Beyoncé’s ‘Renaissance’ album leaked online two days early
You can’t break Beyoncé’s soul, but hackers broke her album release date.
The 40-year-old “Irreplaceable” icon’s full album “Renaissance” — which was set for official release Thursday at midnight — has leaked online, and is even already being sold on CDs in Europe, Variety reported Wednesday.
Reps for Beyoncé and the album’s distributor, Columbia Records, did not immediately respond to Variety’s requests for comment.
Beyoncé released the tracklist of the album’s 16 songs last week and dropped its first single, the dancehall-inspired “Break My Soul” on June 20.
She broke the internet on June 30 when she debuted the album cover, which pictures the mother of three sitting on top of a celestial, holographic horse with strategically placed materials covering her private parts.
“Creating this album allowed me a place to dream and to find escape during a scary time for the world,” she captioned the stunning cover on Instagram.
“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,” she concluded.
Mrs. Carter reportedly ran “#MeToo” background checks on all the project’s collaborators after her producer Detail, who co-wrote “Drunk In Love”, was accused of sexual abuse in 2020. He denied the claims.
“Renaissance” will be Queen B’s first full-length solo studio album since she introduced us to “Becky with the good hair” on “Lemonade” in 2016. Before that, she released “Beyoncé” without warning in 2013.