Beyoncé Earns Seventh No. 1 Album With ‘Renaissance’
LONDON, ENGLAND - JULY 14: Beyonce Knowles-Carter attends the European Premiere of Disney's "The Lion King" at Odeon Luxe Leicester Square on July 14, 2019 in London, England.
Beyoncé has, once again made, history with Renaissance. The megastar’s seventh album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and also makes this year’s biggest week by a woman with 332,000 equivalent album units earned in the U.S. in the week ending Aug. 4, per Billboard.
Renaissance is Beyonce’s seventh No. 1 album, making her the first woman to have her first seven solo albums debut at No. 1 on the Billboard 200. The last woman at No. 1 was Adele with 30 which stayed on the charts in the top spot for six weeks (charts dated Dec. 4, 2021-Jan. 8, 2022) according to the outlet.
The icon’s lead single “Break My Soul” off of Renaissance also landed her in good company with Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney becoming the first woman ever to rack up at least 20 top 10 hits as a solo act and 10 or more top 10s as a group member on the Billboard Hot 100. Just last week, Beyoncé released a surprise EP containing four remixes of “Break My Soul” with Black Eyed Peas’ will.i.am, Chicago house icon Terry Hunter, global electronic DJ/ producer Honey Dijon, and New York-bred DJ and producer Nita Aviance. Over the weekend, she released a fifth remix featuring Madonna.
Renaissance is billed as act one of three acts that she recorded over the pandemic. On the 28-time Grammy winner’s website ahead of the release, she wrote: “My intention was to create a safe place, a place without judgment. A place to be free of perfectionism and overthinking.”
Beyoncé Releases Seventh Studio Album, 'Renaissance': Fans React
The Renaissance has begun. Beyoncé’s seventh studio album, Renaissance, arrived today (July 29) and it is unsurprisingly the top trending topic on Twitter.
The 28-time Grammy winner made Renaissance her first dance project. The 16-track LP which is the first installment of a three act project and led by her record-breaking single “Break My Soul,” has contributions from Jay-Z, Drake, Tems, The-Dream, 070 Shake, Skrillex, and more. Only two of the 16 songs on the project have guest vocalists: reggae artist Beam appears on “Energy,” while Grace Jones and Tems lend their voices to “Move.”
“Creating this album allowed me a place to dream and to find escape during a scary time for the world,” Beyoncé wrote. “It allowed me to feel free and adventurous in a time when little else was moving,” she expressed. “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.”
The official release of Renaissance comes two days after the album was leaked prematurely. Beyoncé addressed the release in a new statement: “So, the album leaked, and you all actually waited until the proper release time so you call can enjoy it together. I’ve never seen anything like it. I can’t think y’all enough for your love and protection. I appreciate you calling out anyone that was trying to sneak it in the club early. Thank you for your unwavering support. Thank you for being patient. We are going to take our time and enjoy the music. I will continue to give my all and do my best to bring you joy. I love you deep.”
Take a look at how fans on Twitter are reacting to Beyoncé’s Renaissance:
Autumn Hawkins is the National Hip-Hop and R&B writer for Beasley Media, currently residing in New Jersey. Prior to working at Beasley Media, she was in broadcast news as an entertainment producer. When she's not impatiently waiting for Beyoncé to drop new music, she is reading, shopping, or planning a vacation.
