Hampton (1, 3, 5–7, 11–12, 14)

North Hollywood, California

• Blakeslee Studios (3,15)

Ochi Rios, Jamaica

• Zak Starkey Studio (10)

Westport, Connecticut

• Le Crib (3)

Personnel [ ]

• Beyoncé – vocals (all tracks), programming (tracks 1, 15), horn (15), vocal production
• Beam – vocals (4, 11), drums (5)
• Grace Jones – vocals (10)
• Tems – vocals (10)
• The-Dream – background vocals (1, 11), synthesizer (3, 4, 9), programming (7, 14), drums (13, 15)
• Kelman Duran – programming (1, 11)
• Stuart White – programming (1), drums (7, 11, 12, 15)
• Mike Dean – synthesizer (1–3, 13, 14, 16), drums (13), programming (16)
• Nija Charles – background vocals (2)
• Chris Penny – keyboards (2, 3), programming (2–4)
• Honey Dijon – programming (2–4)
• Luke Solomon – programming (2–4)
• Dave Giles – vocals (2)
• Blu June – background vocals (3, 15)
• Raphael Saadiq – bass, clavichord, drums, strings (4); horn (15)
• Nile Rodgers – guitar (4)
• Sheila E. – percussion (4)
• Daniel Crawford – piano (4)
• Scott Mayo – saxophone (4)
• Lemar Guillary – trombone (4)
• Jamella Adisa – trumpet (4)
• Al Cres – drums (5)
• Skrillex – drums (5)
• Nova Wav – synthesizer (5)
• Big Freedia – vocals (5, 6)
• The Samples – choir (6)
• Jason White – conductor (6)
• Caleb Curry – vocals (6)
• Danielle Withers – vocals (6)
• Jasmine Patton – vocals (6)
• Jorel Quinn – vocals (6)
• Kim Johnson – vocals (6)
• Kristen Lowe – vocals (6)
• Sabrina Claudio – background vocals (8)
• Patrick Paige II – bass (8)
• Derek Renfroe – guitar (8)
• Leven Kali – synthesizer (8), background vocals (9, 16)
• Annika Gesteedle-Diamant – background vocals (9)
• Ashlee Wingate – background vocals (9)
• Kye Young – background vocals (9)
• Laylani Gesteedle-Diamant – background vocals (9)
• Ari PenSmith – background vocals (10)
• Tatiana "Tatu" Matthews – background vocals (11)
• Calev – guitar (11)
• Cadenza – programming (11)
• Hit-Boy – programming (12)
• Lil Ju – programming (12)
• Jameil Aossey – drums (13)
• S1a0 – drums (13)
• BAH – programming (13)
• BloodPop – programming (13, 15), synthesizer (13)
• DIXSON – background vocals (15)
• Kenneth Whalum – saxophone (15)
• Lee Blaske – strings (15)
• Keyon Harrold – trumpet (15)
• Colin Leonard – mastering
• Stuart White – mixing, recording
• Andrea Roberts – engineering (all tracks), recording (11)
• John Cranfield – engineering
• Brandon Harding – recording (1, 2, 4–7)
• Chi Coney – recording (3–5, 11, 15, 16)
• Hotae Alexander Jang – recording (4, 15), engineering assistance (15)
• Russell Graham – recording (4)
• Steve Rusch – recording (4)
• Chris Mclaughlin – recording (6)
• Delroy "Phatta" Pottinger – recording (10)
• GuiltyBeatz – recording (10)
• Jabbar Stevens – recording (13)
• Matheus Braz – engineering assistance

Physical releases [ ]

Release history [ ]

• 1 Filmography
• 3 Beyoncé (album)

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Beyoncé Announces Renaissance World Tour Concert Film: Watch the Trailer!

'Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé' will hit theaters on Dec. 1

Beyoncé is bringing the Renaissance World Tour to the big screen!

Shortly after the last stop of the tour concluded in Kansas City, Missouri, on Sunday night, the singer, 42, debuted the trailer for the upcoming film, which will hit theaters on Dec. 1

Titled Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé , the project "accentuates the journey of Renaissance World Tour, from its inception, to the opening in Stockholm, Sweden, to the finale in Kansas City, Missouri," according to an official synopsis.

"It is about Beyoncé’s intention, hard work, involvement in every aspect of the production, her creative mind and purpose to create her legacy, and master her craft," the synopsis continues. "Received with extraordinary acclaim, Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour created a sanctuary for freedom, and shared joy, for more than 2.7 million fans.”

Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE's free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.

Kevin Mazur/WireImage for Parkwood

In the film's trailer, which was released online after it debuted following Beyoncé's final tour stop, the "Halo" singer can be seen behind the scenes of the show and performing onstage.

"When I am performing, I am nothing but free," Beyoncé says in the clip, as scenes of herself with her three kids — Blue Ivy Carter , 11, and twins Sir and Rumi Carter , 6 — flash onscreen.

"The goal for this tour was to create a place where everyone is free and no one is judged," she adds, as other clips from the tour play.

"I feel liberated. I have transitioned into a new animal," Beyoncé concludes the two-minute-long video.

Kevin Mazur/WireImage 

Beyoncé kicked off her Renaissance World Tour at the Friends Arena in Stockholm, Sweden, earlier this year, marking her first solo concert outing in seven years.

The event's set list features various songs from her seventh studio album  Renaissance , such as "Alien Superstar," "Cuff It," "Pure/Honey" and "Plastic Off the Sofa." It also features numerous hits that showcase Beyoncé's  decades-long career , including "Crazy in Love," "Partition" and "Love on Top."

Blue Ivy even makes a special appearance during the show, when she joins her famous parent onstage for performances of her songs "My Power" and "Black Parade."

Tickets for Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé are available to purchase now.

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Honey Gonzales Vogued Into Beyoncé's World. Now, She's Got Her Own Act II

By Sofía Sanchez

Photography by Sofía Alvarez

Destiny’s Child’s “Bootylicious” was the no. 1 song in the country on the day that Honey Gonzales, also known as Honey Balenciaga, was born to a Nuyorican mother and Honduran immigrant father in New York City. It was August 15, 2001, to be exact. (Yes, she’s a Leo, and on the set of her Teen Vogue shoot, yes, she is a Leo — effortlessly working the room, dancing around set, and commanding attention with a lighthearted touch.)

Twenty-two years later, Honey would vogue alongside Beyoncé on the Renaissance World Tour, helping Queen Bey highlight the queer roots of her genre-bending album, Renaissance . On and off stage, Honey was enkindling her own movement, inspired to pay flowers to her own roots and unexplored dimensions. As she grows as a person and performer, she’s expanding her own concept of who she can be and what she can do. She might even be falling out of love with voguing.

“I think the reason for that is,” she says, “I'm falling in love with so many different fields of creativity and artistry where it's like, vogue is not the only place where I could put my creativity.” Honey Balenciaga is ready for her own Act II.

Growing up, Honey studied jazz, contemporary, tap, and ballet. During the summers, she began learning how to vogue through a free program at The Door in Manhattan. Honey was raised in Brooklyn (“Don’t play with me,” she says as she gives me the rundown on her bodega order) and went to high school in Jamaica, Queens. In school, she focused her attention on acting; out of the classroom, Honey dug for underground dance scenes, like Jessica Alba’s character in the Honey film series, movies she binge-watched in her teens.

“I've always wanted to be in that position,” Honey says, laughing. “I was always that girl that found underground dancers and was looking for love and then did dance competitions.” (And no, she was never looking for love with Les Twins, addressing the internet rumors that she was supposedly romantically involved with Beyoncé’s beloved dancing duo while on tour.)

When Honey laughs, she cackles, often so freely that she ends up falling over in faux-drama. She cackles at silly things, reminding you that you’re in the same universe, on the same ground. You’re in on the joke, trying to hold in the laughter together at the back of the class.

Honey first found stardom in the New York ballroom scene for her martial arts-like stunts and spins. In the summertime, she and the voguing girls would often go to Pier 46, to have sessions and balls. One hot day, when she was at the pier with her trans-mother — as Honey refers to her motherly figure in the dance community — Honey began to vogue down.

“I did something crazy, I did a stunt, I did a flip… I was voguing,” Honey recalls. “And she was like, ‘B*tch, that was sweet. B*tch, that was sweet like honey. You're Miss Honey.”

In the drag and ballroom communities, performers come up with original characters and name their energies or personas. “You have the opportunity to be whoever you want to be,” says Honey. “And so this is how you introduce yourself.” Before finding her name, she considered going by Aurora, like the princess, or Ingrid, unique like “that’s what you are.” They never stuck. “I had two ballroom names because I didn’t know who I wanted to be.”

Honey has always known she could never be anyone but herself. She projects a softness, juxtaposed by a steely personality and a flirty, knowing smile; she reads as a modern-day Daisy Buchanan, graceful with her pixie cut, petite frame, and pink, femme spirit. Her name, too, sounds soft. While some may consider 22-year-old Honey a baby in the industry, the non-binary voguing diva, who uses she/her pronouns, is also recognized as an experienced mother by many. Though, if you ask Honey, she identifies as “c**t.”

Joining the House of LaBeija in 2017 and later co-joining the Houses of Juicy Couture and Balenciaga, Honey has been carrying the pseudo-surname Balenciaga for years. But, now, she says she fears that the name is pigeonholing her into one dimension of her persona. She’d like to respectfully let the public know that while she is a proud member of the House of Balenciaga, her birth surname is not Balenciaga, but rather, Gonzales. (Although, she notes, if Balenciaga would like to collaborate with her, she is available and awaiting her invitation.) She’s in the process of not only changing her Instagram handle, but also her legal name. While she chooses not to share her birth name, she’ll, soon, legally go by Honey Valentín Gonzales.

Before the Renaissance World Tour, Honey appeared on multiple seasons of Legendary , the Max series where voguing teams challenge each other to dance competitions for a chance to win a cash prize. But her career leveled up once she became a dance soloist for Beyoncé.

Honey remembers she was in the middle of her first New York Fashion Week when she first heard from Beyoncé’s team about the tour. Cosmically, or comically, the same day she had been invited to sit in her first “front row,” Honey would receive an even more exclusive invitation: a DM from Beyoncé’s team, saying they needed her in Los Angeles “ASAP” to audition the next day.

When she got the DM, she and her best friend were in Honey’s childhood bedroom, once decorated with Winnie the Pooh jars of honey; it’s the same room where she now sits in a black hoodie with glass skin and a beat face. Honey tells me that they read the message together and screamed out loud. “Okay, I have to literally leave in the next hour,” Honey told her friend, “And I left.”

That night, she flew to LA, returning to the same city the New York native moved to on her own when she was just 17. At the time, she was a teenager battling rejection, gender dysphoria, and body dysphoria She was also dealing with a father who didn’t accept her sexuality. Four years later, in late February 2023, Honey was back to audition for a tour dedicated to celebrating the queer community — she was also headed there with a mended relationship with her father. Honey believes in the power of prayer, “how destiny aligns right on time.”

The timing was important. Honey left the audition thinking she hadn’t booked it. To pile on, a day later Tennessee Gov. Bill Lee signed a ban on drag shows in public spaces, as well as a ban on gender-affirming healthcare for youth in the state. “Me and friends spoke on the phone on how tragic it is that a law like that can pass after years of fighting,” Honey says, “and how important this moment would be for any queer dancer auditioning for the spot.”

Days later, Honey was rehearsing for the tour, having learned both the male and female in order to maximize her chances of getting the spot. Honey debuted on Beyoncé’s catwalk at the first show of the world tour in Stockholm. In the next 24 hours, hundreds of reaction videos to her performance would garner thousands of likes and views on TikTok , X, and YouTube.

At 22, Honey has completed a world tour with one of the most successful entertainers in history, made a name for herself in the New York ballroom scene, as well as the national community, modeled in major fashion campaigns, and signed deals to two major talent agencies. Now, Honey’s a fashion girl, but if you ask her to try her hardest to remember what New York fashion show she was invited to sit in the front row for the same day she was asked to audition for Beyoncé, she can’t recall.

What she and millions of others do have etched in their minds is Miss Honey crawling down the Renaissance Tour’s stage steps before beginning to death drop and duck-walk up and down the catwalk to the song “Pure/Honey.”

Honey says she still dreams vividly about the moment. “I see the crowd,” Honey says, “I see the stadium. I see everybody. Sometimes it’ll be me voguing, coming down the steps, and I can see myself. Sometimes it’s me, actually, in my body…One time, I dreamt about me actually doing the cat crawl again. I guess I just thought about it so much that I just kept reliving that moment in my dreams.”

And she’s already served as a bit of inspiration for Beyoncé’s children. Fans know from viral TikToks that the Renaissance dance crew was an important support system for Beyoncé’s oldest daughter, Blue Ivy Carter , to confidently perform onstage for the first time. “I love Blue. I think Blue, for all of us, she was like a little sister for sure,” says Honey. “Blue would have her friends around and they loved me.”

In Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé , there is a scene where Beyoncé’s daughter, Rumi Carter, is captured duck-walking and voguing in front of Honey. “I'm like, oh my God, what is happening right now? Beyoncé's walking towards me. Her daughter and her friend are voguing in front of me. This is insane.” Honey says Beyoncé apologized and told her how the kids were big fans of her. In the moment, all Honey could produce as a response was gratitude, thanking Beyoncé and telling her that the love meant everything. “Rumi literally vogues everywhere. Duck-walk is her favorite,” says Honey. “I was like, what? Not they watching my videos.”

Dancers are not often appreciated as star performers a la carte, Honey says. After all, they are usually referred to as “backup” dancers, dismissed as beautifully-trained props that help reinforce the power of the main act by mimicking or accenting their steps.

The Renaissance World Tour was different. “I felt recognized like a star. I felt so appreciated. Being one of her dancers is very, very hard,” she says. “You have to push through it.”

For Honey, standing on the Renaissance stage was not just a personal accomplishment, but a powerful statement of visibility and representation. “I am a living testament to the resilience, pride, and defiance of queer people,” says Honey. “We fought for too long to take steps back.”

In August 2023, O’Shae Sibley , a known member of New York City’s ballroom community, was killed during a stop at a Brooklyn gas station with friends. Playing Renaissance from inside the car, Sibley got out to vogue along to the music; Sibley was then accosted by a group of young men yelling homophobic slurs, and one of the men fatally stabbed him.

Although Honey did not know Sibley personally, she was familiar with him — he had attended some of the events she had hosted in the city. Since Honey was one of the few dancers on tour that hailed from New York’s ballroom community, word of Sibley’s murder reached her through local Facebook ballroom group chats before it became mainstream news. Honey says she was the one that notified Beyoncé’s team about the alleged hate crime. Later, Beyoncé’s website would honor Sibley with a post that said, “Rest in Power, O’Shae Sibley.”

Although Honey was healing from an ACL tear that happened while touring, she still decided to attend one of the many protests that followed Sibley’s death in New York to vogue in honor of his life — she says that she was not going to miss the opportunity to tribute Sibley.

It’s a mindset she’s taking into her next era — always following her heart, determined to be herself, to never be swayed by people who might wish her or her community harm.

Creatively, Beyoncé has inspired Honey to tap into her own artistry, an intentional shift that inspired Honey to dye her pixie cut from blond to jet black. Beyoncé gave multiple dancers, including Honey, time on stage to be appreciated as individuals. During the Renaissance World Tour, Honey says her solos matured each night, growing darker, more sultry, and more feline-like with every performance. “I’ve always wanted to get into my sexy, dark, grown, fashion era,” says Honey. “This is my restart, my new era.”

Honey is modeling, rolling out her own video series called Hidden Gems , as well as recording original ballroom/house music albums. Most importantly for her, she’s working on garnering acting opportunities, the art she originally studied and wanted to focus on in high school.

“Vogue is just the fire inside of me that is fueling all of that creativity,” says Honey. “I want to be able to do it all and be able to say that a voguing b*tch did it. Yeah, a voguing b*tch did make it on the cover. A voguing b*tch did get to teach a class. A voguing b*tch did perform with Beyoncé. I did that. She did that.”

And although Honey tells me she knows nothing about a possible tour for Cowboy Carter, she feels she’s “saving her body for something.” She adds, “If she calls your girl, I’m coming.”

Photo Credits

Photographer Sofía Alvarez

Light tech / Digi Tech James Joseph O’Brien

Stylist Scott Shapiro

Stylist Assistant Emma Lerch

Makeup Artist Laramie

Hair Stylist Olivia Mairead

Design Director Emily Zirimis

Designer / Production Liz Coulbourn

Associate Visuals Editor / Production Bea Oyster

Sr. Fashion Editor Tchesmeni Leonard

Associate Fashion Editor Kat Thomas

Assistant Fashion Editor Tascha Berkowitz

Editorial Credits

Editor-in-Chief Versha Sharma

Associate Director, Culture P. Claire Dodson

Culture Editor Kaitlyn McNab

Contributing Editor Alyssa Hardy

Associate Director of Audience Development and Analytics Mandy Velez Tatti

Sr. Social Media Manager Honestine Fraser

Social Media Manager Jillian Selzer

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Beyoncé and Jay-Z: Malibu renaissance couple

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Jay-Z was born in Brooklyn, N.Y., and Beyoncé in Houston. But Exhibit A of their global entertainment dominance sits squarely in Southern California on the Malibu coast, a gleaming 40,000-square-foot concrete-and-glass mansion that the couple bought last year for $200 million, a record sum for a single-family home in California. Their combined net worth, according to Forbes, is estimated at more than $3 billion.

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The power that hip-hop’s premier couple wields goes well beyond the symbolic. They have teamed up on some of the most storied collaborations of the last decade, traversing stadiums across North America, along with two shows in Paris, for the sometimes bumpy On the Run tour in 2014. Four years later, they ran it back with the more harmonious On the Run II, which grossed more than $250 million. In between, in 2016, they rented out the Louvre and outshone the “Mona Lisa” in the six-minute music video for “Apeshit,” in which Beyoncé shunned her signature vocal runs to instead rap bar-for-bar alongside her husband. (The family collaborations have extended to the couple’s children, with eldest child Blue Ivy Carter joining her mother on the 2023 Renaissance world tour.)

They have teamed up on some of the most storied collaborations of the last decade.

The last few years, though, have belonged to Beyoncé, who outpaced Jay-Z — and most of the recording industry — while touring behind the 2022 blockbuster “Renaissance” album and then releasing “Cowboy Carter,” another record-breaking album that saw the artist plant her flag firmly in country music terrain. The Renaissance tour, which was her highest-grossing (and the eighth highest of all time) included four late-summer stops at SoFi Stadium and a concert movie, which former Times reporter Marissa Evans called “a grandiose dare to anyone who tried to ask us to be less of ourselves.” Meanwhile, the “Renaissance” album continued to shake dance floors across the globe, while also earning Beyoncé, 42, a 32nd Grammy , making her the most decorated artist in the history of the awards show.

Even in an “off year,” Jay-Z, 54, still went where few others have gone. Last summer, the Brooklyn Public Library honored him with “The Book of HOV,” a multimedia exhibit showcasing unseen photos, archived artifacts and some of his original masters. Visitors didn’t even have to step inside the library to marvel at his greatness; some of his most timeless lyrics were stamped along the building’s towering exterior. It’s another reason why galaxy-brained entrepreneurs would line up to pay $500,000 for the chance to pick his mind over dinner — even if the man himself says it’d be a fool’s decision.

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Kenan Draughorne is a former reporter at the Los Angeles Times and was a member of the 2021-22 Los Angeles Times Fellowship class.

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‘Urgency and Realness': Inside the Human Rights Campaign's Beyoncé-Inspired ‘Renaissance' Syllabus

It may be Cowboy Carter week, but the silvery disco ball strobe lights of Renaissance - the first act of Beyoncé 's presently unfolding trilogy - continue to illuminate the world. On Monday (March 26), the Human Rights Campaign debuted Renaissance: A Queer Syllabus , a sprawling collection of academic articles, essays, films and other pieces of media rooted in Black queer and feminist studies and directly inspired by each track on Queen Bey's Billboard 200-topping dance album.

Curated by Justin Calhoun, Leslie Hall and Chauna Lawson of the HRC's HBCU program, the syllabus will serve as an educational resource designed to honor, analyze and celebrate the joy, resilience, innovation and legacy of the Black queer community. The syllabus will be shared with nearly 30 historically Black colleges and universities, including Howard University, North Carolina A&T University, Prairie View A&M University and Shaw University.

Released in the summer of 2022, Renaissance was and continues to be a bonafide cultural phenomenon. A lovingly researched ode to the Black queer roots of dance music filtered through her intensely personal relationship with her late Uncle Johnny, the album captivated fans around the world and shined a much-needed light on the unsung movers and shakers of Black queer art and culture. The album won four Grammys - including a historic win for best dance/electronic album - housed a pair of Billboard Hot 100 top 10 hits in "Break My Soul" (No. 1) and "Cuff It" (No. 6) and spawned a record-breaking stadium tour and accompanying box office-topping documentary concert film.

From the economic impact of Beyoncé's silver fashion aesthetic to career boosts given to Black queer icons such as Kevin Aviance, Ts Madison and Honey Dijon, Renaissance proved itself to be much more than a standard LP. The HRC understood that there was a chance to make a real impact across education and activism through the lens of the record.

"There are ways that we can embed the impact of her lyrics into real life. It was serendipitous for this to happen," said Hall, director of the HRC's HBCU Program. "All the anti-DEI [diversity, equity and inclusion] laws were being introduced in the same states that she was doing concerts in. So, what would it look like for us to put our best thinking together to put articles, books, and movies to all of the songs on her album?"

On May 15, 2023 - just three shows into the Renaissance World Tour - Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis signed a bill banning DEI initiatives in public colleges. A month later (June 14, 2023), the governor of Beyoncé's home state of Texas, Greg Abbott, signed a bill prohibiting DEI offices and the hiring of DEI staff at public higher education institutions.

The juxtaposition of rising anti-queer sentiments and Beyoncé's Renaissance era anchors the syllabus' arrangement. The syllabus begins with a brief statement summarizing and reiterating the HRC's June 2023 LGBTQ+ State of Emergency statement, which they declared "for the first time following an unprecedented and dangerous spike in anti-LGBTQ+ legislative assaults sweeping state houses." The final pages of the syllabus contain both a reprint of Beyoncé's statement in memory of O'Shea Sibley - a young Black queer man who was murdered in Brooklyn back in July 2023 for simply voguing to Renaissance --and an additional statement from the HRC denouncing hate crimes.

"I think when you preface something [with] a state of emergency, you get the lay of the land and how important [the] syllabus is," said Calhoun, an HBCU program manager at HRC. "It brings a sense of urgency and realness to what's actually happening to queer youth, especially black Queer Youth."

Calhoun - alongside Hall and Lawson - began work on the syllabus in October 2023, dividing the album's 16-song tracklist into different themes and building hubs of additional secondary resources that expound on said themes. Despite Calhoun's initial concerns that breaking up the tracklist would "lose the flow" of the album - Renaissance is intentionally mixed and sequenced to emulate a seamless DJ set - he ultimately agreed that the approach helped the syllabus feel more like a lesson plan.

Six themes anchor the syllabus, ranging from "intersectionality and inclusivity" to "social justice and activism." Fan favorite tracks like "Alien Superstar" and "Thique" rope in the origins of the body positivity moment and iconic speeches from Barbara Ann Teer (including the one sampled on "Superstar") under the umbrella of "empowerment and self-acceptance." "Energy," the song behind the infamous "mute challenge," gets new readings by interloping essays from bell hooks and Patricia Hill Collins. Even less-famed tracks like "Move" (with Grace Jones & Tems) - which is paired with fascinating readings on the effects of colonialism on pre-colonial Africa and African perspectives on trans identity - get in on the scholarly fun.

Naturally, "Heated," a song that had an intense, immediate impact on Renaissance listeners with deep ties to the ballroom scene, served as the crux of the syllabus, according to Calhoun. "It was the model child for how a section of the syllabus should look," he explains. "There was so much to unpack in ‘Heated.' You have Beyoncé's Uncle Johnny, a Black gay man [living] during the AIDS epidemic - that lead to us [compiling different resources] about how we lost a generation of black gay men who were visionaries and people who paved the culture."

The syllabus is a thorough resource, one that continues the HRC's connection with Beyoncé's Renaissance era. On Aug. 27, 2023, the HRC, with support from Beyoncé's BeyGOOD Foundation, mounted the Equality Ball in Las Vegas, NV – an event that doubled as actual ball complete with a "Bring It Like Beyoncé" category and an educational resource pushing voter registration and sexual health awareness.

Although Parkwood Entertainment, Beyoncé's production company, did not authorize or give "direct sign off" on the syllabus ( Billboard reached out to representatives at Parkwood for comment), creating the resource was "a seamless process," according to Calhoun. "We knew amongst the team which authors and which folks to go to for certain things, I don't think any of us did many Google searches," said Hall. "We knew where to go to connect the right [resources] to one of her songs [and] build a course out of it. It is really a testament to well-read, well-learned people. I feel obligated to say that because we don't talk about ourselves like that. We're smart. It would take folks with Howard degrees to put something like this together."

From Pauli Murray and C. Riley Snorton to Audre Lorde and Sonya Renee Taylor, HRC's new syllabus continues Renaissance' s mission of highlighting, amplifying and re-centering Black and queer voices. Of course, this syllabus is far from the first piece of Beyoncé-inspired coursework in higher education. Following the release of the Grammy winner's culture-shifting album Lemonade in 2016, a slew of Beyoncé-themed classes debuted across higher education institutions - including the University of Copenhagen, Rutgers University, Arizona State University and the University of Texas at San Antonio.

For Hall, the rise of courses tackling social constructs through the lens of pop culture is only a good thing. "We're in a powder keg right now, and it's gonna pop around election time," he says. "We have to get information to folks in younger generations. We need them to be connected to what's really happening and a way to do that is through music and culture."

Nonetheless, Hall and his colleagues aren't oblivious to the fact that Renaissance exists in an intrinsically capitalistic context. "[It's] something I grapple with so much," notes Calhoun. "I had a teacher who once said that capitalism is the current structure and we have to live under it. This is how life operates. What is Beyoncé going to do to stop a capitalist structure? I just don't feel like we're at a point in the movement where we know what we want [people like her] to do."

While there may be no current plans for a Cowboy Carter syllabus - "being from the Mississippi Delta, that would be dope, but it depends on Beyoncé," quipped Calhoun - the HRC's Renaissance syllabus is the ultimate proof that the Renaissance is, in fact, not over.

"We've made a course that adds to scholarship about Black queer futures and specifically ballroom and uplifting history that's not as popular in academia," says Calhoun. "It really adds to the academic cannon of Black queer scholarship in a way we haven't seen before."

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