BeyonceBeyoncé is back with the sequel to her smash-hit 2022 album Renaissance, dropping the announcement for it – as well as the first two singles – during Super Bowl LVIII.
As is tradition for the Big Game, this year’s Halftime Show was stacked with blockbuster commercials studded with superstar cameos (and the multi-million dollar budgets to match). Bey starred in an ad for US telecom Verizon, in which she works hard to break their 5G network – dropping a surprise jazz album, streaming on Twitch, launching her own AI robot and announcing she’s running for President – all to no avail.
At the very end of the minute-and-a-half-long ad, Bey quips, “Okay, they’re ready – drop the new music.” And within minutes, her official accounts delivered the very real drop of two new songs: Texas Hold ‘Em and 16 Carriages.
Have a listen to both songs below:
Then came the announcement of Act II, the full-length follow-up to Renaissance – and its official sequel, given the latter album was dubbed Act I when it arrived in July of 2022 – which is slated for release on March 29. At the time of writing, we don’t know much else about the album – Bey is yet to share its cover art or tracklisting, and pre-orders haven’t yet gone live on her site.
She did share a cinematic teaser, though, which you can also see below:
Fans have exploded social media with hype for Act II, especially considering how soon it’s being released. Renaissance famously ended a lengthy hiatus for Bey, with its predecessor, Lemonade, landing six whole years prior in 2016.
Bey released My House as a standalone single last December, tying in with her theatrical documentary Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé. It’s unknown if the track will also appear on Act II.
Last month, we started hearing rumours of Bey’s return to Australia, with a stadium tour supposedly on the cards for 2024. If true, it’ll mark her first time Down Under since 2013, when she toured in support of that year’s self-titled sixth album.
Meanwhile, January also saw Bey return to her old girl group, Destiny’s Child, reuniting for a private set to celebrate the 50th birthday of Kelly Rowland’s husband. A full-scale reunion hasn’t been confirmed, but it hasn’t been ruled out, either – last May, for example, Bey’s dad went on the record to say he’s keen to hear “one last album” from the trio.
