Beyoncé has shared the cover artwork for her new album “Renaissance,” due July 29. The image sees her posing regally atop the silhouette of a luminous horse. In a note accompanying the artwork, Beyoncé wrote:
“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. 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. I hope you find joy in this music. I hope it inspires you to release the wiggle. Ha! And to feel as unique, strong, and sexy as you are.”
With the “Renaissance” title in mind, fans have speculated that the image is meant to pay homage to John Collier’s 19th-century painting “Lady Godiva.” Some have also pointed out its resemblance to a photograph of Bianca Jagger on horseback at Studio 54.
A little over a week ago, Beyoncé surprise-dropped “Break My Soul,” the first single from her forthcoming seventh solo studio album. The track channels ’90s house music beats over a sample of Robin S’s 1993 hit “Show Me Love,” and features vocals from Big Freedia. “Renaissance” is said to feature both dance and country-leaning tracks, although it remains unclear whether the country songs will appear as a separate album, or as part of the first edition of “Renaissance.”
Beyoncé has released four albums since 2016’s “Lemonade,” although none of them are full studio solo albums. In 2018, she dropped “Everything Is Love,” with her husband Jay-Z under the name the Carters; in April of 2019, she put out “Homecoming,” an album of her explosive 2018 headlining performance at Coachella; and that summer she followed with “The Lion King: The Gift,” a companion album to the Disney film that featured several new Beyoncé songs (a deluxe edition of that album featuring three additional tracks was released a year later).