Beyoncé to Unveil New Song ‘Break My Soul’ at Midnight

Beyoncé will release “Break My Soul,” the lead single for her next album, at midnight, Columbia Records announced Monday. The label announced last week that Beyoncé’s new album, Renaissance, will follow on July 29. This will be her first solo studio album since Lemonade, although she worked with her husband Jay-Z on Everything Is Love and contributed to The Lion King soundtrack in 2019.

Columbia’s announcement included the number 6 next to the title “Break My Soul,” suggesting the track might be the sixth song on Renaissance. “Beyoncé brings in the summer solstice,” the caption reads. “BREAK MY SOUL midnight EST.” Beyoncé also added the song title to her Twitter bio, even though she hasn’t tweeted since April 2020.

Not too much is known about Renaissance, but a source told Variety that the new album includes a mix of “dance and country-leaning” songs. Ryan Tedder, who co-wrote Beyoncé‘s hit “Halo,” contributed to the album, as did Raphael Saadiq, who has worked with Mary J. Blige, Stevie Wonder, and John Legend. Saadiq also worked with Beyoncé’s sister Solange on her hit 2016 album A Seat At the Table.

There is a theory that Renaissance could be a multi-part release, especially since Columbia’s announcement billed it as “Act 1.” Beyoncé’s website store also includes pre-orders for four versions of Renaissance, subtitled “Pose” 1 through 4. The first “Pose” has already sold out. Each package includes the album on CD, a box, and a T-shirt and will ship on July 29.

Vogue U.K. editor-in-chief Edward Enninful heaped praise on the new record in his new Beyonce cover feature. “Instantly, a wall of sound hits me. Soaring vocals and fierce beats combine and in a split second I’m transported back to the clubs of my youth,” Enninful wrote. “I want to get up and start throwing moves. It’s music I love to my core. Music that makes you rise, that turns your mind to cultures and subcultures, to our people past and present, music that will unite so many on the dance floor, music that touches your soul. As ever with Beyoncé, it is all about the intent. I sit back, after the wave, absorbing it all.”

Rennaisance will serve as Beyoncé’s first solo album since Lemonade was released in 2016, but she has released other albums since. In 2018, she worked with her husband Jay-Z on Everything Is Love, and she released Homecoming, a live recording of her 2018 Coachella performance in 2019. Beyoncé also recorded several songs for Disney’s The Lion King remake, which was accompanied by her 2020 Disney+ movie Black Is King. After Beyoncé won four Grammys at the 2021 ceremony, she became the most-awarded female artist in Grammy history with 28 wins.