Beyoncé - ALIEN SUPERSTAR (Official Lyric Video)
Renaissance is a reminder. After the world-stopping, zeitgeist-defining success of 2016’s Lemonade, you’d be forgiven for thinking that Beyoncé was inching toward something like retirement. Of course, she kept busy, but with legacy work: 2018’s collaborative album with husband Jay-Z, a historic romp through her decades-long songbook at Coachella, a voice-acting role in The Lion King. Only to Beyoncé is this considered “taking it easy,” but had she wanted to put her feet up and spend time with her children, no one would judge her. Renaissance reminded everyone that no one does a pop album like Beyoncé, and that she has plenty more in her.
But Renaissance also reminds us of decades of musical history, spinning them together to create something wholly original and new. Teena Marie’s “Oh La La La” is bent into an accent on the world-class shit-talker “Energy.” The late drag performer Moi Renee vamps as Beyoncé exalts her love in the club on “Pure/Honey” before sliding into the Donna Summer-sampling “Summer Renaissance,” the climatic maelstrom of musical confetti for our night out.
Perhaps most importantly, though, Renaissance reminded us that we’re allowed to feel this good. 2022 may be remembered as the year we began to tiptoe back out into the world and remembered how damn good it feels to be around each other. Renaissance commands you to send that “wyd” text, move your body, and laugh. The world may be just as harsh as ever, but we have nothing without joy. In 2022, no one came to the table with as much joy as Beyoncé. [Drew Gillis]