Beyonce, Renaissance, and the importance of embracing curiosity

Curiosity is one of the six components of the wellness framework that serves as the foundation for all of our work at Empowered to Exhale. It refers to activities that reveal the world to us by engaging in adventure, lifelong learning, hobbies, and new experiences. It allows us to expand our horizons and build a stable foundation from which we can reveal ourselves to the world. 

Music has always been a platform for my curiosity. I know [a lot] more hip hop lyrics than you would assume of a professor. I grew up getting bussed to a magnet school across town. I managed to multitask between doing homework and low key majoring in memorizing the lyrics of female emcees and every song played on the LA stations that amplified and celebrated Black culture: 92.3 The Beat, 102.3 KJLH, and Power 106. My affection for music during my college years and thereafter are pretty accurately captured by Issa Rae on Insecure [watch the Stanford reunion weekend episode to see exactly how we got down when we weren’t studying, ...and still do, every chance we get]. Since I officially have tenure at my university, it is time to be curious about what I can explore in the next stage of my academic journey. Today, that means using pop culture as a lens to explore pathways to liberation and holistic wellness for Black women.

Renaissance, Beyonce’s newest album, pays homage to the cultural icons who shaped and influence her creativity. Beyonce is expanding beyond the safe borders (which I think commenced with the unannounced midnight drop of her self-titled album in 2013, including the pearl-clutching tunes that announced her liberation such as Drunk in Love and Partition). She continues to share her liberated self with a world that is filled with judgment for Black women who don’t color inside of the lines. [This is not an album for sensitive ears].

In her dedication of the album, Bey writes: 

“To all of my fans:  I hope you find joy in this music. I hope it inspires you to release the wiggle. Ha! And to feel as unique, strong, and sexy as you are. Love y’all deep, B”

It is wonderful that we get to benefit from Beyonce’s willingness to push herself through curiosity to create, curate, and expand. It is a nice complement to the chaos of daily life.

I started with reviewing the lyrics, which immediately drew me to Church Girl. From there, I moved onto Plastic Off the Sofa, then let the algorithm lead me through the rest of the album. I reviewed comments to see how others were reacting to the lyrics. These were lyric videos, and yet the style of the music is so creative that you just start to visualize the video in your mind! The harmonizing and the beats take you on a journey!

Below is my review of each song, in the order that I listened to it. You can listen to the entire playlist here:

·  Church girl sings to my vision of Black women being able to be fully integrated in all of who we are, able to own and activate our pleasure. It sets the stage for the liberation that is the undercurrent of the entire album. I feel like a baddie just listening to this, and I can tell because I have a mean mug on my face, while moving to the beat. We can be BOTH. Spiritual and well, “drop it like a thottie”…: 

·  Pure/honey is homage to ballroom culture.  Just as we have done nothing to make us deserving of the energy of Billy Porter, we do not deserve the amazing ballroom scenes that will be inspired by this work of art.

·  Summer renaissance is Donna Summer vibes (I feel love) all day. Remember when music was about helping you feel happy inside? That is what this track is about.

·  Virgo’s groove.  I think I could get lost on the dance floor to this one, all of my friends could leave me at the club, and I would not mind at all. Its giving me 70s disco vibes, like I can see Soul Train in my mind’s eye. Those vocal runs at the end? WOW... they took me somewhere and I don’t want to come back. Someone said this should be a line dance and if that happens I am wearing flats and bringing a pillow to the dance floor because this song is LONG. 

·  Plastic off the sofa. This is that summer love that has gone through its tests to become mature love. Its about authenticity. I was first attracted to this song because of the lyrics, and I can’t believe how beautiful it is with her vocals. Good Lord, just such a beautiful song. Plastic off the sofa alludes to being authentic about what makes their relationship work. As Bey says, “the rest of the world is strange, just stay in our lane”. It makes me think of how being ourselves requires taking a risk in a world that judges us at our worst. 

·  Heated is about owning all of who she is, stating her conditions and boundaries. “I’m just as petty as you are”. Its giving peak eff around and find out energy. Around 3 minutes in she goes in and its time for a dance break to the beat. I started to wine (IYKYK) to this, but Bey is also calling it disco trap. You decide. 

·  Move: This had me from the first drop. I am immediately ready to construct a dance routine and I don’t even know the beat yet. Send help. This brings back a lot of the energy that I loved on The Gift soundtrack. Definitely the bounce song to coordinate moves to. And finding out Grace Jones is on the track just made me want to cry.. this is magic and it feels historic, important, special. Grace doesn’t come out for just anything or anyone. Grace will stay in the shadows for a cool decade then poke out for a cameo… in the same lane as Sade who I’m convinced is protected in crystal somewhere. So, this is special and you can’t take this feeling away from me, because Bey made it happen. All I can say is representation matters.

·  Thique: The title says it all, this is about to be an intense track. Not for gentle ears. This is a song for when you are feeling yourself. It motivates me to celebrate my body. “Girl look at your body right”. I’m just feeling empowered to celebrate my body. She channels memories of cultural moments by dropping phrases like 1996 Freaknik. Try clapping to the beat on the chorus—you’re welcome. 

·  America has a problem: I thought it was going to be on the formation tip, but its not a social commentary. Its about valuing yourself and what you bring to the table, even though the context is sexuality I think it can go farther. The emphatic statement of “No” feels like an enforcement of boundaries and I stand with that. I think I will wait to hear this a few more times to let it fully settle on my palate. 

·  I’m that girl. So the lyric sheet for this was intense, but it makes sense when I hear it. It’s a bottled pep talk to the beat. This the song you play to remind yourself of who you are, for yourself. It’s the pump yourself up empowerment song. “I didn’t want this power”.  I like how the beat changes starting at 2:40, like a steady build, now we are on the next level, recognize the power of who you are! First say it to yourself, then release it to the world. 

·  Cozy. Get into the chorus, ending with “Might I suggest you don’t F* with my sis, cuz she comfortable.” Just rest in your self on this track! This is the comeback track when life keeps trying to knock you down. In a world that tries to make me prove my worth every single day, to justify my humanity, I want to say, “ I’m swaggy, effortlessly”.. I’m cozy. 

·  Alien Superstar. Again, owning all of who we are, celebrating what makes us “unique, that’s what you are”. Oh my goodness more Ballroom blessings for vogue “Category..Bad.. B* I’m the bar”. Look forward to hearing that 3000 times and enjoying it every single time. “I’ve got diamonds beneath my thighs… ego he will find bliss”... who is she sampling I can’t keep track I’m so lost in this track. I see her flying over the crowd for this one. Wow. Go dig into Maya Angelou and Nikki Giovanni (ego tripping) for the references on this one.

·  Cuff it. I have to admit during this track I am recovering and enjoying  the vocal runs because my energy is fading and Bey is still going strong.  Another classic to play while you are getting ready to go out which in this extended pandemic remix means I am getting ready to dance at home in front of my mirror. Yep.

·  Energy. I’m going to leave this one open to interpretation. It’s a journey, go with it, the beat switches, the phrases. Just play this a few times and unwrap the easter eggs I won’t ruin for you by posting them here. 

·  Break my soul. This is the first drop from the album. It was the siren call that she was going to do something more experimental. She was going to play with genres, and relate to the experiences of her base during the pandemic. She talked about burnout. I mean, come on. This is where you pick yourself up off of the ground and begin to tell yourself that you deserve more, that you are made of more than what you have been taken for. This is that there is something still alive inside of me and I am going to find it energy. “Looking for something that lives inside of me”…we are now gathered and discovering intrinsic (internal) motivation to move forward. 

·  All up in your mind. Anyone who hurt for Beyonce during the On the Run tour or Lemonade needs to hear this track. Its really good to see her confident in herself and her relationship. “I knew that I could get it out him”. This is that complicated love story we wanted to break through to a happily ever after, even if it involves conscious hard work. 

90 minutes later: Wow, I did it. I really meant to review two songs, but the whole album got me. Its pulling up the following themes for me:

·  Celebration, empowerment, and liberation  

·  Hype music you can listen to in order to escape the world 

·  Personal love songs that explore the path to redemption 

·  Homage to ballroom culture, disco, and cultural icons  

I’m grateful to Queen Bey for taking risks and curating a journey that allows her to integrate all of who she is. The heavy influence of ballroom culture and house music reflects her recollection of childhood memories of the music she was introduced to by her godmother Uncle Johnny. Her joy in sharing this music with the world has had a liberating effect on fans who see themselves reflected in her music. I felt so much Black culture dripping out of the album, which made me beam with pride. Listening to this album came at a fortuitous time, while I was at a solo retreat reflecting on the expansion of my own horizons. It reminds me I’m exactly where I need to be. As I reflect on a vision for wellness that requires not that we embrace another mainstream trend, but rather, that we go deep inside and own all of who we are, I truthfully cannot think of a better soundtrack for this exploration. 

Tip: Not ready for your listening party to come to an end? Move on to a playlist of Donna Summer