News about Kevin Aviance

This is the first of five essays from MTV News this week to honor our 2022 Albums of the Year. Beyoncé's 2022 was the first time there was even a single music video. The Houston native didn't have to lift a manicured finger to ensure the success of her seventh album Renaissance thanks to her dedicated BeyHive fan base, who hosted viral competitions and parties to celebrate Queen Bey's latest work. The evidence was in its uniqueness, with Beyoncé's letter allowing her to "be free and adventurous in a period when no one else was moving." The icon, who appeared on the album's cover, wary of dance music's Black origins. Beyoncé, a pop and R&B wunderkind, has made herself protean throughout her 25-year career and brought her revival of Renaissance to a new level.

Beyoncé's seventh studio album, Renaissance, debuted in June, causing hysteria in the Beyhive as the community clung to every sign hinting at the project's new sonic and artistic directions. Beyoncé veyed away from her signature surprise-LP style with a slim rollout for the long-awaited project that featured an internet-shocking British Vogue spread, puzzling box sets, and an open letter announcing the truth of the new release. Renaissance is Beyoncé's first solo album since the cultural and visual masterpiece Lemonade in 2016 and follows the 40-track compilation Homecoming: The Gift in 2019. Renaissance's arrival on July 29 marked a change of stagnation for three years, a period of quietness in which she "becomes to be the most original."