New Beyoncé Is Coming & Here’s What We Know So Far
Beyoncé is finally coming! The Beyhive has been patiently (and not so patiently) awaiting a new album from their queen and it is almost here. Social media has been in a frenzy all week after the “Upgrade U” singer removed her profile images from her social media pages and then on June 16, Tidal tweeted that the new Bey album was on the way.
Beyoncé
— TIDAL (@TIDAL) June 16, 2022
RENAISSANCE
July 29 pic.twitter.com/ZenmtPQM9W
The album is titled Renaissance and fans can also buy a special collectible box set on the “Bow Down” artist’s website Beyonce.com. There are four box sets in total for $39.99 and so far we know that it will include a Renaissance box, T-shirt, and CD. Renaissance is set to drop July 29 and it will be the mother of three’s seventh album not including The Lion King: The Gift soundtrack.
The frenzy for Bey continued after she dropped images from her British Vogue July 2022 photoshoot.
British Vogue’s editor-in-chief Edward Enninful shared that the superstar wanted to “play in fashion like never before” which they did for the shoot. In one photo, Beyoncé is dressed in gold sequins from head to toe, and in another one, she is giving biker chic goddess. The concept of the photoshoot became “a vision of glittering retro-futurism,” according to Edward.
He also gave a little insight into what the 28-time Grammy award winner’s new music sounded like.
“Instantly, a wall of sound hits me. Soaring vocals and fierce beats combine and in a split second I’m transported back to the clubs of my youth,” explained Edward. “I want to get up and start throwing moves. It’s music I love to my core. Music that makes you rise, that turns your mind to cultures and subcultures, to our people past and present, music that will unite so many on the dance floor, music that touches your soul. As ever with Beyoncé, it is all about the intent. I sit back, after the wave, absorbing it all.”
The oh-so-clever Beyoncé hinted at the name and sound of her album title during her August 2021 Harper’s Bazaar interview when she was asked about new music. “With all the isolation and injustice over the past year, I think we are all ready to escape, travel, love, and laugh again,” she said.
“I feel a renaissance emerging, and I want to be part of nurturing that escape in any way possible. I’ve been in the studio for a year and a half. Sometimes it takes a year for me to personally search through thousands of sounds to find just the right kick or snare. One chorus can have up to 200 stacked harmonies. Still, there’s nothing like the amount of love, passion, and healing that I feel in the recording studio. After 31 years, it feels just as exciting as it did when I was nine years old. Yes, the music is coming!”
Beyoncé Releases the First Single from 'Renaissance,' "Break My Soul"
World stop. Carry on. Beyoncé released the lead single "Break My Soul" from her upcoming seventh album Renaissance on June 20. Stylized as "6. BREAK MY SOUL," news of the single dropping first hit when Queen Bey changed her bio to reflect the single's impending arrival. The song is a house-inspired dance track that features vocals from Big Freedia (their second collab following the 2016 mega-hit "Formation") and a sample of the house music classic "Show Me Love" by Robin S. Lyrically, the song seems to be the upbeat, unapologetically positive anthem that could be a mantra of self-love and personal freedom for years to come. As the singer sings, "Bey is back."
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Featured image by Mason Poole/A.M.P.A.S. via Getty Images
This article was updated 6.21.22
ItGirl 100 Honors Black Women Who Create Culture & Put On For Their Cities
As they say, create the change you want to see in this world, besties. That’s why xoNecole linked up with Hyundai for the inaugural ItGirl 100 List, a celebration of 100 Genzennial women who aren’t afraid to pull up their own seats to the table. Across regions and industries, these women embody the essence of discovering self-value through purpose, honey! They're fierce, they’re ultra-creative, and we know they make their cities proud.
VIEW THE FULL ITGIRL 100 LIST HERE.
Don’t forget to also check out the ItGirl Directory, featuring 50 Black-woman-owned marketing and branding agencies, photographers and videographers, publicists, and more.
THE ITGIRL MEMO
I. An ItGirl puts on for her city and masters her self-worth through purpose.
II. An ItGirl celebrates all the things that make her unique.
III. An ItGirl empowers others to become the best versions of themselves.
IV. An ItGirl leads by example, inspiring others through her actions and integrity.
V. An ItGirl paves the way for authenticity and diversity in all aspects of life.
VI. An ItGirl uses the power of her voice to advocate for positive change in the world.
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You've Never Seen Luke James In A Role Quite Like This
Over the years, we've watched Luke James play countless characters we'd deem sex symbols, movie stars, and even his complicated character in Lena Waithe's The Chi. For the first time in his career, the New Orleans-born actor has taken on a role where his signature good looks take a backseat as he transforms into Edmund in Them: The Scare—a mentally deranged character in the second installment of the horror anthology series that you won't be able to take your eyes off.
Trust us, Edmund will literally make you do a double take.
xoNecole sat down with Luke James to talk about his latest series and all the complexity surrounding it—from the challenges taking on this out-of-the-box role to the show's depiction of the perplexing history of the relationship between Black Americans and police. When describing the opportunity to bring Edmund's character to life, Luke was overjoyed to show the audience yet another level of his masterful acting talents.
"It was like bathing in the sun," he said. "I was like, thank you! Another opportunity for me to be great—for me to expand my territory. I'm just elated to be a part of it and to see myself in a different light, something I didn't think I could do." He continued, "There are parts of you that says, 'Go for it because this is what you do.' But then also that's why it's a challenge because you're like, 'um, I don't know if I'm as free as I need to be to be able to do this.' Little Marvin just created such a safe space for me to be able to do this, and I'm grateful for everything I've been able to do to lead to this."
Courtesy
Them: The Scare, like the first season, shines a light on the plight of Black Americans in the United States. This time, the story is taking place in the 1990s, at the height of the Rodney King riots in Los Angeles. While the series presents many underlying themes, one that stands out is Black people and the complicated relationship with the police. "For the audience, I think it sets the tone for the era that we're in and the amount of chaos that's in the air in Los Angeles and around the country from this heinous incident. And I say it just sets the tone of the anxiety and anxiousness that everybody is feeling in their own households."
James has been a longtime advocate against police brutality himself. He has even featured Elijah McClain, the 23-year-old Colorado man who died after being forcibly detained by officers, as his Instagram avatar for the past five years. So, as you can imagine, this script was close to his heart. "Elijah was a soft-loving oddball. Different than anyone but loving and a musical genius. He was just open and wanted to be loved and seen."
Getty Images
Luke continued, "His life was taken from him. I resonate with his spirit and his words...through all the struggle and the pain he still found it in him to say, 'I love you and I forgive you.' And that's who we are as people—to our own detriment sometimes. He's someone I don't want people to forget. I have yet to remove his face from my world because I have yet to let go of his voice, let go of that being [because] there's so many people we have lost in our history that so often get forgotten."
He concluded, "I think that's the importance of such artwork that moves us to think and talk about it. Yes, it's entertaining. We get to come together and be spooked together. But then we come together and we think, 'Damn, Edmund needed someone to talk to. Edmund needed help... a lot [of] things could have been different. Edmund could have been saved.'
Check out the full interview below.
Luke James Talks Ditching Sex Symbol Status For "Them: The Scare", Elijah McClain, & Morewww.youtube.com
Featured image by Getty Images