Being a successful, lasting female artist in pop music has always hinged upon reinvention. The greats all know this, and possibly none better than Beyoncé.
When the 32-time Grammy-winning singer announced her 7th studio album in June 2022, six years had passed since her last. A gamble that could have hindered anyone else’s career, but which ultimately paid off for the woman largely considered the greatest living entertainer. Even so, it is not far-fetched to argue that Renaissance, the album, would not have soared as high if it hadn’t been for Renassaince, the tour. It was an album made to be enjoyed in communion, to be the soundtrack of a life-affirming never-ending party, and to give a voice and a stage to the underground world of ballroom culture and its unsung stars. By consequence, Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé is both a culmination and a celebration of this rebirth.
The film, written, directed, and produced by the music titan, combines footage from the Renaissance tour that traveled the world in 2023 and carefully integrated backstage access that briefs the audience on the elements that inspired and produced the concept of the record-breaking concert. Each sequence in between gorgeously filmed stage performances is dedicated to a different topic — family, her daughter Blue Ivy, logistics and crew, legacy, motherhood, ballroom culture, the dancers, Houston, Texas, Tina Knowles, Matthew Knowles, Uncle Johnny, fashion, the beyhive, age. Renaissance is not a concert film; it’s an artifact and a time capsule of Beyoncé at “f***ing forty-two.” Its every frame a reminder that although fleeting, greatness is also immortal.
At one point, Beyoncé reflects on the passage of time and how it is simply our most valuable resource, and it’s hard not to start willing it still just so her career could go on forever. With Renaissance comes new life and a new version of the performer — one that is less physical, less public, and less constant — and while there’s an undeniable reassurance that the Beyoncé of post-Renaissance will be as much of a visionary as always, there’s also an inescapable realization that we are witnessing a turning point, that the ferocious spellbinding stage beast of Homecoming is a thing of the past.
This in no way implies that Beyoncé will ever stop dominating every stage she steps foot in. She might just be inherently incapable of ever not dominating. However, it is the musician herself who concedes that going forward it will be her voice that will be her main instrument and that, following knee surgery, movement will be reduced. For someone whose career has been defined by dance as much as vocals, it’s impossible not to feel like something has been lost to time forever. While the Renaissance tour is just as electric as Beyoncé’s previous concerts, the choice to open it with a selection of her very best ballads is not arbitrary. Not even Beyoncé, in all her might, can stop time; as distressing as change can be, it is also natural, unavoidable, and therefore wonderful. That is the beauty of Renaissance.
Renaissance (read change) opens up the floor to every possibility, through technology and human intellect, cementing the artist (read Beyoncé) as an everchanging force of nature, whose next moves will continue to be unpredictable (for all we know, she could be back to performing major choreography in a year). Still, if there is one thing we do know for sure, it is that Renaissance is as much about possibility as it is about emancipation. Regardless of how Beyoncé chooses to plan out the next chapter in her generation-defining career, it will most definitely not be conditioned by public opinion, perception, or judgment. “I have nothing to prove to anyone at this point,” the artist finally states as Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé comes to an end.
The film paints its subject as a result of her upbringing, the people in her life, and her behemoth career, but also as a new person, transformed by the clarity, fearlessness, and responsibility of her 40s. The accompanying concert is every bit reflective of this journey. There’s infinite light, powered by absolute carefreeness, as Beyoncé demands the highest standards from everyone around her, but now also accepts the inevitability of error and the impossibility of perfect prediction and planning. The album and stage production’s futuristic visuals represent the freedom that comes from constant transformation, not to remain relevant, but never to be stagnant. The difference is in perception. Renaissance for one’s sake, not for the sake of others. Yes, Beyoncé’s longevity comes from reinvention, but her true secret is that she’s no longer doing it for the audience, but for herself.
Published: Dec 4, 2023 05:41 pm