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Last evening, Taylor Swift made a surprise appearance at the London debut of Beyoncé’s documentary concert film, “Renaissance.” The film focuses on Beyoncé’s 2023 stadium tour. Swift reportedly traveled by private jet from Arizona to attend, in return for Beyoncé’s attendance at the premiere of Swift’s own concert film. Beyoncé’s presence prompted Swift to share a complimentary message on social media, expressing how Beyoncé has inspired her and other artists to challenge conventions and norms in the industry.
Some may see it as insincere flattery among famous individuals, but amidst the exaggerated praise, Swift makes a valid point. Beyoncé’s recent trajectory as an artist indicates that she recognizes her untouchable status in pop culture. Anything she puts out is met with almost fanatical acclaim and sells in large numbers (“I no longer feel the need to prove myself to anyone,” she remarks in the Renaissance film), giving her the freedom to pursue her creative desires.
The Renaissance album saw her immersed in house music, a genre that R&B and hip-hop artists tend to steer clear of. Not only was it a huge commercial success, it received reviews that, at their most deranged, seemed to suggest Beyoncé had single-handedly validated house music’s very existence. The subsequent tour featured a pretty daring set list – it was three hours long, light on greatest hits and heavy on her new album – but no matter: it broke box office records, and the BBC suggested that its arrival in Sweden had affected the entire country’s economy.
You can sense a clear message of “I don’t need to prove anything to anyone anymore” in My House. This song was unexpectedly released as a single after being featured in the movie Renaissance (it played during the end credits). It goes against the typical trend of popular artists trying to appeal to a wider audience.
Beyoncé and The-Dream worked together to create this song, which may seem like it has the wrong name. It doesn’t follow the typical four-beat pattern of Renaissance music, instead using a stuttering beat that combines elements of Houston hip-hop and experimental electronica. However, the song is actually structured in different sections, incorporating a beat change that has become popular among rappers like Drake and Travis Scott. This could have been inspired by the breakbeat-to-Miami-bass transition in Rae Sremmurd’s “Flaunt It/Cheap” released earlier this year.
The transition between the first and second sections, marked by a bold synth introduction and a sneaky bassline, is surprisingly exhilarating upon initial hearing. This track is undoubtedly meant for the club scene, drawing inspiration from the vogue balls she attended during her Renaissance era and the current trend of raw, relentless Jersey club style in pop music. The repetition and use of changing dynamics rather than catchy melodies give this song its impact, making it difficult to find a tune that will stick in your head. There is no traditional chorus, just a chant with the word “house” repeated at the end of each line. However, there is a spoken-word section that showcases Beyoncé’s fierce rapping skills – “me and my thug bae gon’ slide tonight”. In fact, Beyoncé the rapper takes the spotlight more than Beyoncé the singer in this track. Around the 1:50 mark, there is a powerful burst of wordless vocals, followed by a brief a cappella ending.
The song’s content is quite daring: sparkling pink nipple rings, excessive drinking leading to unconsciousness, and the use of the word “fuck” 22 times. Had this been done by someone else, say Taylor Swift, it would have been seen as a surprising and unconventional move. However, as previously established, Beyoncé is currently in a position where she can do as she pleases, as highlighted by the bold and non-commercial track “My House”.
Source: theguardian.com
