What To Know About Beyoncé’s Rumored Renaissance Act II
Could you imagine?
Since Beyoncé released her riveting Renaissance album on July 29, the world has not been the same... in the best way possible. Not only have listeners fallen in love with house music all over again, but the entire album charted onto Billboard’s Hot 100 list. Talk about Beydomination. As a sweet topper, the “Break My Soul” vocalist confirmed that the album is the first part of a trilogy, with Act II and Act III to come at a later date.
I’m not fully recovered from how extraordinary Act I of Renaissance is, so the idea of Act II has my brain spiraling. “This three act project was recorded over three years during the pandemic,” Beyoncé wrote in a statement on her website. “A time to be still, but also a time I found to be the most creative. Creating this album allowed me a place to dream and to find escape during a scary time for the world.”
Beyoncé hasn’t publicly spoken about Act II, so a lot of fan theories about what this rumored act will be like has been floating around social media. So what, exactly, will Renaissance Act II bring to the table? It’s important to note that all these theories are speculations, and Beyoncé hasn't confirmed any details associated with the project’s final product. Let’s dive in.
Beyoncé’s Renaissance Act II Release Date
Beyoncé is a queen of many things, and one of them is keeping tight-lipped about releasing music. The singer is known for shaking the internet with surprise announcements, so there’s no telling if fans will receive a heads up about Act II before its release. Even with that arrangement being her signature strategy, it’s worthy to note that the idea of her releasing a couple singles before dropping a full project isn’t completely off the table.
She similarly structured Renaissance Act I’s release as such, and gave fans a glimpse of this new era about a month before the album dropped. However, it remains unclear whether Beyoncé will announce Act II in the same fashion, or announce the new album the day it releases.
For now, fans seem to think that Beyoncé has sprinkled some hints about Act II throughout Renaissance. Upon the release of the album on July 29, the “Virgo’s Groove” crooner uploaded lyric videos for each track on her official Youtube channel. In her “America Has A Problem” visual, many fans noticed a hidden gem in the video that might hint at a continuation of Act I, or an alleged release date for Act II.
The possible Easter egg, which is inspired by a distorted VCR effect, comes around the 25-second mark of the video. There, a red-hued pause template flashes across the screen, and the words “LP” and “00:08:20” are seen at the bottom of the shot. The clip then moves on to show the lyrics for the energetic record.
Fans acknowledged the quick detail and began to theorize what it could represent. “20th August Act II? #Beyonce#RENAISSANCE,” Twitter user @yoncecapital noted alongside a freeze frame of the aforementioned label.
This grainy note can still be seen in the song’s lyric video. The “00:08:20” record stamp is a rather interesting detail, especially since “America Has A Problem” has a run time of a little over 3 minutes. Being that this inclusion doesn’t accurately represent the track’s duration (and is listed beside LP), this could be a nod that new Beyoncé content is on the horizon.
Fans have also theorized when Act II could release by referencing Act I’s tracklist. “Beyoncé last song on her new album called “Summer Renaissance” and this is Act I (in the summertime) … does this mean Act II could potentially be coming in the Fall?” Twitter user @DaNayNayyy speculated.
Theories About Renaissance Act II’s Official Title
Several fans believe that Beyoncé accidentally announced Act II’s title on her official website. On Aug. 8, screenshots that read, “act ii ENLIGHTENMENT 8.20.22,” began to swirl on Twitter. It’s not exactly clear when this alleged note appeared on her website, but users noted that the announcement was quickly swiped from the website after.
This date is the same one from the aforementioned “America Has A Problem” lyric visual, so it’s interesting that this date has been connected to this album twice. It has not been confirmed if this date has any significant importance or link to Act II.
Renaissance Act II: A Visual Album or... Documentary?
The verdict for whether this second act will be a visual project or some sort of documentary seems to be split. A July 28 Renaissance press release confirmed visuals (in some capacity) are on the way, however, it’s not yet known if Act II is the album in question. That confirmation has strengthened some fans’ theories that Beyoncé will drop visuals for Act I, especially since no music videos have been released for the first part. The closest visual the singer has delivered for this first section was a teaser for her single “Break My Soul,” appropriately titled, “Cliquebait.”
“Tbh I have a theory that Beyoncé isn’t releasing 3 albums. But rather Renaissance act 1 is the album, act 2 is gonna be the visual for the album, and act 3 will be the tour for the album,” Twitter user @OhItsRyan theorized.
Some fans have gone so far to theorize that Act II will be beyond a visual album. One Twitter user suggested that “act ii will be a remix album.”
Meanwhile, other fans have posed the idea of Act II being a documentary about the album’s creative process. Specifically, one Twitter user speculated that a documentary, if in the works, could air on Netflix since Beyoncé scored a $60 million three-project deal with the network in 2019. According to Variety, Homecoming — her thrilling, behind-the-scenes documentary about her 2018 Coachella performance — was the first of three specials in the agreement.
What Will Act II Sound Like?
If the second act is a remix album, fans have wondered on what this section will sound like. Renaissance Act I was heavily inspired by house music, so the singer could go in any direction in terms of genre.
One Twitter user suggested that Act II will be a country record, while another user speculated that the sound will be a blend of funk and soul.
Beyoncé understands the assignment when it comes to delivering sonic greatness, so having these theories surrounding an already highly anticipated section only adds to the hype. The wait might be an excruciating one, but with how Renaissance Act I blew listeners out the water, I’m not expecting anything less for Act II. For now, I’ll excitedly continue to channel main character energy through Renaissance Act I.
