Beyoncé ignited a firestorm of Internet speculation in her inimitable way on Wednesday (Jun. 8) after removing her profile photo from all her social media accounts.
The Bey Hive mobilized and began searching for any clues leading to new music from the Texan superstar.
However, all the speculation is over. The Hive can stop buzzing or begin doing so legitimately as their Queen B has announced the imminent arrival of act i RENAISSANCE.
Tidal issued a simple tweet that caused social media to go into overdrive as “act i” immediately became the No. 1 trending topic on Twitter. “Beyoncé RENAISSANCE July 29,” read the tweet.
Beyoncé
— TIDAL (@TIDAL) June 16, 2022
RENAISSANCE
July 29 pic.twitter.com/ZenmtPQM9W
The new album is available for pre-save, and a box set is also available for pre-order here. act i RENAISSANCE, reportedly features 16 tracks. The title suggests at least one other act will come from the project.
Meanwhile, it turns out, Beyoncé has been working on the project for some time. She revealed a telling hint during an August 2001 interview.
Harpers Bazaar asked the multi-hyphenate when fans can expect new music.
“With all the isolation and injustice over the past year, I think we are all ready to escape, travel, love, and laugh again,” Beyoncé replied. “I feel a renaissance emerging, and I want to be part of nurturing that escape in any way possible.”
Beyoncé revealed that the project has been in the works for nearly three years. “I’ve been in the studio for a year and a half,” she said in the interview published on Aug. 10, 2021. “Sometimes it takes a year for me to personally search through thousands of sounds to find just the right kick or snare. One chorus can have up to 200 stacked harmonies. Still, there’s nothing like the amount of love, passion, and healing that I feel in the recording studio. After 31 years, it feels just as exciting as it did when I was nine years old. Yes, the music is coming!”