Beyonce’s ‘Renaissance’ Album Leaks, Two Days Early

variety.com:

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorApproximately 36 hours before its scheduled release at midnight ET on Thursday, Beyonce’s full album has apparently leaked.Social media was filled with comments on the leak and Variety was able to find high-quality flac files that certainly sound like the album within a matter of minutes.

Some posts showed CD copies of the album for sale, apparently in Europe.Reps for Beyonce and the album’s distributor, Columbia Records, did not immediately respond to Variety’s requests for comment.The leak came as a shock, as Beyonce’s operation is famously among the most secure in the business, renowned for the surprise drop of her 2013 self-titled album — which required countless non-disclosure agreements —  and an overall air of secrecy.

The singer revealed the tracklist for her forthcoming seventh album “Renaissance” last week. The tracklist, which was posted on her Instagram story and appears below, includes many intriguing titles like “America Has a Problem,” “Alien Superstar,” “Church Girl,” “Cuff It,” “Thique,” “All Up in Your Mind” and more, along with the single, “Break My Soul.”Earlier this month Beyoncé shared the album’s cover artwork, which sees her posing regally atop the silhouette of a luminous horse.

In a note accompanying the artwork, Beyoncé wrote:“Creating this album allowed me a place to dream and to find escape during a scary time for the world.