At last, a post-pandemic party album we could all get behind, as the artist rode her glittery horse through house, disco and ballroom culture to reimagine Studio 54 in her image
Over the last 20 years, very few artists can claim to have operated at the same level as Beyoncé Knowles-Carter. A global icon since her teenage days in Destiny’s Child, her name has become synonymous with empowerment, glamour and a tireless work ethic bordering on the seemingly superhuman – a reputation she deepened over the past decade by releasing two radically personal, political and deeply referenced albums in Beyoncé and Lemonade.
In a pandemic, though, even the most accomplished of artists are allowed to go back to basics, to dig for the things that simply make them feel good. “Creating this album allowed me a place to dream and to find escape during a scary time for the world,” Beyoncé wrote in a rare letter to her fans when she announced her seventh album, Renaissance. “It allowed me to feel free and adventurous … A place to be free of perfectionism and overthinking.” As Beyoncé rides her glittery horse through the middle of her very own Studio 54, it’s clear that two decades into a multifaceted solo career, now in her 40s, she is still intent on finding new parties to make her own.
