With a music career spanning 30 years, the Texas-born artist has made us cry, dance and fall in love
It’s all systems go as the world awaits the release of Beyoncé’s highly anticipated seventh solo studio album Act I Renaissance on Friday. The trailblazing artist gave fans a taste of what they can expect when she dropped the lead single Break My Soul last month. She had the social media streets buzzing when she used the single to make her grand debut on TikTok with videos of people’s reactions to the jam saying, “Seeing y’all release the wiggle made me so happy! Thank you so much for all the love for Break My Soul.”
The album features 16 tracks and is expected to include features from Skrillex, Labrinth, Lucky Daye and Tems. In anticipation of this release, we thought it would only be fitting to get into formation with the rest of the world by featuring a countdown of our top 10 favourite Beyoncé tracks.
10. MY POWER
Off of the soundtrack album to the 2019 remake of The Lion King, in which she played the character Nala, called The Gift. Released in 2020, My Power is the ultimate declaration of black girl power as it features artists Yemi Alade, Tierra Whack, Dj Lag and South African musicians Busiswa and Moonchild Sanelly, fusing different styles and influences from across the world.
9. SORRY (HOMECOMING LIVE)
Combining her 2003 hit single Me Myself and I, Beyoncé performed Sorry at the 2018 Coachella music festival in California and left audiences in awe. In the performance, the artist staged her own college homecoming celebration and used a marching band. The show was followed by a Netflix documentary called Homecoming. The singer gave fans a live album of the performance where she made history as the first black woman to headline the festival.
8. RUN THE WORLD, GIRLS
From her fourth studio album 4, Beyoncé gave women across the world their own anthem when she released the hit song Run the World (Girls). The song promotes female empowerment which the performer has stood behind throughout her career. The most memorable moment was her performance of the song while pregnant with her first child, Blue Ivy, at the Billboard Awards. It has a mixture of electro pop and R&B feel to it and she features Mozambican dancers Tofo Tofo in the video.
7. IRREPLACEABLE
Be honest, as soon as you saw the title Irreplaceable you couldn’t help but think “to the left, to the left” or maybe you even sang along to the tune. The song, released in 2006, came off of Beyoncé’s second album B’Day and was co-written by fellow musician Ne-Yo. It remained at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 chart for 10 consecutive weeks and Beyoncé was nominated for Record of the Year at the 50th Grammy Awards.
6. LOVE ON TOP
It’s hard to believe that this timeless jam was released 10 years ago. It won a Grammy for Best Traditional R&B Performance in 2013 as well as a Soul Train Music Award for Best Dance Performance in 2012. In a show-stopping performance at the MTV Video Music Awards in 2011, Beyoncé revealed her pregnancy in style while performing the hit song, showing off her impeccable vocal ability and cute baby bump.
5. FORMATION
This controversial song, released in February 2016, received mixed reviews with conservative politicians and commentators saying it promotes anti-police and anti-America messages. Inspired by the tragic events of Hurricane Katrina, the video shows images of Beyoncé lying on the top of a police car as it is submerged. The multi award-winning artist used the song to promote black excellence, culture and pride and showed her support for the Black Lives Matter movement. In the video, the black leather outfits directly reference the attire of members of the 1960s movement Black Panthers.
4. HALO
This sultry R&B ballad, which has reached over a billion views on YouTube, came off her third studio album I am Sasha Fierce. The song, whose writers include One Republic lead singer Ryan Tedder, has received awards for best female pop vocal performance at the 2010 Grammy Awards, best song at the 2009 Mtv Europe awards and a Porin for best international song also in 2010.
3.BROWN SKIN GIRL
Featuring Beyoncé’s 10-year-old daughter Blue Ivy Carter, SAINt JHN and award-winning Nigerian singer Wizkid, the song addresses issues surrounding colour. It celebrates the beauty and complexities of skin, more specifically dark skin, which has historically, and in many ways still is seen as a mark of inferiority in society. The song took home best music video – which featured supermodel Naomi Campbell, her Destiny’s Child sister Kelly Rowland as well actress Lupita Nyong’o – at last year’s Grammys making the singer’s daughter one of the youngest recipients of the award.
2.SINGLE LADIES (PUT A RING ON IT)
The single ladies anthem, arguably one of her most successful songs – and the only acceptable song that’s not romantic to play at a wedding – this 2008 hit single off I am Sasha Fierce received multiple awards. Beyoncé bagged more than 10 awards for the song which included the Mtv award for video of the year in 2009 and song of year at the 2010 Grammys. The video is just as popular as the song itself, showing the singer and two others performing a choreographed routine in leotards and heels, signature Beyoncé style.
1.CRAZY IN LOVE
There’s no way we could feature a list of top Beyoncé songs and not mention the song that defined and kickstarted her solo music career. Crazy In Love came off her debut album Dangerously in Love nd features her now husband rapper Jay-Z. The song topped music charts in various countries around the world including the UK and US. The song won a Grammy for best R&B song and best rap/sung collaboration in 2004.