Beyoncé surprised her fans with a new album announcement during the Super Bowl on Sunday.
The pop icon revealed that she will release Renaissance Act II, the second part of her three-act project, on March 29.
The album will explore the country genre, a departure from the dance and house music of Renaissance, which came out in 2022.
Beyoncé teased the new album with a Verizon commercial that aired during the game, featuring her in various scenarios that attempted to break the internet.
The ad ended with her saying, “OK, they ready. Drop the new music.” Shortly after, she posted a video on her Instagram, playing a snippet of a song called Texas Hold Em, and confirming the release date of Act II.
The singer also dropped two new singles, Texas Hold Em and 16 Carriages, on streaming platforms. The songs blended her signature R&B, pop style with some country elements. They also pay homage to her roots, as she was born and raised in Houston, Texas.
Beyoncé’s surprise announcement also came with its fair share of controversy with some people saying she was trying to steal the spotlight from Usher who was the headliner for the Super Bowl halftime show.
The Renaissance project is a three-act concept album that she recorded over three years during the pandemic. She described it as “a time to be still, but also a time I found to be the most creative.”
The first act, Renaissance, was a critically acclaimed and commercially successful album that featured dance and house music inspired by the 1980s and 1990s. The album was accompanied by a global tour and a concert film, Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé, which was released in cinemas in December 2023. The Renaissance tour also became the highest grossing tour by a female singer.
