Six years after the drop of the award-winning Lemonade, superstar Beyoncé Knowles has officially released her newest and seventh album, Renaissance, a project she dedicates to her gay Uncle Jonny.
The album is characterized by a completely unique sound that contrasts the singer’s initial R&B/rap based discography; instead, Renaissance features a mix of house and dance influences.
Since the initial release of “Break My Soul” as a single, listeners have commented on the fact that house itself originated from underground gay clubs that were often frequented by Black, gay men in the late 1970s/early ’80s. The song also is one of many on the album that is dense with LGBTQ collaboration, including the New Orleans icon Big Freedia, the “Queen of Bounce,” who was featured on the breakout single.
Ahead of the release, Beyoncé posted an open letter on her website dedicating Renaissance to her children, her husband, and her family, as well as “all of the pioneers who originate culture,” including her Uncle Jonny.
“A big thank you to my uncle Jonny,” she writes. “He was my godmother and the first person to expose me to a lot of the music and the culture that serve as an inspiration for this album.”
Her Uncle Jonny, who has since lost his battle with HIV/AIDS, worked along her mother to hand sew and create Beyoncé’s stage outfits in the early ages of her career. She notes that Jonny pushed her to be herself in everything she does and that he was a major driving factor in the album’s creation as a whole.
Beyoncé has long been an active advocate for the LGBTQ community, previously speaking about her uncle Jonny during an acceptance speech at the 2019 GLAAD Media Awards. She calls him the “most fabulous gay man I’ve ever met,” adding that Jonny had helped raise both her and Solange and that he eventually died from complications related to an AIDS diagnosis.
She goes on to say that “witnessing his battle with HIV was one of the most painful experiences I’ve ever lived. I’m hopeful that his struggle helped to open pathways for other young people to live more freely. LGBTQIA rights are human rights.”
Her and her husband, producer and artist Jay-Z, hope that in utilizing their platforms to speak on and bring more attention toward LGBTQ issues and further shedding light on their own ties to the community, their listeners will feel safer in themselves and free to “wiggle.”
Album art courtesy of Beyoncé on Instagram
