beyonce tour how much

Exclusive: We have 30% off Alicia Keys' skin care line – and it's selling out fast

• TODAY Plaza
• Share this —

• Watch Full Episodes
• Read With Jenna
• Inspirational
• Relationships
• TODAY Table
• Newsletters
• Start TODAY
• Shop TODAY Awards
• Citi Concert Series
• Listen All Day

Follow today

More Brands

• On The Show

Tina Knowles praises Beyoncé and Taylor Swift for boosting the economy. See how much their tours have made

Tina Knowles is celebrating two of 2023’s hottest tickets — Beyoncé’s “Renaissance Tour” and Taylor Swift’s “Eras Tour.”

On Instagram , Knowles shared a screenshot of a Facebook post from New York Times , which linked out to an article that detailed the economic and cultural impact of her daughter Beyoncé’s tour.

In the caption of her post, Knowles wrote, “This is so awesome ! To b able to stimulate the economy is no small feat! @beyonce.”

Knowles also gave a sweet nod to Swift in her caption, adding, “And ! @taylorswift ! Just being young women and being able to say this , is so awesome!!! Proud of them both !”

Beyoncé and Swift’s tours overlapped in the United States during the summer. Both were a pop culture sensation, with social media platforms inundated by various trends coming out of each tour.

For Swift’s “Eras Tour,” friendship bracelets and DIY themed costumes became the norm while Beyoncé’s “Renaissance” world tour birthed the “mute” challenge and had concertgoers following her request for a silver theme in celebration of Virgo season.

With Beyoncé’s tour wrapping up on Oct. 1 and Swift’s on-going tour resuming Nov. 9 in Argentina, both tours have already generated millions of dollars along the way.

Read on to learn more about each tour's economic impact.

How much has the “Renaissance Tour” made?

Beyoncé’s “Renaissance Tour” kicked off May 10 in Sweden and will conclude Oct. 1 in Kansas City. Before the tour kicked off, Forbes estimated that Beyoncé would earn nearly $2.1 billion from her tour.

The “Cuff It” singer’s tour set multiple records over the summer, including back-to-back records for the highest one-month gross in history in both July and August, according to a Sept. report by Billboard .

In July, she grossed $127.6 million and in August, that number increased to $179 million. The outlet also reported the “Renaissance Tour” became the highest grossing tour by a female artist, surpassing Madonna's “Sticky & Sweet Tour” with $461.3 million.

During the “Renaissance Tour,” Beyoncé also gave back $2 million to students and small business through her charity foundation, BeyGOOD. Half of the donations went to entrepreneurs, with luncheons hosted by BeyGOOD the day before each show for a chance to win a $100 thousand grant. The other portion of the $2 million donation was allocated to the Renaissance Scholarship Fund.

Beyoncé’s tour spawned several special moments over the course of its run, including a special tribute to the late Tina Turner , a birthday surprise from Diana Ross , as well as numerous performances alongside her eldest daughter, Blue Ivy.

It was also a hotspot for celebrities including Leonardo DiCaprio, Vanessa Bryant, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, Kim and Khloe Kardashian, and more.

How much has the “Eras Tour” made?

Swift’s “Eras Tour” originally ran from March 17 through August 9. Throughout the year, Swift added on additional dates including several international dates in 2023 and 2024 as well as additional 2024 dates in the United States and internationally. 

While Swift’s tour still has 13 months to go, so far it’s been estimated she's earned $1 billion in sales , with Pollstar estimating the singer will exceed $1.4 billion in the new year .

Swift's economic impact far has exceeded solely ticket sales, too. The tour also increased revenue for hotels across the country, with fans flocking to each city to experience her career-sprawling performances.

It was also reported Swift made several donations with her tour’s earnings, including donating to local food banks at each stop and gifting $100,000 bonus checks to her truck drivers at the end of the U.S. leg of the tour.

The singer’s tour is also set to hit the big screen in the United States, and now internationally. In a press release, AMC said that it took less than 24 hours for the film to “shatter AMC’s U.S. record for the highest ticket-sales revenue during a single day in AMC’s 103-year history.”

Swift’s “Eras Tour” was not without its faults though.

The singer spoke out against Ticketmaster after fans struggled to obtain tickets to the tour due to “historically unprecedented demand” causing the website to crash. The debacle sparked public scrutiny, including questions from senators , and elicited changes from the company before Beyoncé’s “Renaissance Tour” tickets went on sale.

Francesca Gariano is a New York City-based freelance journalist reporting on culture, entertainment, beauty, lifestyle and wellness. She is a freelance contributor to TODAY.com, where she covers pop culture and breaking news.

• Where to buy tickets
• How much are tickets?
• Who is opening for Beyoncé's tour?

Will there be international tour dates?

Where to buy beyoncé tickets: renaissance tour dates, prices, vendors.

When you buy through our links, Business Insider may earn an affiliate commission. Learn more

Grammy-winning artist Beyoncé is back on her first solo tour since 2016. Tickets are still on sale for those who wish to see Beyoncé perform in her celebrated Renaissance World Tour through October 2023. Stick with us, and we'll show you the best options for where to buy Beyoncé tickets today.

The 2023 Renaissance World Tour kicked off with an international leg in Sweden on May 10, 2023. Beyoncé then traveled across ten European countries before arriving in North America on July 8. The tour's United States and Canada leg will continue through October 1 as the musician plays 13 more shows in nine cities.

Supporting her 2022 album "Renaissance," the concert setlists have included Beyoncé playing each track from her seventh studio album. The Renaissance World Tour also includes "Queen Bey" playing various hits from her larger discography, such as "Formation," "Love on Top," and "Crazy in Love."

If you're aiming to buy tickets for the final performances of Beyoncé's Renaissance World Tour, we've got you covered. Here's our breakdown of Beyoncé's remaining tour schedule, purchasing details, and resale and original ticket prices. Or you can browse through the available tickets left through StubHub and Vivid Seats at your leisure.

• See also: Where to buy Bruce Springsteen tickets

Beyoncé 2023 Renaissance tour schedule

The Renaissance World Tour still has 11 concert dates across eight cities, including three shows in Inglewood, California. In addition to one stop in Vancouver, Canada, the remaining shows will be held in the United States. Tickets are the most expensive in Beyoncé's hometown of Houston, Texas. All concert times are listed in local time zones. We've linked to the ticket site with the cheapest deals (at the time of writing) in the 'Prices from' column.

Where to buy tickets for Beyoncé 2023 Renaissance tour

You can purchase original tickets to Beyoncé's Renaissance World Tour through Ticketmaster , although only a select number remain for each 2023 date and location. However, the tickets still available on Ticketmaster are typically more expensive than those found on verified resale platforms such as StubHub and Vivid Seats .

The prices for standard tickets to Beyoncé's concerts from StubHub start at approximately $102 on the lower end to nearly $400, depending on the venue. Vivid Seats offers similar price ranges for standard Renaissance World Tour tickets, ranging from about $100 in Las Vegas to $375 in Houston. When considering VIP packages, the cost increases significantly on each purchasing platform.

How much are Beyoncé tickets?

The prices for original Beyoncé concert tickets have risen considerably since the end of the initial Verified Fan Sale through Ticketmaster. Additionally, the cost of an original ticket varies depending on the demand for a particular location and date.

For instance, the cheapest price on Ticketmaster for a standard original ticket to the 2023 Renaissance World Tour is $91.83 for her Las Vegas, Nevada show on August 27. However, there are very few standard original tickets remaining for Beyoncé's concerts, so you may have better luck with verified resales.

Meanwhile, some original VIP packages, such as the Pure/Honey on Stage Risers, cost well over $3,000. At Beyoncé's August 30 performance in Santa Clara, the original VIP package costs $3,601. On the less expensive side, original Beyhive VIP Package prices are $1,401 in Seattle. Here's a breakdown of the various Beyoncé VIP packages from Ticketmaster's website .

Original prices typically come in much higher than resale prices for Beyoncé concerts. Many of the cheaper tickets are verified resales for nearer tour dates, suggesting you might find the best prices when it gets closer to the concert date.

Who is opening for Beyoncé's tour?

Beyoncé's world tour does not include any opening acts from other artists. Once the showtime begins for each concert date, it will be the Queen Bey herself who comes onstage.

There are no traditional opening acts for the 2023 Renaissance World Tour because Beyoncé is technically the opener to her own concerts. The time typically reserved for other artists at the start of the concert instead sees Beyoncé sing R&B ballads from her early discography, beginning with her Destiny's Child-era 2000 song "Dangerously in Love 2."

Approximately four songs are played in Beyoncé's "Opening Act" before moving into her "Renaissance" tracks. The concert is approximately two and a half hours long with 31 songs on the setlist, so Beyoncé's tour has more than enough hit music to fill the night.

Since Beyoncé opened with the international leg of her ninth solo tour, the music sensation will take her final bow of the concert series on October 1 in Kansas City, Missouri. While the remaining concert dates are primarily in the United States, there will be one last international show in Vancouver, Canada, on September 11, 2023.

You can purchase logo and accolade licensing to this story here . Disclosure: Written and researched by the Insider Reviews team. We highlight products and services you might find interesting. If you buy them, we may get a small share of the revenue from the sale from our partners. We may receive products free of charge from manufacturers to test. This does not drive our decision as to whether or not a product is featured or recommended. We operate independently from our advertising team. We welcome your feedback. Email us at [email protected] .

• Main content

‘Renaissance’ 2023 World Tour: Here’s Where to Get Last-Minute Beyoncé Tickets Online

By John Lonsdale

John Lonsdale

If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission.

Please don’t be alarmed and try to remain calm — nearly six years since her last solo trek, Beyoncé is back and (hopefully) heading to a city near you before wrapping her tour this fall. The superstar announced her massive Renaissance world tour back in February, marking Beyoncé’s first global solo tour in support of her seventh album of the same name. With the tour winding down, there’s only a few weeks left to score Beyoncé tickets . Get Beyoncé Tickets on Vivid Seats

With the final month of the Renaissance tour approaching, Beyoncé shared a statement on Instagram that “Virgo Season is upon us.” She continued: “This tour has been such a joy and as we approach the last month, my birthday wish is to celebrate with you wearing your most fabulous silver fashions to the shows 8.23 – 9.22! We’ll surround ourselves in a shimmering human disco ball each night. Everybody mirroring each other’s joy. Virgo Season together in the house of chrome. See you there! Your B at RWT.”

Ticket registration and sales for Beyoncé’s tour were previously split into three different groups, and now Beyoncé tickets are on sale for all remaining dates, including on Ticketmaster and Vivid Seats .

Buy Beyoncé Tickets at Ticketmaster

Editor’s picks

Every awful thing trump has promised to do in a second term, the 250 greatest guitarists of all time, the 500 greatest albums of all time, the 50 worst decisions in movie history, how to get beyoncé tickets online.

With just a few more weeks to go of Beyoncé’s tour, you can still find last-minute Beyoncé tickets online to sold-out shows. If you don’t find available seats on Ticketmaster , you can try checking ticket resellers like Vivid Seats . Rolling Stone readers can use the promo code RS2023 at checkout to save $20 on purchases $200 or more.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Beyoncé (@beyonce)

Renaissance World Tour 2023 North America Dates

Wondering if Beyoncé is playing a show in your area? Below are the remaining cities the Grammy winner will visit for the 2023 North American leg of the Renaissance tour . Beyoncé previously also added an additional three shows to the tour, including Atlanta (8/14/23), Las Vegas, (8/27/23), and Inglewood, CA (9/4/23).

Not surprisingly, Ticketmaster said it saw a massive demand for the Renaissance tour in a blog on its website. “Fan demand already exceeds the number of tickets available by more than 800% based on the registration numbers in the Group A cities. It is expected that many interested fans may not be able to get tickets because demand drastically exceeds supply.”

We Know Hiring Can Be Tricky. The Best Job Search Sites Can Help Fill All Your Positions 

Kentucky derby livestream: how to watch the 150th running online this weekend, miami gp livestream 2024: how to watch the f1 race online free, beyoncé renaissance tour set list.

While we won’t give too much away about the Renaissance tour set list (though you’ve likely seen much of it on TikTok), you can hear more about the show in Rolling Stone Music Now ‘s podcast episode . It’s a deep-dive into what fans can expect during the concert. In short, you can likely plan to hear everything from deep cuts like opener “Dangerously in Love,” along with Renaissance tracks like “Alien Superstar,” “Cuff It,” and closer “Summer Renaissance.” Plus: “Love on Top,” “Crazy in Love,” “1+1,” and more.

When Are Beyoncé Renaissance World Tour Tickets On Sale?

According to Ticketmaster at the time, “Beyoncé is distributing tickets in three different Verified Fan sales: BeyHive Presale powered by Ticketmaster Verified Fan; Citi Presale powered by Verified Fan and the General Verified Fan Onsale. Additionally, there will be a Verizon Up Presale. Registration windows vary by city, so check the schedule below and be sure to note when the window closes for the show you’re interested in attending.”

In other words, if you tried to register for Verified Fan presale, you needed to see which group your city was a part of ahead of time. Group A registration was open until Feb. 2, with Group B registration previously scheduled until Feb. 9, and Group C until Feb. 16.

Amanda Shires Didn't Hide From Her Divorce at First Show With Jason Isbell

Trump ‘disgusted’ by kristi noem’s puppy execution story, lovers & friends festival canceled at last minute due to expected 'dangerous weather', kendrick lamar comes back for more on his second drake diss track this week '6:16 in la'.

European dates started in May, and Beyoncé embarked on the North American leg of the Renaissance tour over the summer, including stops in Toronto (read our Renaissance tour review ), Los Angeles, Houston, and New Orleans. Though Beyoncé headlined a show in Dubai — her first concert in four years at the time — she didn’t play any songs from Renaissance , Rolling Stone ‘s No. 1 album of 2022 (“the musical highlight of the year”) and a frontrunner at the 65th Grammys .

When Beyoncé dropped Renaissance last summer, Rolling Stone ‘s Mankaprr Conteh wrote that “Beyoncé flung open the doors to a nightclub of her own making, a place where anyone can be the hottest person in the galaxy … the album traverses eras of dance music to conjure the superhuman confidence and deeply human connection of a night out. The thematic triumph of the auteur’s seventh album is this union of the extraordinary and the earthly across it, a duality that lives on the dancefloors Renaissance was inspired by — and in all of us.”

How to Get Beyoncé Tickets With BeyHive Verified Fan Registration

BeyHive Verified Fan Presale started Feb. 6 for those who registered in Group A, followed by Groups B and C.

The first round of the BeyHive presale arrived just one day after Beyoncé made Grammys history on Feb. 5. With 32 wins under her belt, Beyoncé broke the record for the most Grammy Awards in music history, winning the Grammy for Best Dance/Electronic Album for Renaissance .

“I’d like to thank my beautiful husband, my beautiful three children who are at home watching,” Queen Bey said during her acceptance speech. “I’d like to thank the queer community, for your love, and for inventing this genre. God bless you. Thank you so much to the Grammys.”

While Renaissance didn’t win a trophy for Album of the Year , Beyoncé still took home a slew of other awards, including Best R&B Song for “Cuff It,” Best Dance/Electronic Record for “Break My Soul,” and Best Traditional R&B Performance for “Plastic Off the Sofa.”

“You changed my life,” Lizzo told Beyoncé during her Grammys acceptance speech for her Record of the Year win. “You sang that gospel medley, and the way you made me feel, I was like, ‘I want to make people feel this way with my music.’ So thank you so much. You clearly are the artist of our lives.”

Lovers & Friends Festival Canceled at Last Minute Due to Expected 'Dangerous Weather'

• 'heartbreaking'
• By Daniel Kreps

The Pet Shop Boys Are Having a Renaissance. What Have They Done To Deserve This?

• always on our mind
• By Rob Sheffield

A New #MeToo Initiative Challenges The Music Industry to Heighten Safety Practices

• By Ethan Millman

Kendrick Lamar and Drake Trade Diss Tracks as Rap War Rages On

• Friday Night Fights

Detroit's Flip Side With Payroll Giovanni

• By Rolling Stone

Most Popular

Ethan hawke lost the oscar for 'training day' and denzel washington whispered in his ear that losing was better: 'you don't want an award to improve your status', abc news meteorologist rob marciano out at the network, king charles’ latest appearance has body language experts predicting a 'problem' in future events, ed orgeron divorce court finds loophole in ‘binding’ term sheet, you might also like, ‘megalopolis’ teaser trailer: adam driver is on the edge in francis ford coppola’s long-awaited sci-fi epic, img shifts focus from central hub for nyfw: the shows to designer partnerships, the best yoga mats for any practice, according to instructors, ‘the boys’ season 4 trailer teases plenty of blood, guts, and chickens, canelo alvarez-de la hoya spat heats up ahead of munguia bout.

Rolling Stone is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2024 Rolling Stone, LLC. All rights reserved.

Verify it's you

Please log in.

How to Get U.S. Tickets to Beyonce’s ‘Renaissance’ World Tour

By Jem Aswad

Executive Editor, Music

• Music Industry Moves: Skylar Simone Signs With Def Jam, Drops D’Mile-Produced Single; Steve Redmond Exits BMG 1 day ago
• Live Nation Reports Biggest-Ever First Quarter With $3.8 Billion, on Track for ‘Record 2024’ 2 days ago
• Read Universal Music CEO Lucian Grainge’s Letter to Staff on TikTok Settlement: ‘Human Artistry Must Be Respected’ 2 days ago

Clearly in response to the chaotic Taylor Swift on-sale last fall, tickets to Beyonce’s forthcoming “Renaissance” stadium tour will be released on a staggered basis. Ticketing information appears below; Ticketmaster has issued an FAQ as well. The tour begins on May 10 in Sweden and comes to North America on July 8 — see full tour dates here .

• U.S. DATES:  There will be four ways fans can purchase tickets to the U.S. dates of the tour:
• Ticketmaster Verified Fan Onsale : The tour is using Verified Fan to ensure more tickets get into the hands of fans who want to attend the shows rather than those looking to resell them. Fans can register now  HERE . Sign in or create a Ticketmaster account to register now. 
• BeyHive Verified Fan Presale: BeyHive members will be eligible to register for a Verified Fan Presale during the applicable registration window(s) below. Fans can register now  HERE  using the email address associated with their BeyHive account.
• CITI Presale powered by Verified Fan: Citi cardmembers can access this presale by registering with their Citi card number  HERE . Citi is the official credit card of the Beyoncé RENAISSANCE World Tour. Citi cardmembers can take advantage of a special Citi Presale powered by Verified Fan opportunity for tour dates in the United States. More details available at  www.citientertainment.com .

4. Verizon Up Presale: Verizon Up members can access this presale by visiting  Verizon Up . Verizon will offer an exclusive presale for the Beyoncé RENAISSANCE World Tour in the U.S through the customer loyalty program Verizon Up. Members will have access to purchase presale tickets for select shows.

Popular on Variety

• Verified Fan Registration Windows (BeyHive, CITI, Ticketmaster): Register now  HERE  through Thurs, Feb 2 at 11:59pm local time
• BeyHive Verified Fan Presale: Mon, Feb 6 
• CITI Verified Fan Presale: Tue, Feb 7 at 10am local time through Wed, Feb 8 at 6pm local time
• Verizon Presale: Thurs, Feb 9 at 10am local time through Fri, Feb 10 at 6pm local time
• Ticketmaster Verified Fan Onsale: Sat, Feb 11

Group B: Minneapolis, Boston, Tampa, Miami, San Francisco, Seattle, Dallas

• Ticketmaster Verified Fan and CITI Verified Fan Registration Window: Register now  HERE  through Thurs, Feb 9 at 11:59pm local time
• BeyHive Verified Fan Presale: Mon, Feb 13
• CITI Verified Fan Presale: Tues, Feb 14 at 10am local time through Wed, Feb 15 at 6pm local time
• Verizon Presale: Thur, Feb 16 at 10am local time through Fri, Feb 17 at 6pm local time
• Ticketmaster Verified Fan Onsale: Sat, Feb 18

Group C: Nashville, Louisville, Detroit, Pittsburgh, Charlotte, St. Louis, Phoenix, Kansas City, New Orleans, Philadelphia

• Ticketmaster Verified Fan and CITI Verified Fan Registration Window: Register now  HERE  through Thurs, Feb 16 at 11:59pm local time
• BeyHive Verified Fan Presale: Mon, Feb 20
• CITI Verified Fan Presale: Tues, Feb 21 at 10am local time through Wed, Feb 22 at 6pm local time
• Verizon Presale: Thur, Feb 23 at 10am local time through Fri, Feb 24 at 6pm local time
• Ticketmaster Verified Fan Onsale: Sat, Feb 25
• CANADA DATES: Toronto & Vancouver will have a BeyHive Verified Fan presale and a Ticketmaster Verified Fan On Sale. 
• Ticketmaster Verified Fan Registration Window: Register now  HERE  through Thurs, Feb 2 at 11:59pmlocal time
• BeyHive Verified Fan Presale: Mon, Feb 6
• Ticketmaster Verified Fan Onsale: Tue, Feb 7 
• EUROPE DATES: 

Stockholm, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Sunderland, Paris, Marseille, Amsterdam, London 

• BeyHive Presale: Mon, Feb 6 at 10am local time through 6pm local time
• General Onsale: Tues, Feb 7 at 10am local time 

Brussels, Barcelona, Cologne, Hamburg, Frankfurt 

• General Onsale: Friday, Feb 10 at 10am local time

*Check local event listings for complete ticket information regarding European dates of the tour.

More From Our Brands

The pet shop boys are having a renaissance. what have they done to deserve this, savannah vs. charleston: which southern city has the best luxury hotels, canelo alvarez-de la hoya spat heats up ahead of munguia bout, be tough on dirt but gentle on your body with the best soaps for sensitive skin, ‘jedi are being hunted’ in star wars: the acolyte trailer — watch, get disney+ release date, verify it's you, please log in.

• Entertainment
• Celebrities
• Ticket Sales
• Promoted: What to Watch on Prime Video

Recommended

Beyoncé announces 2023 ‘renaissance tour.’ here’s where she’s performing.

• View Author Archive
• Get author RSS feed

Thanks for contacting us. We've received your submission.

The Beyhive is buzzing like never before.

After much speculation, Beyoncé has officially announced her highly anticipated stadium “Renaissance Tour.”

Seven years after her “Formation Tour” and five years after the “On The Run II Tour” with her husband Jay Z, the 28-time Grammy winner (and 88-time nominee!) will embark on her solo headlining “Renaissance Tour” in support of her critically acclaimed chart-topping 2022 album “Renaissance” all summer long.

The international tour will start overseas in Sweden, Belgium, the U.K., France and Germany in May before she returns to North America for 29 huge stadium concerts starting July 8 at Toronto’s Rogers Centre .

And although Queen Bey isn’t coming to the Big Apple on the run — as of now — she will get close to the City That Never Sleeps.

On July 29 and July 30 , Mrs. Knowles is set to touch down at East Rutherford’s MetLife Stadium for two huge back-to-back concerts.

She’s familiar with the venue too. The last show of her “Formation Tour” was at the Giants and Jets’ home stadium on Oct. 7, 2016. That time around, she brought Jay Z and Kendrick Lamar onstage with her.

Who will she bring this time? Will she sing the same songs she did at her recent Dubai concert?

All we know is the best way to find out is live.

Want to see live music this year?

Check out our list of the 52 biggest concert tours in 2023 here.

Beyoncé 2023 tour schedule

Where will Beyoncé go on tour in North America?

Below, you’ll find a complete list of all upcoming 26 tour dates, venues and links to buy tickets for shows where the pre-sale has already taken place.

Beyoncé opening acts

At the time of publication, Beyoncé does not have any opening acts lined up for her 2023 “Renaissance Tour” although there are rumors that 74-year-old singer Grace Jones will be joining her swirling on Twitter .

We personally can’t get enough of Jones’ seven-minute cover of Roxy Music’s “Love Is the Drug.”

In 2016, Knowles was joined by DJ Khaled on the “Formation Tour.” Two years later, she co-headlined with her husband and fellow 88-time Grammy nominee Jay Z on the “On The Run II Tour.”

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Beyoncé (@beyonce)

Beyoncé Dubai setlist

Although Beyoncé didn’t perform any tracks from her 2022 record “Renaissance” at the Jan. 23 concert in Dubai, she was able to cram in several hits from her expansive catalogue as well as a few covers into her 17-song set.

Here’s her set list (courtesy of  SetList.FM ):

01.)  “At Last”   (Harry Warren cover; made famous by Etta James)

02.)  “XO”  ( from her 2014 album “Beyonce”)

03.)  “Flaws And All”   (from her 2007 album “B’Day”)

04.)  “Ava Maria”   (from her 2008 album “I Am Sasha Fierce”)

05.)  “Halo”   (from her 2008 album “I Am Sasha Fierce”)

06.)  “Brown Skin Girl”   featuring Blue Ivy Carter   (from the 2019 “Lion King: The Gift”)

07.)  “Be Alive”   (from the 2021 “King Richard” soundtrack)

08.)  “Otherside”   (from the 2019 “Lion King: The Gift”)

09.)  “Bigger”  from the 2019 “Lion King: The Gift”)

10.)  “Spirit”   from the 2019 “Lion King Soundtrack”)

11.)  “Freedom”   (from her 2016 album “Lemonade”)

12.)  “I Care”   (from her 2011 album “4”)

13.)  “Beautiful Liar”   (from her 2007 album “B’Day”)

14.)  “Crazy In Love”   (from her 2003 album “Dangerously In Love”)

15.)  “Countdown”   (from her 2011 album “4”)

16.)  “Naughty Girl”   (from her 2003 album “Dangerously In Love”)

17.)  “Drunk In Love”   (from her 2014 album “Beyonce”)

Beyoncé “Renaissance” album

Knowles’ “Renaissance” was the most critically-acclaimed album of 2022 showing up on countless year-end lists as 2022’s best.

The 16-track album, clocking in at just a little over an hour was also extremely popular with fans as well quickly charting at number on the Billboard 200, making it Beyoncé’s seventh album to hit the top spot.

However, the record that brought the world “Break My Soul” may have more to it.

Beyoncé has hinted that the record is part of a three-part series; in a June 28, 2022 announcement she called it “Act I.”

Since the album’s release, it has undergone a few transformations.

According to Pitchfork, Beyoncé “replaced ableist lyrics in “ Heated ,” and  removed  an interpolation of  Kelis ’ “Milkshake” on “Energy” after Kelis said  she was not informed  by Beyoncé and her team that her music was going to be used on the new album.”

She also reportedly dropped  Honey Dijon  and  Madonna  remixes of “Break My Soul.”

Beyoncé Grammys

Beyonce’s seventh studio album “Renaissance,” netted nine Grammy nominations for Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Record of the Year, Best Dance/Electronic Recording, Best Dance/Electronic Album, Best R&B Performance, Best Traditional R&B Performance, Best R&B Song and Best Song Written For Visual Media.

The nine nominations tie Beyonce with her husband Jay Z for most all-time Grammy nominations with 88 apiece.

Huge concert tours in 2023

While a Beyoncé tour announcement may trump all others in terms of hype, there quite a few exciting tours to look out for in the next few months.

Here are just five of our favorite, can’t miss concerts that may be coming to a city near you soon.

•  Taylor Swift

•  Madonna

•  Adele

•  Janet Jackson

•  Lizzo

Share this article:

• Manage Account
• Share this article on Facebook
• Share this article on Twitter
• Share this article on Flipboard
• Share this article on Pinit
• + additional share options added
• Share this article on Reddit
• Share this article on Linkedin
• Share this article on Whatsapp
• Share this article on Email
• Print this article
• Share this article on Comment
• Share this article on Tumblr

Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour Is Heading for a $500M+ Finish

The tour is her highest grossing ever, replacing her own Formation World Tour as the all-time leader among R&B artists.  

By Eric Frankenberg

Eric Frankenberg

The first month of Beyoncé ’s Renaissance World Tour situated her atop Billboard ’s Top Tours chart in May. With reports for June, the entire European leg of the tour blew past the $150 million mark , making it the biggest non-U.S. leg of any Beyoncé tour. Now, with data for the trek’s first batch of North American shows, the bigger picture is coming more clearly into focus.

According to figures reported to Billboard Boxscore, Beyoncé earned $141.4 million on the first 12 Renaissance shows in U.S. and Canada, selling 553,000 tickets. That puts the tour’s overall figures at $295.8 million and 1.6 million tickets, current through her Aug. 1 concert at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Mass.

Billboard Boxscore Top 10 Tours of All Time: Harry Styles Finishes North of $600 Million

Approaching the $300 million mark, the Renaissance World Tour is now Beyoncé’s highest grossing tour yet, passing 2016’s The Formation World Tour ($256.1 million) and 2018’s On the Run II Tour alongside Jay-Z ($253.5 million).

In exceeding the gross of her own two previous tours, the Renaissance World Tour resets the record for the highest grossing tour by an R&B artist, or any Black artist in Boxscore history. Beyoncé previously held the title with the Formation World Tour and before that, with The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour in 2013-14 ($211.9 million).

Beyoncé hasn’t yet eclipsed those runs in terms of tickets sold, though it’s only a matter of time. The Formation World Tour still holds strong with 2.2 million tickets, 600,000 ahead of her 2023 stint. With 23 shows left to report in North America, expect Queen Bey to add close to 1 million more for a total of 2.6 million.

Though it has the earnings record in the bag, the Renaissance World Tour still has room to grow. Its $295.8 million is already in the region of Billboard ’s initial projections of $275 million to $300 million plus, based on expected per-show revenues of $6.8 million to $7.5 million. With extra shows added due to high demand, the tour’s routing shot to more than 50 shows, with the low end of our projection ballooning to $380 million.

But Beyoncé hasn’t been earning $7 million per show. The 12 reported North American dates paced $11.8 million and 46,100 tickets each night. Grosses have swung as high as $33.1 million over two shows in East Rutherford, N.J., and as low as $6.5 million in Louisville, Ky.

If the 23 remaining shows can maintain that average or simply stay above the eight-figure mark, the Renaissance World Tour will set a whole new standard for Beyoncé.

To reach $500 million, the Renaissance World Tour will have to gross $8.9 million per show. But that’d represent a 24% drop from the first batch of U.S. & Canada dates, and there’s no reason to expect such a decline considering the remaining dates include highly anticipated shows in Atlanta, Los Angeles and Beyoncé’s hometown of Houston.

At $10 million per show, Beyoncé will hit $525 million, which would inch her past Coldplay ’s A Head Full of Dreams Tour ($523.3 million). That’d be enough to make the Renaissance World Tour one of Billboard Boxscore’s 10 highest grossing tours ever .

Here’s a graph to show you where the Renaissance World Tour could end up, depending on how the 23 remaining shows perform.

At the current breakneck speed of $11.8 million per show, Beyoncé would be looking at $560 million. On the all-time leaderboard, she’s targeting classic rock heavyweights such as Guns N’ Roses , The Rolling Stones and Roger Waters as peers on the stadium stage.

Even before she gets there, Beyoncé has already broken through some hallowed territory in the Boxscore archives. Across her career as a soloist (including her co-headline tours with Jay-Z, and with Alicia Keys and Missy Elliott ), Beyoncé has become the 15th artist – and third woman after Celine Dion and Madonna – to gross more than $1 billion. Further, she’s just the second female act (after Madonna) to sell more than 10 million tickets. Over 408 reported shows, she has earned $1.063 billion and sold 10.473 million tickets. By the Oct. 1 close of the Renaissance World Tour, that gross will be about $250 million higher.

Daily newsletters straight to your inbox

More From Pro

Live nation shares up 7% after record quarter, universal music shares gain on earnings & tiktok renewal.

• By Glenn Peoples

The New Universal Music Group-TikTok Deal Explained

In canada: diljit dosanjh makes punjabi music history at vancouver’s bc place.

• By Jeevan Sangha , Kerry Doole , Richard Trapunski

First Trial Over Travis Scott’s Astroworld Festival Delayed By Apple’s Free Speech Claims

• By Bill Donahue

How Shaboozey Rode ‘A Bar Song (Tipsy)’ to A Historic Hot Country Songs No. 1

Billboard is a part of Penske Media Corporation. © 2024 Billboard Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

optional screen reader

Charts expand charts menu.

• Billboard Hot 100™
• Billboard 200™
• Hits Of The World™
• TikTok Billboard Top 50
• Song Breaker
• Year-End Charts
• Decade-End Charts

Music Expand music menu

• R&B/Hip-Hop

Culture Expand culture menu

Media expand media menu, business expand business menu.

• Business News
• Record Labels
• View All Pro

Pro Tools Expand pro-tools menu

• Songwriters & Producers
• Artist Index
• Royalty Calculator
• Market Watch
• Industry Events Calendar

Billboard Español Expand billboard-espanol menu

• Cultura y Entretenimiento

Get Up Anthems by Tres Expand get-up-anthems-by-tres menu

Honda music expand honda-music menu.

• International edition
• Australia edition
• Europe edition

Beyoncé: Renaissance World Tour review – a dizzying three-hour spectacular

Friends Arena, Stockholm Queen Bey’s first solo headline tour in seven years is a lavish leap forward for live entertainment, dripping with sci-fi disco decadence, sex and Black pride

E ven without Taylor Swift’s Ticketmaster-melting Eras Tour nipping at her heels, it wouldn’t do for a star as compulsively ambitious as Beyoncé to merely protect her status as the greatest pop show on Earth. Not when her first solo headline tour since 2016 could instead push 21st-century live entertainment another lavish leap forward.

Titled after the Texan’s disco glitter bomb post-pandemic party album of the same name , Renaissance is a monster blockbuster concert experience on a different plane. Fifty-seven stadium dates globally, starting in Stockholm, are projected to gross as much as £1.9bn ($2.4bn) by the time the tour ends in New Orleans late September. Dripping with sci-fi disco decadence, sex, body positivity and feminine Black pride, the near three-hour spectacular plays out in front, behind and, at times, inside a football-pitch-wide high-definition video screen designed to assault the senses at dizzying scale.

The BeyHive, as Beyoncé’s fans collectively style themselves, are buzzing pre-show as they flood into the venue from around the world for their first chance proper to see their queen live since 2018’s On the Run II co-headliner with Mr B, Jay-Z. Dressed head to toe in official tour merch, including a cap and hoodie both emblazoned with the word “THIQUE”, Mykwain Gainey has been to 20 Beyoncé shows over the past two decades and has spent nearly £2,000 to fly here from New York. “To see her transcend, and become what she has become, especially as a Black woman, is exciting,” he enthuses.

Brazilian Yhes Bezerra wears a spangly cowboy hat like the one sported by Beyoncé in the tour poster, except theirs is homemade; sticking on the thousands of tiny mirror panels took nine hours. They were determined to come to the opening night to avoid social media spoilers about what to expect. “I want everything to be a surprise,” Bezerra smiles.

Beyoncé appears first in a video cut scene, laid out luxuriously across the giant screen semi-naked in dimensions big enough to be visible from space. And yet, once she emerges in the flesh – all sequins, shoulder pads and that megawatt smile, drinking in the crowd’s screams – she begins disarmingly with a slew of her rawest soul songs. By the second, Flaws and All, she already appears to be fighting back tears, whether of release or gratitude or both. It’s an opening that seems designed to strip away artifice, if only to provide some sharp contrast for the heavily technologically augmented spectacle about to follow.

Harking back to early house and techno and the ecstatic utopia of the dancefloor, a segment dedicated to the Renaissance album ensues with Beyoncé done up something akin to the Maschinenmensch in Metropolis. She grinds with a dozen backing dancers to the jittery reggaeton of her boss bitch mission statement I’m That Girl, then dances with some actual robots (a pair of mechanical arms) during Cosy. Were all that not semi-hallucinogenic enough, Alien Superstar interpolates narcissistic anthem I’m Too Sexy by 90s dance-pop twosome Right Said Fred.

With many of the setlist’s whopping 36 songs abridged, the tempo is relentless. Blink and you’ll miss dancers popping out of the stage like champagne corks, or Beyoncé’s powerhouse band getting wheeled into occasional view on a tall stepped riser (shades of Beychella), such as during Chic-style feelgood funk workout Cuff It. “Y’all having a good time, Stockholm?” our host inquires, wiping an imperceptible bead of sweat from her brow. “Me too.”

Black Parade finds Beyoncé cruising the stage atop what looks like a kind of lunar rover. Somewhat comically, it exits up the gusset of a pair of massive splayed legs. Later she sings Plastic Off the Sofa stretched out in a clamshell. Come Crazy in Love, the show finally gets the enormous disco ball it seems to have long craved, dangled from the rafters for only a bit longer than the time it takes for the crew to get it up there and back down.

Bass-quaking, envelope-pushing Black power anthem Formation is a powerful political statement in any setting. Performed in a kind of virtual cathedral, horny southern rap and gospel cocktail Church Girl (sample lyric: “drop it like a thottie, drop it like a thottie”) might just be intended to provoke. But by Beyoncé’s own standards, it’s hard not to read Renaissance as a show much lighter on overt socio-political messaging than it is sheer, unfettered, mildly chaotic indulgence. And who could blame her?

In a final, unsubtle, retro-futuristic fanfare, Bey summons Bianca Jagger’s iconic Studio 54 moment by gliding through the air on a glitter-encrusted white horse while Summer Renaissance – which samples Donna Summer’s I Feel Love – blares. The disco history references may or may not be landing with the mostly young BeyHive, but that’s not really the point. By rewiring dance music past in a sensory overload of truly stunning ambition and stamina, Beyoncé is writing some history of her own.

The Renaissance World Tour continues until 27 September, see https://tour.beyonce.com/ for dates

• live music reviews

Most viewed

• Search Please fill out this field.
• Newsletters
• Sweepstakes

Break my soul, break these records: Beyoncé's Renaissance World Tour by the numbers

Meanwhile, it's been 15 months since Renaissance dropped and we're still listening to it. No skips.

Lester Fabian Brathwaite is a staff writer at Entertainment Weekly , where he covers breaking news, all things Real Housewives , and a rich cornucopia of popular culture. Formerly a senior editor at Out magazine, his work has appeared on NewNowNext , Queerty , Rolling Stone , and The New Yorker . He was also the first author signed to Phoebe Robinson's Tiny Reparations imprint. He met Oprah once.

The Renaissance World Tour has come to a close, leaving a trail of snatched wigs, discarded silver lamé, and depleted checkbooks in its wake.

All in all, Beyoncé 's ninth concert tour pulled in $579 million, making it the highest-grossing tour by a female artist in history, and the seventh-highest-grossing tour overall.

But if you look at it based on number of shows, Queen Bey maintains her crown. The Renaissance Tour had 56 shows that ran the course of the summer versus, say, the No. 6 highest-grossing tour, Guns N' Roses three-year, 158-show Never In This Lifetime... Tour.

And then there's the average gross per show: Bey made $10.3 million per show, compared to the highest-grossing tour of all-time, Elton John 's Farewell Yellow Brick Road, which averaged $2.8 million per show (it ran for five years and 330 shows, grossing $939.1 million).

The Renaissance Tour also broke Billboard's record for biggest one-month gross with $127.6 million.

All that money helped boost the American economy, with The New York Times estimating that the Bey bump generated about $4.5 billion, comparable to what the 2008 Olympics did for Beijing.

Across 10 countries and 39 cities, the Renaissance Tour machine employed 304 people, as Beyoncé gagged 2.7 million fans in 148 different looks from over 35 fashion houses, while singing 34 songs per night.

And for those who missed out on the live o-p-u-l-e-n-c-e, there's a Renaissance concert film coming to theaters Dec. 1, fulfilling the promise of those long-awaited visuals.

And we only had to wait 490 days. But who's counting?

Related content:

• Beyoncé flies out a fan after he was denied a flight because of the size of his wheelchair
• On Beyoncé's Renaissance : To be queer, gifted, and Black…oh what a lovely, precious dream
• Beyoncé pays tribute to fan fatally stabbed after voguing to her music: 'Rest in Power O'Shae Sibley'
• Hairspray actress Sarah Francis Jones goes into labor at Beyoncé's bday concert, avoids obvious name choice

Related Articles

How much did Beyoncé make on the Renaissance Tour? See her growing empire

Call her Queen Bey, Mrs. Carter or Sasha Fierce, one thing is clear: Beyoncé Knowles runs the world.

Since she hit the scene as a child rapper in the kids group Girls Tyme in 1990, Beyoncé has built a half-a-billion-dollar empire that spans music, entertainment, fashion and a flurry of lucrative investments and endorsement deals. This year, her record-breaking 56-stop Renaissance tour — a dazzling mix of robotic arms, pyrotechnics and a flying holographic horse — helped power the U.S. economy.

See how much money Taylor Swift’s Eras Tour actually made

As the Renaissance tour heads this weekend to the silver screen, here’s a look at how the diva herself got some respect on her check.

Smart enough to make these millions

Beyoncé is a lot of things: Performer, entrepreneur, fashion icon. And they all have contributed to her fast-growing fortune.

Her net worth has soared 20 percent in the last year to $540 million, according to Forbes. That’s nearly enough to buy every person in her hometown of Houston a bottle of her $160 perfume, plus a couple of official Renaissance T-shirts.

The bulk of Beyoncé’s wealth comes from her 20-year solo career. The “Flawless” singer has sold more than 200 million albums, won a record 32 Grammy Awards and become the most-awarded artist at the MTV Video Music Awards, BET Awards and NAACP Image Awards.

She’s also started multiple companies — including Parkwood Entertainment, the production firm behind the 2008 musical biopic “Cadillac Records” — and signed lucrative endorsement deals with such global brands as PepsiCo, Samsung, L’Oreal and American Express.

Stacking money everywhere she goes

Revenue per tour in 2023 dollars

Renaissance World Tour (2023)

The Beyonce Experience (2007)

The Formation World Tour

I Am…World Tour (2009-10)

The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour (2013-14)

She works for the money and she ain’t sorry.

With 56 shows over five months, Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour cemented the performer as one of the most successful touring artists of all time. Billboard Boxscore lists Renaissance as the seventh highest-grossing tour in history, behind Elton John, U2 and Coldplay. Beyoncé is the only woman and the only Black artist to crack the Top 10.

The Renaissance tour drew more than 2.7 million fans to stadiums around the world, according to Live Nation, boosting tourism in Beyoncé’s tour cities. In Stockholm, the traveling “Beyhive” was even blamed for driving Sweden’s May inflation higher than expected.

Seeing Beyoncé’s ‘Renaissance’ film? Here is our list of do’s and don’ts.

Over the years, Beyoncé’s tours have grown in scale and earnings. Her first solo tour featured shows in Europe and the United Kingdom. Her next tour, the Beyoncé Experience, was a global production that earned nearly $25 million — or about $35 million in today’s dollars — an impressive showing that amounts to just 6 percent of Queen Bey’s Renaissance haul.

A Mastermind in haute couture

Beyoncé’s expanding business empire includes investment in multiple companies, including flavored water company Lemon Perfect and Parisian fashion brand Destree, according to PitchBook Data.

Her own companies have included the fashion line House of Deréon and production company Parkwood Entertainment, which produced her 2019 concert film “Homecoming,” according to Billboard. Parkwood is also the parent company for athleisure clothing line Ivy Park, which recently ended its partnership with Adidas. Ivy Park posted on Instagram in November that “a new era awaits.”

In addition, she served as a global brand ambassador for Pepsi — a $50 million campaign, the New York Times estimated — and also collaborates with her husband on the music-streaming service Tidal, which sold a majority stake to the payment company Block for roughly $237 million.

Beyoncé knows better than to be reckless in a Givenchy dress and uses the stage to lift her businesses. She and her dancers frequently wear outfits from Ivy Park; the all-black outfit from the final show of the Renaissance tour in October is now sold out.

A Texas baby

Beyoncé often sings about her fondness for Houston. And her hometown loves her back. In September, Harris County (where Houston is located) officially renamed itself “Bey County” during the star’s two-night Renaissance tour stop.

Ticket sales for the Renaissance Tour’s Houston shows alone totaled $31.3 million. Meanwhile, visitors spent $18.2 million at Houston-area hotels — up 45 percent from the same weekend in 2022, according to Houston First Corporation.

To drum up excitement, city officials threw a homecoming bash for Queen Bey — complete with fireworks, a drone light show and cover bands playing her biggest hits. Some 5,000 people attended the free downtown celebration.

“It turned out even bigger than we could’ve imagined,” said Michael Heckman, chief executive of Houston First, which organized the event at the urging of Mayor Sylvester Turner. “When you have a hometown hero like Beyoncé coming back for a major concert, we just had to do something big that would be befitting of the star she is.”

She’s building her own foundation

She may be stingy with her love, but Beyoncé is making sure when she leaves this world she’ll have no regrets. For the last 10 years, she has focused on providing economic opportunities to people in underprivileged and marginalized communities through the BeyGood Foundation .

During the Renaissance tour, for example, she gave $2 million to entrepreneurs and college students, doling out $10,000 scholarships and $100,000 small-business grants in cities along the way. The Black Parade Route, created in 2020, brings together Black business owners around the world for networking luncheons and awards grants, funding hundreds of Black entrepreneurs.

The nonprofit has supported families dealing with disasters, including hurricanes in Houston and Orlando, and a lack of clean drinking water in Flint, Mich. Beyoncé has also given millions to Knowles-Temenos Place, a housing complex in Houston that helps the homeless.

World Wide Woman

If there’s one thing Beyoncé knows how to do, it’s make the most of every opportunity. And the Renaissance tour is no exception. Beyoncé is bringing the Renaissance World Tour to movie theaters around the world starting Nov. 30 — a shining new addition to the larger B universe.

About this story:

These songs are referenced in this story:

Illustrations by Alexis Arnold and Emily Sabens. Editing by Jennifer Liberto and Karly Domb Sadof. Design editing by Betty Chavarria. Photo editing by Haley Hamblin. Copy editing by Briana R. Ellison.

Photo credits: Getty Images, Reuters, AP Images, iStock.

• In Beyoncé’s ‘Renaissance,’ the theater audience is the star December 1, 2023 In Beyoncé’s ‘Renaissance,’ the theater audience is the star December 1, 2023
• How much did Beyoncé make on the Renaissance Tour? See her growing empire November 30, 2023 How much did Beyoncé make on the Renaissance Tour? See her growing empire November 30, 2023
• Beyoncé enters the hair-care world with Cécred. Here’s what we know. February 7, 2024 Beyoncé enters the hair-care world with Cécred. Here’s what we know. February 7, 2024

• Entertainment

Everything We Learned from Night One of Beyoncé’s Renaissance World Tour

I t’s the moment everyone’s been waiting for: Beyoncé finally kicked off her Renaissance World Tour in Stockholm, Sweden , Wednesday night. This comes close to a year after the release of her seventh album, RENAISSANCE , a period during which she has rarely acknowledged the album with interviews or public performances of the new music, nor put out any music videos to accompany the songs. Nonetheless, the BeyHive was still buzzing with excitement on social media as they shared clips of the stage, the merchandise, the view from different VIP sections, and, most importantly, the artist performing the songs live for the first time.

Beyoncé is gearing up for a second night at the Friends Arena in Stockholm. As she gets ready to hit the stage, let’s take a look at what was revealed in the first show that might offer an indication of what could happen on the rest of the highly anticipated tour. A lot has already happened—from Bey herself addressing the lack of visuals to her celebration of the LGBTQ+ community, in keeping with the themes of the album.

Here’s everything we learned from night one of the Renaissance World Tour.

Beyoncé said not to rush a queen for music videos

omg not beyoncé addressing the visuals i’m crying 😭 #RenaissanceWorldTour pic.twitter.com/xQ9AkBCp3p — rasmus (@rasmusbravado) May 10, 2023

If we haven’t learned by now, Beyoncé releases things when she is good and ready . This is her first solo album since 2016’s Lemonade , so we can’t act surprised that she told her fans to be patient and stop asking about the music videos. Her last solo albums, Lemonade , Beyoncé , and The Gift (a concept album for The Lion King ), all had visual components that included music videos for each song. This built up the expectation that RENAISSANCE would get the same treatment.

Beyoncé is online and knows her fans have been hounding her, and she has finally responded. During a break on the first night, a disembodied voice addressed the crowd as the words it spoke were displayed on stage: “Aww, you mad? Well, there’s no remedy for that, bitches… I know you’ve asked for the visuals. You’ve called for the Queen. But a Queen moves at her own pace, bitch. Decides when she wants to give you a f-cking taste. So get your fork and your spoon if you got one.”

She is cutting out some of her biggest hits to make room for the new album and deep cuts

Attendees at the concert in Stockholm filmed every moment for the world to see on social media, and many of Beyoncé’s fans were quite surprised by some of the songs she decided to perform. She opened the show with “Dangerously In Love” from her debut album of the same name and ran through a string of popular songs, both mainstream hits and fan favorites. At the opening night show, she also performed songs like “Rather Die Young,” “Flaws and All,” and “Black Parade,” which have not gotten much attention from Beyoncé in recent memory.

Beyonce - Rather Die Young 🎤 SINGGGGGG!!!! #RenaissanceWorldTour pic.twitter.com/MEZwAVYNWk — ram (@oyyram) May 10, 2023

Some of Beyoncé’s most popular songs, many of which she has made a point to perform on past tours, are notably missing from the set list. “Run The World” fans, do not worry: she still performs the song. But those who are fans of “If I Were a Boy,” “Single Ladies,” and “Halo,” a notorious closer for Beyoncé—as evidenced by the Homecoming concert film and her Formation World Tour— may be disappointed.

Beyoncé did NOT perform her hit songs “Single Ladies”, ”If I Were a Boy” and “Halo” at the opening night of her #RENAISSANCEtour show in Sweden. pic.twitter.com/ejXi5b7fXf — Buzzing Pop (@BuzzingPop) May 10, 2023

Beyoncé brought back the Les Twins, who have accompanied her on multiple tours and performances

The Les Twins, Laurent and Larry, were approached by Beyoncé years ago after a video of them dancing went viral and they appeared on The Ellen DeGeneres Show . They were invited to perform with Beyoncé at the Billboard Music Awards in 2011, and she took them on the road with her for the Mrs. Carter World Tour, her joint On The Run Tour with Jay-Z, and her Coachella performance in 2018 . Her fans were excited to see the Les Twins back on stage with her for this new tour.

Beyoncé performing Thique and Les Twins are officially back 😭 #RenaissanceWorldTour pic.twitter.com/zPKiGAPCjG — J (@wenttojarrett) May 10, 2023

It was gay as hell: An unabashed celebration of the LGBTQ+ community

In the lead-up to the album, Beyoncé dedicated the project to her Uncle Johnny, who battled HIV when she was young. He is referenced in the song “HEATED,” and in the outro of the song, Beyoncé takes on the role of MC at a ball (a queer dance party) where she starts “reading.” All of these influences took center stage at the Renaissance World Tour and will make a strong statement when it comes stateside in July, given the wave of anti-LGBTQ+ legislation being introduced across the country.

BEYONCÉ IS HEATED😭😭😭 #RENAISSANCEtour pic.twitter.com/ddL9s1ByUA — 𝗱𝗮𝗻𝗻𝘆🫧💚 (@beyoncegarden) May 10, 2023

One of the biggest displays of affection for her queer fans came even before the concert started. As concertgoers poured into the stadium, they were greeted with a fake TV error screen, but if you look closely, some of the colors are different. This error screen has the colors of the progress pride flag, which includes colors from the transgender pride flag, as well as brown and black to indicate the greater discrimination experienced by those members of the community. Twitter users joked, “Nashville is gonna be ready to arrest Beyoncé for this, lord Jesus,” referencing the state’s attempt to ban drag shows and broader attempts across the US to infringe on trans people’s rights.

Nashville is gonna be ready to arrest Beyoncé for this lord Jesus pic.twitter.com/jAz6ObNSEQ — 💫 (@heyjaeee) May 10, 2023

There is also a ball that happens in the show. Beyoncé makes space for her dancers to vogue and dance to her song, “PURE/HONEY.”

BEYONCÉ HOSTING A BALL IS SO WILD TO ME OMG pic.twitter.com/1JwnRMX8TR — Pocket (@islandthembo) May 10, 2023

Some people might recognize Honey Balenciaga from The House of Balenciaga, which appeared in season two of HBO Max’s Legendary . She was seen voguing on stage with the rest of Beyoncé’s dancers.

@legendaryvoguex HONEY BALENCIAGA @Honey. YOU WILL ALWAYS BE THE IT GIRL #RENAISSANCE ♬ original sound - Legendary Vogue X

As we’ve seen with other tours from major artists like Harry Styles, Taylor Swift, and the 1975, their fervent fan base will keep everyone up to date on all the song changes, new outfits, and surprises that these artists pull out of their bag of tricks on the road. As we’ve seen with Swift’s notoriously sold-out Eras Tour, her fans made sure to give people who couldn’t get tickets a chance to see the tour play out online. Based on how night one played out, it seems like Beyoncé’s fans will be doing the same for those of us stuck at home.

Correction, May 11: The original version of this story misgendered Honey Balenciaga. She uses she/her pronouns.

More Must-Reads From TIME

• The 100 Most Influential People of 2024
• How Far Trump Would Go
• Scenes From Pro-Palestinian Encampments Across U.S. Universities
• Saving Seconds Is Better Than Hours
• Why Your Breakfast Should Start with a Vegetable
• 6 Compliments That Land Every Time
• Welcome to the Golden Age of Ryan Gosling
• Want Weekly Recs on What to Watch, Read, and More? Sign Up for Worth Your Time

Write to Moises Mendez II at [email protected]

Beyonce Sparks Tour Rumors With Mysterious Hint

Maybe this tease is too good to be true... for now.

Beyonce has buzzed up the Beyhive once more with a curious website post, and her fans think that she might be going on tour again soon. Moreover, she uploaded a picture of a ticket stub with a "Sold Out" stamp on it from her Mrs. Carter show in 2013. Many probably upgraded their WiFi, started saving up, and opened multiple devices at a time to wait for an official ticket announcement. Of course, this is all mostly speculative, but surely the French-defined superstar knows exactly what kind of ruckus she's making with this move. As such, we'd bet on something concrete coming up very soon.

Furthermore, it seems like Beyoncé isn't waiting out the tour game as much as she did for 2022's RENAISSANCE , and that makes some sense. After all, last year's tour was an absolute smash hit, and so many people couldn't even get tickets that we're sure demand will still be magnanimous this time around. But we'll have to wait and see whether this is a tease for the next few days or for the next few months. Maybe we even see that Lion King prequel before we get a chance to hear "SPAGHETTII" live.

Read More: Beyonce Surprise Stagecoach Set Seemingly Debunked By TikToker

Beyonce Seemingly Teases Upcoming Tour

Regardless, it's a great time to be a Beyoncé fan. New music, new moves, and a big risk to bask in to boot, much like NLE Choppa acknowledged in his recent praise of her . "Beyonce I just want to say appreciate the country album, she literally shifting music," he tweeted last Friday (April 27). "All the labels looking for country records because of the shift she started just by this album. And even inspiring me, people who look like me, to step outside the box as an urban artist."

Meanwhile, Beyoncé's recent efforts haven't turned everyone to a fan , but we're sure there will still be a lot of excitement about this tour. Are you thinking of copping tickets (if they drop) or were you satisfied with your RENAISSANCE run, if applicable? Whatever the case, let us know in the comments section down below. As always, come back to HNHH for the latest news and more updates on the music world's developments.

Read More: Beyonce Surprises Adorable 2-Year-Old Superfan With Heartfelt Gifts

• tour announcement

Blue Ivy joins mom Beyoncé in 'Lion King' prequel 'Mufasa.' Can you feel the love?

After performing with her mom onstage during the Renaissance tour, Blue Ivy Carter will join Beyoncé on the big screen.

The mother-daughter duo both voice characters in the upcoming prequel to 2019 live-action hit “The Lion King.” “Mufasa: The Lion King,” directed by Barry Jenkins and hitting theaters in December, tells the story of Mufasa’s life and his childhood with brother Scar.

Carter will voice Simba and Nala's daughter, Kiara, while Beyoncé will reprise her role as Nala and Donald Glover will return as Simba. Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen also are back as Timon and Pumbaa.

While the film marks Carter’s first acting gig in a movie, the 12-year-old already has an impressive résumé. In addition to dancing backup on her mother's record-smashing Renaissance world tour, she is a Grammy winner thanks to her feature in Beyoncé’s "Brown Skin Girl" music video, which took home the music video trophy at the 2021 Grammys. Although she won that award at age 9, Carter has been setting records and making headlines since birth. Two days after she was born in 2012, her father, Jay-Z, released the song “Glory,” which featured her cries and coos. Since she was individually credited on the track, she became (and remains) the youngest person to appear on a Billboard chart.

Beyoncé also recently enlisted the help of her younger daughter, Rumi, as she recorded her new album, “Cowboy Carter.” The track “Protector,” a touching tribute to her children and motherhood, starts with Beyoncé’s 6-year-old asking her to sing a lullaby.

The “Mufasa” teaser trailer , which Disney debuted on Monday morning, does not reveal whether audiences can expect to hear Carter sing, but given Beyoncé’s musical contributions to the 2019 film, it is likely that her daughter will follow suit.

While the original 1994 animated film and the 2019 live-action remake featured familiar tunes composed by Elton John and lyricist Tim Rice, along with one original song by Beyoncé, the prequel will include new music by “Hamilton” mastermind Lin-Manuel Miranda. Miranda has become a frequent Disney collaborator, working on the music for “Moana,” “Encanto” and the 2023 live-action remake of “The Little Mermaid.”

Jenkins, the filmmaker behind the Oscar-winning “Moonlight” and “If Beale Street Could Talk,” said Carter and Beyoncé did not have to pretend too much during the voice acting process and that it was “really special” to watch them work together.

"Beyoncé is this larger-than-life figure, but when she's working with her daughter, when she's in the room with her daughter, she's a mom first," he said Monday on “Good Morning America” after dropping the trailer. "So much of that energy bled into the film."

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times .

Advertisement

Supported by

Beyoncé’s Last Fashion Frontier

It’s now impossible to see a cowboy hat or pair of cowboy boots and not think of her.

• Share full article

By Vanessa Friedman

Has there ever been an artist who owned fashion — and owned as much fashion — as Beyoncé Knowles Carter? Though chances are slim that she will attend the Met Gala on Monday (she hasn’t graced the party since 2016), she is practically a Met Gala unto herself.

She wore about 148 looks on her Renaissance world tour alone. More than 60 in her film “Black Is King.” More than a dozen in the under-two-minutes teaser video for “I’m That Girl.” It has been both dazzling and groundbreaking to see her bend fashion to her will, bestowing the glowing crumbs of her attention on as wide a swath of designers as possible, while seemingly all of them clamor for her favor. Name a brand; she has worn it. Probably a custom version of it.

And yet for all that, despite winning a “fashion icon” award from the Council of Fashion Designers of America and having her own fashion line, Ivy Park, despite a high-fashion collaboration with Balmain, Beyoncé has not really changed how people dress. It may be counterintuitive, but generally she has seemed more interested in having fashion serve her , rather than serving fashion. Spreading her influence so widely has focused attention on no single name or aesthetic save her own.

Until now. With “Cowboy Carter,” finally, her fashion and her mission have become one and the same, and the effect is industry-shifting. Even more than Taylor Swift, her fellow diva of the moment, she has determined the look of the moment.

According to a spokeswoman for Lyst, the fashion search engine, Western-related product engagement is up 59 percent year-on-year for this quarter. “We’ve seen a 51 percent increase in searches for ‘cowboy boots,’ a 31 percent increase in searches for ‘Levi’s jeans’ since this song and the album dropped and a 57 percent increase featuring the keyword ‘cowboy,’” she said. Searches for Ganni Western boots alone grew 224 percent between March and April, and searches for Y project Western jeans were up 610 percent.

Sure, cowboys have been edging their way into popular culture ever since Lil Nas X sang “Old Town Road,” “Yellowstone” became a hit and Bella Hadid started dating a rodeo star. Ralph Lauren has been embracing the Hollywood West almost since he began.

But in Beyoncé’s total and carefully calibrated cowboy-ification of everything, she has taken the phenomenon to an entirely different level. Not just the multiple versions of denim, plaid, chaps and rodeo-glam, but also the enormous Alexander McQueen shearling on the cover of W, the beige Ferragamo suit and trench she wore to promote “Cowboy Carter” in Japan, the bejeweled dove gray Gaurav Gupta jacket and boots she wore to the Luar show . All of it captured on Instagram and on Beyonce.com to preserve for posterity the aesthetic revolution of the “Cowboy Carter” rollout — a campaign that could be a course of study in itself.

“She has mainstreamed country as a genre, and mainstreamed its aesthetics,” said Riché Richardson, a professor in the Africana Studies and Research Center at Cornell University who has taught a class called Beyoncé Nation.

Marni Senofonte, the stylist who has worked with Beyoncé for about 15 years and created many of the “Cowboy Carter” visuals, agreed. “This is worldwide,” she said — even in the context of previous Beyoncé fashion statements, like the H.B.C.U. moments of Coachella, the Black Panther ode of “Formation” and the puffed sleeves of “Lemonade.” “It’s easily the biggest trend response we’ve seen.”

Alison Bringé, the chief marketing officer of Launchmetrics, the data analytics company, said that in the two weeks after the release of Beyoncé’s “Levi’s Jeans,” the song generated an additional $1.2 million in online and social media exposure for Levi’s — all of which, she said, can be attributed solely to Beyoncé’s influence.

“Moreover,” she continued, “Beyoncé’s pivot into country music has served as a catalyst for a nearly 45 percent uptick in the prominence of Western and country styling within the broader fashion landscape.”

It has become hard to see anyone in cowboycore — Kim Kardashian in a cowboy hat at the Super Bowl, Venus Williams in cowboy boots doing a talk on art collecting at the Met — and not think you are seeing the Beyoncé effect IRL.

Part of this, Ms. Senofonte pointed out, has to do with access. Everyone can buy jeans, but not everyone has the ability to get, say, Jonathan Anderson of Loewe to design them a bodysuit as he did for Beyoncé during her Renaissance tour. (And not everyone wants to wear a bodysuit.) Part of it has to do with the fact that, Ms. Richardson of Cornell said, Beyoncé has been seeding the ground for a while.

“‘Renaissance,’ ‘Formation’ and ‘Lemonade,’ to different degrees, built on questions and challenges related to national identity in terms of belonging,” Ms. Richardson said. “This is a more mass expression of that project.”

But the Beyoncé effect also has to do with a broader reclaiming of certain powerful mythology for women at a time when they seem to be increasingly disempowered. After all, as Ms. Senofonte pointed out, Beyoncé called her album “Cowboy Carter,” not “Cowgirl Carter” — and she does nothing by accident.

She has been wearing chaps, cowboy hats and bolos, the semiology of the masculine West, rather than prairie skirts and ruffly blouses, their feminized equivalents. The associations she is claiming for herself have to do with deeply embedded notions of the wide-open frontier, of swagger and sweat and territory. Of freedom and manifest destiny. She’s taking the imagery of “Lonesome Dove” and “Riders of the Purple Sage,” of the Earps and Wild Bill Hickok, and inverting it.

It is not a coincidence that she has been seeding Pharrell Williams’s Western-influenced Louis Vuitton men’s collection throughout her promotional juggernaut. She is assuming the camouflage of the guys. As it happens, Mr. Williams is listed as a contributor on “Cowboy Carter,” and given the time it takes to make an album and to make a collection, chances are he began working on the music before working on his show. Which suggests that the “Cowboy Carter” aura may well have influenced his designs in the first place.

“It’s a challenge to the conventional masculinity associated with that genre,” Ms. Richardson said of Beyoncé’s all-cowboy hats all-the-time styling. “She’s broadening the notion of who can wear this.” And she’s showing everyone how to do it at the same time, using accessories to douse any outfit in the attitude of the frontier. That’s political in the broadest and most inclusive sense of the word.

While it would be a joy to see how she would have given a Western spin to “The Garden of Time,” the Met Gala’s dress code, it’s also possible to conjure up a prickly pear-festooned cowboy hat of the imagination. She hasn’t just earned her spurs. She’s given everyone else permission to wear them.

Vanessa Friedman has been the fashion director and chief fashion critic for The Times since 2014. More about Vanessa Friedman

Beyoncé collaborators Willie Jones, Shaboozey and the conflict of being Black in country music

• Andrea Williams is an opinion columnist for The Nashville Tennessean, part of the USA TODAY Network, and curator of the Black Tennessee Voices initiative.

Willie Jones appeared to throw some internet shade to another Black country music artist on Thursday morning.

In a post on X , Jones congratulated Shaboozey for hitting No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart with "A Bar Song (Tipsy)." Jones also included a screenshot of an Instagram post in which he congratulated Shaboozey while referencing the song's video , particularly its lack of Black actors: "Congrats but I hope the YTS + bee hive gone support me like they doing shaboozey lol cause yall seen all them in his video?"

The post has garnered more than a million views. But some X users questioned its veracity, speculating that, perhaps, the "beef" is a fabricated attempt to generate Kendrick Lamar/Drake-style attention. Among those who took Jones' critique at face value, the prevailing sentiment was dismissive: He's a hater; he's jealous of Shaboozey's success; he needs to keep the drama to the group chat.

Country music pushes Black artists to assimilate to white cultural norms

Internet etiquette aside, those who know anything about country music and Black folks' enduring struggles within it understand Jones' implication: Success for Black artists in country music, while already extremely difficult, is only possible when they assimilate into the industry's dominant, white, culture.

History supports this, of course. While it is commonly known that RCA Victor promoted Charley Pride's early works without his photo, Pride's own willingness to detract from his Blackness is less frequently discussed.

Despite launching his career in the 1960s and achieving stardom while the country was ablaze with racial unrest, an article in the June 9, 1968, edition of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported that Pride rejected a civil rights group’s invitation to speak on their behalf. "Gentleman," he said, "I respect your position, but your business is politics and mine's country music. You speak to yours and I’ll speak to mine."

The next year, Pride notched his first country No. 1 with "All I Have to Offer You (Is Me)." "(I'm So) Afraid of Losing You Again" also reached the top of the chart in '69, kicking off an incredible 15-year run during which he logged at least one No. 1 single per calendar year. In all but five of those years, he had multiple.

'Cowboy Carter': Beyoncé collaborators Shaboozey, Willie Jones highlight Black country music

Because Pride is, far and away, the most successful Black artist in country music (more successful, even, than many white artists), his career journey has become the path which subsequent Black acts must follow. This is the case whether they were led to it by the industry's white gatekeepers or decided to embark on it on their own.

As such, Black artists in country music — certainly the ones who have developed any sizable platform — tend to be aberrations within their appointed entourages, exceptions to their own rules. Or, as Jones put it, "a fly in a milk bowl." Often, they tour with white bands and write with white songwriters; they record with white producers and establish their careers with the help of white managers and publicists.

Black artists on Beyoncé's album are streamed because of her, not them

To some people, some Black artists included, none of this matters. I'm just trying to make music, they say. I have to do what's best for me, they say. And, in an echo of the white decision-makers (who, absent the death of George Floyd and/or the release Beyonce's "Cowboy Carter" album , would've never uttered their names): I don't even know any Black (fill-in-the-blank).

But it does matter. And if you're a Black artist bemoaning the lack of diversity in country music as it applies to other artists – if you wonder, for example, why more Black artists aren't played on country radio, or booked on festivals, or nominated for CMA and ACM awards – you should, in theory, also be concerned about the lack of Black songwriters in the genre, or even the optics of a Black artist's video that features an all-white cast.

As for Jones’s speculation about support from Beyoncé's fans – a reasonable query given his feature on "Cowboy Carter's" "Just for Fun" – his Shaboozey call-out appears to have turned off those who showed up at country music's doors to support their queen and her country vibes, not to be privy to any long-festering industry issues.

Beyoncé didn't knock. She busted down the doors of Nashville's country music industry

Data, however, reveals that Jones had valid reason to be concerned well before Thursday's blowback. Regarding the impact of a "Cowboy Carter" inclusion on the careers of the featured artists, Dr. Jada Watson, professor at the University of Ottawa and author of the report " Redlining in Country Music ," notes:

"Roughly 95% of the increase in monthly (Spotify) listenership is for the songs on which they are featured and not for their catalogues. Beyoncé's fans, and any new fans to the album, are streaming "Cowboy Carter" from Beyoncé's Spotify page and those listeners are rarely making the click over the featured artists' pages to discover their music. If they are visiting their pages, they are following, but not returning to become an active listener."

Shaboozey's success is partially due to rare industry support

The result, Watson says, is a precipitous drop in listener-to-follower conversions – about 90%-plus. She estimates that the damage will be felt long-term, and she cites Tanner Adell's recent release of "Whiskey Blues" as illustrative of potential impact.

Adell, who was featured on "Cowboy Carter's" "Blackbiird," achieved some streaming success with "Whiskey Blues" – around 500,000 streams in its first week, according to Watson, but not enough to achieve similar heights to Shaboozey, who was featured on "Spaghettii" and "Sweet Honey Buckiin'" from the album.

"Despite being a brilliant self-marketer on social media, Adell's single suffers because, 1), she's in a moment of negative fan conversion because of how Beyoncé's album is washing right over her," Watson says, "and, 2), she doesn't have the same external-to-Nashville support or the internal-to-Nashville support to parlay this moment into chart activity. Honestly, she was doing much better with fan conversion before 'Cowboy Carter.'"

Some of the reasons for Shaboozey's outlier success are speculative: As an example, he may have known about his inclusion on the record earlier than other featured artists and thus had more time to develop a more strategic promotional plan. (Jones has stated that he was added to the album " in the fourth quarter .") Other explanations are more certain – namely, that Shaboozey has the support from both inside and outside of Nashville that Adell and other Black artists lack.

"On the report that published on Monday, April 29, 'A Bar Song (Tipsy)' had over 300 spins on country radio, and it sat at No. 78 on the Mediabase report," Watson says. "When you add this type of radio support to digital sales and stellar first week streams (9M+), you have the kind of digital footprint to land at the top of Billboard's hybrid-Hot Country Songs."

Tracy Chapman and Luke Combs performance paints an idyllic but false portrait

The point, of course, is not to begrudge Shaboozey of his success, or to attempt to diminish it. But it is completely fair to point out how his success will impact other Black artists who hope to achieve their own number ones – or, put differently, how Shaboozey is, or isn't, altering the course laid out by Pride.

For now, though, what was true in the 1960s remains true today: An industry that allows for only sporadic, individual Black successes is one that never truly evolves. It, instead, waits for the next Black artist willing to play the game and follow suit, the artist who will proclaim that their Blackness is a safe kind of Blackness, that it is, in fact, the only Blackness needed.

Andrea Williams is an opinion columnist for The Tennessean and curator of the Black Tennessee Voices initiative. She has an extensive background covering country music, sports, race and society. Email her at  [email protected]  or follow her on X (formerly known as Twitter) at  @AndreaWillWrite .

Recommended

• Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)
• Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)
• Click to email a link to a friend (Opens in new window)
• Click to copy URL

Tina Knowles borrows one of daughter Beyoncé’s Renaissance Tour outfits for red carpet event

• View Author Archive
• Get author RSS feed

Thanks for contacting us. We've received your submission.

Tina Knowles seems to be taking a page out of Beyoncé’s book — or, rather, taking an outfit out of her closet.

The mother of the “Levii’s Jeans” singer recently stepped out at an event in Las Vegas, decked out a trompe l’oiel denim jumpsuit that looks identical to one Bey wore on her “Renaissance Tour” last summer.

Taking to Instagram , Knowles, 70, showed off the gray, acid-washed one-piece, giving a shoutout to “Love & Laughter,” a new show that features Cedric The Entertainer and Toni Braxton which opened on April 27.

Beyoncé’s jumpsuit — which she wore in Louisville, Kentucky — was a custom creation from Diesel that originally included a matching pair of gloves, though Knowles decided to skip that detail. The look also featured attached shoes and a zipper down the front.

Of course, the bold look was instantly recognizable to members of the Beyhive, who took to Knowles’ comments section with tons of compliments.

“Ate that bee lady up in her own outfit 🔥” one person joked while another said, “You in Beyoncés closet” and a third said, “SLAY! 🔥❤️ Waiting for The Miss Tina World Tour🔥🔥🔥.”

Actress Laverne Cox also joined in. “Let em know Miss Tina!!!” she wrote.

Of course, Knowles’ fashion-forward look should come as no surprise to Beyoncé’s most dedicated fans. The singer’s mom was responsible for designing some of Destiny’s Child’s most recognizable looks back in the day, including a number of coordinated ensembles they wore on the red carpet.

Back in January, Knowles also revealed that the Grammy-winning group, which also includes members Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, sang to her in honor of her milestone 70th birthday.

“I even got serenaded by Destiny’s Child. How amazing is that?” she confessed in a video she shared on social media.

Earlier this year, Beyoncé officially launched her own haircare Cécred , which was partially inspired by her mom, who owned a popular hair salon in Houston, Texas in the ’90s.

Share this article:

Advertisement

Things you buy through our links may earn  Vox Media  a commission.

Help! There’s So Much Pop!

From the hyperpop mania of charli xcx to the whiskey-soaked sounds of beyoncé’s country foray to “that’s that me, espresso.”.

The temperatures are warming, the windows opening, and a pop or pop-adjacent album is being released every week. This year’s song-of-summer bracket promises bops and bangers of all types, fit for many situations. Here, a guide to maximizing the current deluge.

. Are You Wanting a Song by Charli XCX …

That’s actually by her yes, please..

Charli XCX, Brat (June 7): While Charli has long experimented with different sides of pop, her latest album — with the clappy beat of “Club Classics” and the looped, Gesaffelstein-assisted “B2b” — recalls her “Vroom Vroom” era. After her wild Boiler Room rave, these songs are destined to be club classics, not just reference them.

That’s not by her but weirdly sounds like it? And you luv it.

Camila Cabello, “I Luv It”: Learning that this isn’t a Charli song — her 2010s hit is “I Love It” — but is in fact by a blonde Cabello doing something very different from her other solo attempts will make you do a double take. Gone is the swinging chill of “Havana” or the heartrending, down-tempo vibes of “Never Be the Same.” She’s now operating at the speed of hyperpop. “I need you now and tomorrow,” she croons before singing — or saying? — “I love it” almost 30 times.

That’s by her with some friends? The more the merrier.

Charli XCX, A. G. Cook, Addison Rae“The Von Dutch Remix”: The former TikTok star isn’t coming for Charli’s style so much as she’s adjacent to it — all fun, all play, all dead-eye glaring and party outfits. If you’ve ever said, “I like Charli and I need more,” here’s where you’re headed. Rae’s now-viral scream that comes after two “I’m just livin’ that life” verses is a real “Wait for the drop” kind of moment.

. Are You Single?

Is it (allegedly) your fault yes, and.

Ariana Grande, eternal sunshine: This may be the ultimate “Good for her” divorce album: Ari plays smug and thrilled about her split from ex-husband Dalton Gomez and about finding her new beau, SpongeBob. From the preening “the boy is mine” to the provocative Improv Comedy 101 “yes, and?,” this is for anyone happy to cut and run.

Is it (allegedly) your fault? Yes, but I feel bad about it.

Zayn, Room Under the Stairs (May 17): Gone are the days of Zayn’s post–One Direction bad-boy moodiness. Now, he’s all regret, feeling rueful and lonely after his separation from Gigi Hadid and whatever might have happened with Selena Gomez. You’re gonna hear his half-hearted remorse via moaning and groaning (sometimes in a twang) set to low-tempo beats. Song titles include “Alienated” and “Gates of Hell.”

I’m getting back out there. And it rocks.

Shakira, Las Mujeres Ya No Lloran: Another divorce album, but this one won’t make you think about dating a theater kid. It may not match the ruthlessness of her viral diss to her ex, “Bzrp Music Sessions, Vol. 53,” but it’s a poppy, electro-dance record full of fun features (Cardi B! Karol G!). It also doubles down on Shakira’s genre-bending excellence, shifting from rock to Latin pop to emotional ballads.

I’m getting back out there. And I’ve got a lot to say about it .

Maya Hawke, Chaos Angel (May 31): The actress’s third album seems a little more angel and a little less chaotic, opting for slowish, twangy tracks that suggest her Flannery O’Connor role in Wildcat might have influenced her acoustic sensibilities. It’s possible Hawke’s music is a little too easygoing for how much she has to say in each song, but she’s a good rambler: “Didn’t think I’d get in, so I didn’t apply / Now I’m a drunk hanger-on hitting on a younger guy / I buy booze for the Ivy League with my television salary / They think they look up to me,” she sings, pouring that all into the early verses of “Missing Out.”

I’m getting back out there. But I feel bad about it.

Conan Gray, Found Heaven: Gray’s sad-boy ’80s synth pop includes lyrics that are wistful and yearning but set to beep-boop -y sounds, giving his tunes a fun sense of cognitive dissonance. Some on this chart are relieved to split from their partners; Gray’s album comes from pure heartbreak (he got dumped on a plane!). “Dance with me so we don’t cry,” he sings on “Lonely Dancers.”

I’m getting back out there. But this time, gayer.

Billie Eilish, Hit Me Hard and Soft (May 17): The Oscar and Grammy winner told Rolling Stone her third LP is a real “album-ass album.” That concept — no singles — plus her newfound love of pussy (one song is called “Lunch”; she came out as queer last fall) and frank discussion of self-pleasure signal that Eilish is eager to explore new things.

Here for a good time, not a long time. And kinda loving it.

Tyla, Tyla: Tyla’s debut is sweet and sultry with “Truth or Dare” daring you to get off the couch and move a little. As for the more extroverted singles, there are “Water” (“Make me sweat / Make me hotter / Make me lose my breath” — direct!) and “ART,” in which she boasts about being someone’s piece and muse. And no matter your situation or personality, prepare to gravitate toward “Jump,” featuring Skillibeng and Gunna, all summer.

Here for a good time, not a long time. And kinda hating it.

Chappell Roan, “Good Luck, Babe!”: To quote the great Nicole Kidman, “Somehow heartbreak feels good in a place like this.” Roan’s belting, unabashedly queer pop (not the JoJo Siwa kind) is full of longing and sensuality. On her new single, whose title is meant to encourage her and her fans, she sings, “I don’t wanna call it off / But you don’t wanna call it love,” bemoaning the uneasy in-between of being not quite single but not quite taken, either.

. Are You Happily Coupled?

Yes, and i’ve got a lot to say about it..

Taylor Swift, The Tortured Poets Department: Swift details her most oversaturated year yet — the Joe Alwyn breakup, the Matty Healy thing, the exhaustion of her Eras Tour, fan annoyance, coupling up with Travis Kelce — in a wordy double LP. To quote the great anonymous poet, “i ain’t reading all that. i’m happy for u tho, or sorry that happened.”

Are you being normal about it? As normal as can be.

Waxahatchee, Tigers Blood: This is the poppiest turn yet from Katie Crutchfield’s folksy solo project. Her previous album dealt with a post-sobriety return to a sense of stability with longtime partner Kevin Morby; this one’s about being a normie. “My life’s been mapped out to a T / But I’m always a little lost,” she sings on “Lone Star Lake.” The songs are dreamy and groovy.

Are you being normal about it? I have no chill.

Meghan Trainor, Timeless (June 14): The singer says she and husband Daryl Sabara — enough! We know ! Her sixth album’s lead track, “Been Like This,” is about how she has been the same person this whole time — “Ain’t nothin’ new / Still that bitch,” she threatens — suggesting that her marital bliss and goofy throwback songs are here to stay. The album is called Timeless .

Well, maybe not happily. But putting on a good act.

Sabrina Carpenter, “Espresso”: The new single from the former Girl Meets World star turned Olivia Rodrigo nemesis turned Taylor Swift opener is a silly summer song for the ages. Her performance of it at Coachella, where she shouted-out her beau, Barry Keoghan, with a sexy wave and a winky bathwater reference , catapulted it into the Billboard top ten; now she has landed a musical guest spot on SNL . Who are any of us to argue with the power of “That’s that me, espresso”?

Well, maybe not happily. But they’ve learned their lesson.

Beyoncé, Cowboy Carter: In the artist’s own words, this is “a Beyoncé album,” and it’s full of fun tracks like “Ya Ya”. But in true country fashion, she turns more inward than she did on Renaissance : Several songs reference her continued love and devotion to Jay-Z (“I’ll be your shotgun rider till the day I die,” she sings with Miley Cyrus on “II MOST WANTED”), but she still has strong words for him. “Thinking ’bout leaving, hell no,” she warns in “Alligator Tears.”

. Are You Having an Existential Crisis?

New personality: way too much..

Jojo Siwa, “Karma”: Between her new Kiss aesthetic, hump-happy music video, and bizarre quotes — “gay pop” should be an “official genre”; she has a sperm donor “lined up” for her future kids, whose names will rhyme — it’s clear the 20-year-old former child dance star is going through a delayed teenage phase. (The one she skipped during those recent bow and high-pony years.) Her revenge track, presumably targeting ex Avery Cyrus, includes the word bitch but dials it back elsewhere, using eff instead of fuck. Meanwhile, she keeps trying to get whatever this move is (the “Siwanator”?) to catch on.

New personality: just not enough.

Justin Timberlake, Everything I Thought It Was: Timberlake tries and fails to unite his semi-apologetic dad vibe with the sexy, poppy songs he put out in the early aughts to mixed, if not outright lackluster, results on his sixth solo album. Not even the ’N Sync feature saves this, though it may inspire some Oh shit, I’m old –style reckoning.

Same personality: and it rocks.

Dua Lipa, Radical Optimism: Lipa again goes for an upbeat dance album with throwback disco signifiers. Calling it Radical Optimism is a puzzler — was she not optimistic before? What’s radical, exactly, about what we’re hearing? Is it just about how she dyed her hair red? Do we care what she’s saying, or do we just like singing “go Houdini”? The Service95 editor-in-chief is our most baffling media-mogul–pop-singer hybrid — and the only one — but her commitment to consistency is one comfort in this world.

Same personality: but trippier.

Kacey Musgraves, Deeper Well: On this grounded, gentle follow-up to her divorce album, Musgraves is still exploring healing and growth. But just because she stopped smoking weed and started getting high on her Saturn return doesn’t mean you have to when you listen to her music. Either way, you’ll both be realizing some stuff about who you are out there in this big world.

More pop music news

• Guess What Dua Lipa’s Favorite Vaction Spot Is
• It’s Charli’s New Album, Baby
• Billie Eilish Sees Through Your Transparent Vinyl Scheme
• vulture homepage lede
• vulture section lede
• kacey musgraves
• camila cabello
• ariana grande
• billie eilish
• chappell roan
• taylor swift
• waxahatchee
• meghan trainor
• sabrina carpenter
• justin timberlake
• new york magazine

Most Viewed Stories

• Cinematrix No. 50: May 3, 2024
• Kendrick’s Drake-Villain Origin Story Begins With DMX
• One of the Biggest Movie Flops of the Year Is a Streaming Hit. Now What?
• Kendrick Really Hates That Man
• The 9 Best Movies and TV Shows to Watch This Weekend
• Summer House Recap: A Cold Shower
• Um, Is NewJeans Okay?
• Sugar Recap: Everything is For the Mission

Editor’s Picks

Most Popular

What is your email.

This email will be used to sign into all New York sites. By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive email correspondence from us.

Sign In To Continue Reading

Create your free account.

Password must be at least 8 characters and contain:

• Lower case letters (a-z)
• Upper case letters (A-Z)
• Numbers (0-9)
• Special Characters (!@#$%^&*)

As part of your account, you’ll receive occasional updates and offers from New York , which you can opt out of anytime.