Beyoncé’s latest studio record was 2016's critically-acclaimed, pop culture phenomenon Lemonade. It’s tough to follow up a record of that magnitude, so Beyoncé’s understandably been taking her time working on new music. She’s hinted at having something new in the works and last year, Destiny’s Child’s Michelle Williams shared an audio clip where Beyoncé said she’s “cooking some music.” Now, we have confirmation that LP 7 is underway.
In a new interview with Harper’s Bazaar as the star of the latest issue’s cover, Beyoncé gave some insight into what she’s been working on. “With all the isolation and injustice over the past year, I think we are all ready to escape, travel, love, and laugh again. I feel a renaissance emerging, and I want to be part of nurturing that escape in any way possible. I’ve been in the studio for a year and a half,” she says. “Sometimes it takes a year for me to personally search through thousands of sounds to find just the right kick or snare. One chorus can have up to 200 stacked harmonies. Still, there’s nothing like the amount of love, passion, and healing that I feel in the recording studio. After 31 years, it feels just as exciting as it did when I was nine years old. Yes, the music is coming!”
Beyoncé’s not one to announce in advance when she’s going to drop new music, so she offered no hints on when we could actually get the new record. But, if history’s any indication, it’ll come exactly when we least expect it. And it’s not like Beyoncé hasn’t been feeding her Beyhive in between Lemonade and the upcoming album. She released Homecoming: The Live Album in 2018 and contributed music to The Lion King (also featured in the visual album Black Is King). She also released Everything Is Love in 2018, her debut collaborative album with Jay-Z as The Carters.