Beyonce shared a personal note with special dedications to her website on Thursday, ahead of the official release of her new album Renaissance tonight.
The superstar, 40, made a touching tribute to her late gay uncle Jonny, calling him her ‘godmother’ and ‘the first person to expose me to a lot of the music and culture that serve as inspiration for this album.’
The Crazy In Love hitmaker also acknowledged her three kids and her husband Jay-Z, 52, writing: ‘A special thanks to my beautiful husband and muse, who held me down during those late nights in the studio.’
Dedications: Beyonce shared a personal note with special dedications to her website on Thursday, ahead of the release of her new album Renaissance tonight
The 28-time Grammy winner shared a throwback photo of her uncle as well as a rare snap with her daughters Blue Ivy, 10, and Rumi, five, as well as her twin brother Sir, also five.
The Houston native began her note writing: ‘This three act project was recorded over three years during the pandemic. A time to be still, but also a time I found to be the most creative.’
Queen Bey went on, explaining her state of mind while making the new body of work: ‘Creating this album allowed me a place to dream and to find escape during a scary time for the world. It allowed me to feel free and adventurous in a time when little else was moving.’
Tribute: The superstar, 40, made a touching tribute to her late gay uncle Jonny, calling him her ‘godmother’ and ‘the first person to expose me to a lot of the music and culture that serve as inspiration for this album’
‘My intention was to create a safe place, a place without judgment. A place to be free of perfectionism and overthinking. A place to scream, release, feel freedom. It was a beautiful journey of exploration.’
She then acknowledged her little ones, writing: ‘I want to give a special thank you to Rumi, Sir, and Blue for allowing me the space, creativity, and inspiration.’
After also thanking her husband, she went on to talk about her uncle, writing: ‘A big thank you to my Uncle Jonny. He was my godmother and the first person to expose me to a lot of the music and culture that serve as inspiration for this album.’
Sweet: The 28-time Grammy winner also shared a rare photo with her daughters Blue Ivy, 10, and Rumi, five, as well as her twin brother Sir, also five, and thanked them in her note
Her muse: The hitmaker acknowledged her husband Jay-Z, 52, writing: ‘A special thanks to my beautiful husband and muse, who held me down during those late nights in the studio’; Pictured 2019
‘Thank you to all of the pioneers who originate culture, to all of the fallen angels whose contributions have gone unrecognized for far too long. This is a celebration for you.’
This isn’t the first time the singer has spoken about how significant her uncle was in her life.
At the 2019 GLAAD Media Awards she called him ‘the most fabulous gay man I’ve ever known, who helped raise me and my sister’ during her acceptance speech, while adding that his battle with HIV was ‘one of the most painful experiences’ of her life.
Tough: The album release hasn’t been without drama, as it leaked online two days ahead of its official release date, after being sold to fans in various European countries
Hot to trot: However, Beyonce has gone ahead with the rollout, and released new artwork for the album on Thursday, showing her in various poses as she rode atop a holographic stallion
She also reminisced about how her mom Tina Knowles, 68, and Uncle Jonny designed the clothes she wore early in her career: ‘My mother and my Uncle Jonny, God bless his soul, designed all of our first costumes and made each piece by hand, individually sewing hundreds of crystals and pearls, putting so much passion and love into every small detail.’
The album release hasn’t been without drama, as it leaked online two days ahead of its official release.
However, Beyonce has gone ahead with the rollout as planned, and released new artwork for the album on Thursday, showing her in various poses as she rode atop a holographic stallion.
While she previously shared a sneak peek of the photo shoot, all four poses have finally been revealed on her website just hours ahead of Renaissance’s release.
The hitmaker’s upcoming record will be the seventh she has produced over her much-celebrated career.
The performer’s new album will consist of 16 songs, and she collaborated with figures such as Nile Rodgers, Grace Jones and Drake during its recording process.
Renaissance’s first single, Break My Soul, was previously released to the public on June 20.
The hitmaker worked with several artists, including Big Freedia and her husband, Jay-Z, to produce the track.
The latest: The 16-song body of work marks the singer’s first album in six years, and features the previously-released single Break My Soul
Hot stuff! Beyonce also shared a set of promotional photos for the album to her official website
