Renaissance began Beyoncé’s planned trilogy known as the Renaissance project.
Renaissance is Beyoncé’s seventh studio album and was released on July 29, 2022. It was presented as “Act I,” with Cowboy Carter later identified as “Act II.” The project’s trilogy structure connects the albums while allowing each one to explore different musical traditions.
The album draws heavily on dance, disco, house, and electronic music. Its lead single, “Break My Soul,” became Beyoncé’s eighth solo number-one single on the Billboard Hot 100. Other prominent tracks include “Cuff It,” “Alien Superstar,” and “Virgo’s Groove.”
Renaissance was nominated for Album of the Year at the 2023 Grammy Awards and won four awards, including Best Dance/Electronic Music Album. It is sometimes mistakenly treated as the title of the whole trilogy, but Renaissance is specifically Act I and the name of the 2022 album.