Her first solo studio release since Lemonade (2016) and the first installment of her trilogy project, Beyoncé wrote and produced the album with Nova Wav, The-Dream, Symbolyc One, A. G. Cook, Honey Dijon, Beam, Tricky Stewart, BloodPop, Skrillex, Hit-Boy, No I.D., P2J and various other collaborators.

Beyoncé conceived and recorded Renaissance during the COVID-19 pandemic, seeking to inspire joy and escapism in listeners who had experienced isolation and to celebrate a club era in which marginalized people sought liberation through dance music.

A place to scream, release, feel freedom.In the latter half of the 2010s, Beyoncé released several critically acclaimed, narrative-driven[6] projects that explored the legacies of Black musicians and artists,[7] including 2016's Lemonade; her 2018 Coachella performance and the Netflix film and live album that documented it; and 2019's The Lion King soundtrack album The Gift and its visual companion, 2020's Black Is King.

[8] Beyoncé told British Vogue that the lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic changed her as a person, stating that she has "spent a lot of time focusing on building my legacy and representing my culture the best way I know how.

[19] On June 30, 2022, Beyoncé revealed the album's cover art, shot by fashion photographer Carlijn Jacobs, on her social media accounts.

In the image, she is seated atop a mirrored disco ball horse[20][21] (dubbed "Reneigh" by fans[22][23][24]) in a 3D printed silver bodysuit designed by Nusi Quero.

[26] Critics interpreted the equestrian pose as an allusion both to John Collier's 1897 painting Lady Godiva and to photographs of Bianca Jagger riding a horse into Studio 54.

[58][59][60] After first joining TikTok in December 2021, Beyoncé posted her first video, a compilation of people (including American rapper Cardi B) "dancing, vibing, and singing along" to Renaissance's lead single, "Break My Soul", on July 14, 2022.

Upon the album's release, Beyoncé posted a note on her website revealing that Renaissance is the first part of a trilogy project that she recorded over the past three years, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Beyoncé kept her public appearances to a minimum, foregoing interviews and promotional efforts, and mostly keeping her communication limited to subtle clues, Easter eggs, and messages placed throughout her online media.

Her only other performance following the album's release was a private concert at Atlantis The Royal in Dubai, UAE in January 2023, but, despite anticipation, the set list did not contain any material from Renaissance.

The tour quickly received widespread acclaim, with Rolling Stone dubbing it a "once-in-a-lifetime show from one of pop's greatest live performers".

"[92] Jeff Sneider of Above the Line reported on August 31, 2023, that a visual album for Renaissance, directed by Nadia Lee Cohen, was secretly filmed and is being shopped to various studios and streamers.

We got the visual on tour and from my film.In July 2022, Balmain's creative director Olivier Rousteing was inspired by Renaissance to sketch designs that related to the songs and lyrics.

Rousteing refined the sketches during a vacation in August and proposed to Beyoncé and her stylist Marni Senofonte to create a couture collection in collaboration.

[98] Renaissance received critical acclaim,[108][109][110] many of whom praised its cohesive yet eclectic production, joyous nature, vocal performance, and celebration of post-1970s Black dance music.

[50] According to Kyle Denis of Billboard, Renaissance is an "absolutely stunning body of work", and perhaps Beyoncé's most innovative and experimental album with her "most nuanced vocal performances" to date.

[113] Describing the album as "intergenerational musical exchange that landed like a cultural comet", Okayplayer's Robyn Mowatt praised Beyoncé's ability to bring together dance legends (such as Grace Jones and Nile Rodgers) with contemporary underground musicians.

[115] Music journalist Kate Solomon, writing for i, dubbed the album a "dazzling tribute to underground and underappreciated Black culture" and a dancefloor record aimed to heal "the pain and anguish" of the COVID-19 pandemic.

[117] Mikael Wood of the Los Angeles Times called the album "the year's smartest record [and] also its most deep-feeling", praising its rhythms, harmonies and vocals.

[118] Pitchfork critic Julianne Escobedo Shepherd called it "a challenging, densely-referenced album" that forays into dance and club music more successfully than similar projects by Beyoncé's peers.

[119] John Amen, writing for PopMatters, complimented the album's contemporaneous production, dubbing it "a litany of samples, allusions, and tributes" but with "more style than substance" at times.

Beyoncé sought permission from Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo of the Neptunes – the sole writers, producers, and rights owners of "Milkshake" – who subsequently cleared the interpolation.

[129] British tabloid The Sun claimed that English pop duo Right Said Fred said that Beyoncé did not seek permission to interpolate their 1991 single "I'm Too Sexy" on "Alien Superstar".

In response, Beyoncé's representative said that the accusation is false, with permission being sought on May 11, 2022, and granted on June 15, noting that the duo had previously spoken of their gratitude for being on the album on social media.

[130] Other featured producers on the song include Sonny John Moore, A.G. Cook, Nile Rodgers, Honey Dijon, and Green Velvet.

[citation needed] Additionally, the song "Heated" was met with criticism online for its use of the word "spaz" in its lyrics, which, as Australian disability advocate Hannah Diviney pointed out, is an ableist slur,[131][132] and other fans agreed.

[175] Additionally, Renaissance became Beyoncé's first album since I Am... Sasha Fierce (2008) to achieve multiple top ten singles in the United States, with "Break My Soul" and "Cuff It" peaking at number 1 and 6 respectively.

"[195] Beyoncé's mention of Telfar and Birkin bags in the closing track "Summer Renaissance" caused searches for both items to increase on Google Trends and multiple re-sale websites.

[196] Considered by many music critics and journalists to be the favorite for Album of the Year at the 65th Annual Grammy Awards, Renaissance's loss to Harry Styles's Harry's House was widely considered a "snub" or upset, with some critics ascribing Beyoncé's repeated losses in this category to the Recording Academy's overlooking or misunderstanding of Black female musicians and African American musical styles.