She’s that girl.
Fans of Beyoncé have been well fed in 2023, following the huge success of the Renaissance World Tour, which saw Queen Bey travel the globe to deliver her masterpiece of a show.
It was swiftly followed by her final Ivy Park range for Adidas, a new perfume, and the Renaissance tour film. Phew.
But if you cast your minds back to when Bey announced her landmark album, Renaissance, in 2022, you’ll remember she confirmed it was just “act i”, writing on her website at the time: “This three act project was recorded over three years during the pandemic. A time to be still, but also a time I found to the the most creative.”
Since then, fans have been wondering what Act II will look like, with plenty of theories and speculation rife among the Beyhive.
Keep this page bookmarked as we’ll deep-dive into the theories, and bring you the latest information on the next instalment of Beyoncé’s three act project.
Will there be a Renaissance Act 2 from Beyoncé?
At the time of writing, we don’t know when Renaissance Act 2 could be released – or if it will even take the Renaissance name.
Beyoncé has been known to drop an album with no warning or promotion, which she did with her self-titled album in 2013.
However, she gave fans a little bit of warning with Renaissance.
Considering fans know there’s at least another project coming from Beyoncé, how she will drop the release date is completely up for grabs.
Some rumours have emerged as of February 2024 suggesting she’s gearing up to announce Act 2 fairly soon, with many fans spotting she’s removed “Act I: Renaissance” off her website, and taken away a Renaissance-specific link from her Instagram, too.
BEYONCÉ REMOVED ACT I: RENAISSANCE OFF HER WEBSITE AND TOOK THE RENAISSANCE LINK OFF HER IG, SHES ABT TO DROP ACT II OMFG !!! pic.twitter.com/gTe2nRcVr9
— BeyNika #1 Stan | Pink Renaissance 🎀🪩 (@YonceBarbie_) February 5, 2024
It’s not uncommon for big artists to make noticeable changes to their social media aesthetic around a new album drop, so this could be the biggest indication yet that Act 2 isn’t far off.
What would a potential Renaissance Act 2 be?
It’s easy to assume Renaissance Act 2 will be another album, but fans in the Beyhive know to expect the unexpected from the superstar.
From visual albums, to documentaries, to an entire fashion line, Beyoncé can turn her hand to anything, so Act 2 doesn’t necessarily *need* to be an album.
However, if we take her initial statement from 2022, we can be fairly certain it is another album because she said the three acts were “recorded over three years”.
Fans now believe that Act 1 has officially ended following the release of single, My House.
TikTokker @toopoptohandle reports the producer of the dance track, The-Dream, has confirmed Act 1 is over, as we prepare to move into the Act 2 era.
@toopoptohandle What is Beyoncé up to 👀 is Renaissance act ii coming sooner than we think? #beyonce #renaissance #afilmbybeyonce #renaissanceworldtour #renaissanceactii #podcast
♬ original sound - Too Pop to Handle Podcast
As for the genre and the title, there’s simply no guessing.
Beyoncé, while being best known for her R&B music, has turned her hand to country, rap, disco and good old-fashioned pop over her years in the spotlight, so it could be anything.
There are some rumours that Act 2 will be a country album.
While they’re not yet consolidated, it wouldn’t be the first time Beyoncé has explored the genre, most notably, and to critical acclaim with Lemonade’s Daddy Lessons.
Furthermore, Beyoncé wore one of her most country looks ever to the 2024 Grammys in February, pointing once more to the suggestion Act 2 is on the horizon.
What could a potential Renaissance Act 2 be called?
It’s been assumed that Act 2 would follow under the Renaissance banner, but that’s not necessarily the case.
Some fans have theorised she will explore different genres within the three-act structure, and each album in turn will reference a different period of art.
In art history, Renaissance was followed by Baroque, a style Beyoncé has frequently referenced during her fashion history, and was heavily referred to on the Renaissance World Tour.
Furthermore, the etymology of Baroque points towards pearls; on the tour, Beyoncé performed Virgo’s Groove from inside a giant one!
In terms of history, Enlightenment followed the Renaissance period, and would make for a pretty good album title, if you asked me.
However, there are also technically three periods of the Renaissance: the Early Renaissance, the High Renaissance and the Late Renaissance, so she could be referencing this historical movement in the three-part series.
We’ll keep this page updated when we know more concrete information.
Check out more of our Radio coverage or visit our TV Guide and Streaming Guide to find out what’s on.
Try Radio Times magazine today and get 10 issues for only £10 – subscribe now. For more from the biggest stars in TV, listen to The Radio Times Podcast.