Beyoncé is entering her country era with Renaissance Act II. We all knew that an act two would eventually come after Beyoncé announced that Renaissance would be a trilogy back in 2021.
“This three-act project was recorded over three years during the pandemic,” Beyoncé wrote on her website. “A time to be still, but also a time I found to be the most creative.”
“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,” 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.”
Beyoncé: Renaissance: Act I
Renaissance Act I was released on July 29, 2022, honored house music, the LGBTQI+ community and was a tribute to her late Uncle Johnny. The album won four Grammys at the 2023 award show. She took home Best Dance/Electronic Music Album for Renaissance, Best Traditional R&B Performance for “Plastic Off The Sofa,” Best R&B Song for “Cuff It,” and Best Dance/Electronic Recording for “Break My Soul.” After her fourth win of the night, she now has 32 Grammys, the most of any artist ever. The previous holder of the most Grammy awards was conductor Georg Solti with 31.
On top of the album, she had a record-breaking tour last year that began in May and ended in October. The Renaissance World Tour was the highest-grossing tour for both an R&B artist and a Black female artist with $579 million in revenue made per Forbes. In December, Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé, hit theaters and is the fifth-highest-grossing concert film of all time. The film earned $22 million earned in its opening weekend, according to Deadline.
Beyoncé had a lot going into the first act of the Renaissance trilogy, so we can only imagine what to look forward to as she moves into the second act. Take a look below at what we know so far about her new album Cowboy Carter:
