Nothing can stop talent. At most delay it. But there are no limits or borders that can contain it. There are not many artists in the history of music who have been able to transcend any limits and Beyonce She is one of the last artists to achieve this. Her new musical project in 3 acts has reconfirmed what we already suspected (and knew for years): an R&B goddess can also be a goddess of pop, soul, hip-hop, country and what is to come.
The history of music in the 90s was marked by bands and girl bands. One of them, Destiny’s Child, became one of the most important on the international music scene as they sold more than 60 million records and won three Grammy Awards before the group said goodbye definitively at the beginning of the 21st century ( 2006) after a change of formation.
By then the components of Destiny’s Child They already had a sound identity built that would undoubtedly mark the development of their respective solo careers. And that’s how Queen B started her career as a solo artist. Her first 4 or 5 albums spanned a decade alone where she attempted to exploit everything she had previously learned. R&B and soul went hand in hand with a melodic pop that conquered sales charts all over the planet. Ballads, mid-tempos and even themes dance-pop (as Single Ladies) made her Number 1.
And then the revolution came. Or at least that’s how the vast majority of us music journalists feel. Beyoncé had set out to change the rules: internal and external. Lemonade turned her name into an adjective: do a Beyoncé. Surprise us in the form (without promotion and by surprise) but also in the background mixing its primordial genre with touches of soul, hip-hop, funk, country… His trilogy was being forged.
The Carters
But before she freed herself from any corset and labels and got down to work to redesign her career from scratch, Beyoncé tried her luck with her husband Jay Z on an LP where hip-hop invades everything. Listening to the soloist rap was a brutal experience. The tour doing it on stage was a resounding success.
Apeshit, a bet with a marked urban genre character, showed us a more daring, playful, free soloist, unleashed in the melodies and lyrics. Being surrounded by a gigantic shortlist of producers and composers made the entire process easier for her.
With the arrival of the pandemic, Beyoncé also found the time she needed to shape new musical projects. The basis was the feelings of fear, frustration and uncertainty that we experienced during that time. And as a musical background, the influences of great artists with whom she grew up and who marked her life and her musical tastes.
If something has characterized Beyonce throughout her musical career is that she is a woman who likes to have everything under the strictest control. There is not a project that the artist does not embark on 100% and that she does not take care of all the details. Including futures. That meant completing the three albums as if they were in the same fan, even though they were three independent units.
“This three-act project was recorded during the three years of the pandemic. A time that was to be still, but also one that I found to be the most creative. Creating this album allowed me a place to dream and find an escape during a terrifying time for the world. It allowed me to feel free and adventurous in a time when nothing else moved. 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, let go, feel freedom. It was a beautiful journey of exploration” explained the artist.
Nobody then imagined that what he had conceived was a triple delivery by genre. Renaissance Act I made us dance like we had never imagined doing with Beyoncé before. The mix of electronic music with her voice was wonderful. Break my soul reminded us of the most brilliant era of EDM at the beginning of the 20th century. She had done it again.
The country
That an artist manages to really surprise you after almost 30 years of professional career makes clear what Queen B achieved on February 4 (day 5 on the peninsula). The singer went to the Super Bowl to announce her second episode of this series. A commitment to country that she had already hinted at during the Grammy Awards 2024.
His hat and Texan style welcomed his new commitment to another genre that marked his adolescence. We can perceive its origins in Texas note by note. Texas hold ’em. Some radio stations refused to recognize the American soloist’s audacity in betting on country but they ended up jumping through hoops. Nobody can stop talent. Just delay it a little. Until half of the United States claimed the influence of the black community on the genre throughout the history of music.
And thanks to her mother we knew that as a child, Beyoncé was one of those who never took off her cowboy hat. But in reality we are the ones who take our hats off. The soloist has been able to bet on different genres step by step, enjoying each adventure, claiming her influences and learning from the team that surrounded her. And what remains to come because the episode that closes the trilogy promises to be a rock album…
And that’s only in the musical aspect because at the business level, her planning, promotion, designs, ideas and collections, the diva also mobilizes the masses. She clothes, perfumes, makeup, cosmetics… she adds and goes on. The interpreter has even made the leap to cinema. As if she had plenty of time between the 3 children, music, business… Voices in animated films and movies like Dreamgirls, Cadillac Records, The Pink Panther, Austin Powers… have also turned her into an all-terrain
