Beyonce is not having a great time right now.
Her “Renaissance” album was released Thursday night and has not been a wild success. Indeed, the album has faced a lot of criticism. We’ll get back to that in a minute.
The bigger news is Beyonce has not turned the lemons from “Renaissance” into Lemonade. That was the title of her last album, in 2016, and it sold 650,000 in its debut week. “Renaissance” is not going to come near that number. Hitsdailydouble.com has predicted today between 275K and 315K copies. The number will fall on the low side. It’s about a 60% decline in sales.
Today’s scandal concerns a “song” on the album called “Heated” in which Beyonce warbles the words “spazzing out.” Using this expression is called “ableist” now in the PC world, but frankly it’s just stupid, coarse, and mean. Who would sing such a thing? A 10 year old?
Then we have Kelis, the female singer songwriter, complaining that Beyonce “interpolated” or covered a song she wrote with Pharrell but wasn’t credited for in the first place. And then there are all other samples and “interpolations” on “Renaissance.” The entire album is like musical particle board, the kind of junk wood you wouldn’t allow in your walls or furniture for fear of it falling apart.
And let’s not forget– I can’t even use the album cover of a nearly naked Beyonce on a clear horse. Google’s ad company censored it, calling it “sexual material.” I’ll have to find a horse with no name or no rider.
