One of the biggest effects of Covid-19 has had on pop music is the growing embrace of uplifting dance sounds.
Dua Lipa hinted at this sea change with the release of blockbuster album Future Nostalgia in March 2020, followed up two months later by Chromatica by Lady Gaga.
Drake also joined into the action when releasing Honestly, Nevermind last week, a thrilling yet divisive release full of house and techno tracks.
A student of pop music, Beyonce channels the spirit of the times with Break My Soul.
It is a monster single that functions as her Ray of Light, the smash hit by Madonna that saw her transition into full club diva in 1998.
Built on the prominent sampling of Big Freedia's bounce track Explode (2014) and Robin S's pop-dance hit Show Me Love (1993), Beyonce hasn’t sounded this carefree since her days with Destiny’s Child.
Break My Soul is an unabashed crowd pleaser.
The four on the floor rhythm is laced with the throbbing keyboard lines of Show Me Love.
Beyonce’s vocals are confident and uncharacteristically unassuming.
Lost in the euphoria of the production she delivers her lines in short and sharp stabs, adding to the song’s overall barrelling rhythm.
Where the track is produced by long term collaborators Tricky Stewart and The Dream, the writing credits allude to some interesting songwriting sessions as part of Beyonce's upcoming album Renaissance, out July 29.
In addition to husband and hip-hop artist Jay-Z, also contributing is Adam Pigott, also known as BlaqNmilD, a New Orleans producer who worked with Drake and Megan Thee Stallion.
The lyrics are straightforward and the opening couplets will probably inspire thousands of inspirational memes: “Now, I just fell in love, and I just quit my job/ I'm gonna find new drive, damn, they work me so damn hard/ Work by nine, then off past five/ And they work my nerves, that's why I cannot sleep at night."
The rest of the lyrics, particularly in the third verse, chides those unauthentic ("Trying to fake it, never makes it”) and implores us to be the change we seek, or as Bey puts it: "If you didn’t seek it, you won’t see it."
This is all hugely satisfying and serves to ramp up the anticipation surrounding Renaissance.
Information about Beyonce's seventh album has been slowly trickling out.
In 2021, she told Harper's Bazaar the album aims to be a source of release after the tension of the last few years.
“With all the isolation and injustice over the past year, I think we are all ready to escape, travel, love, and laugh again,” she said.
“I feel a renaissance emerging, and I want to be part of nurturing that escape in any way possible."
With the album title prefaced with the words "Act I" on the art work, we can also assume more music is on the way from Beyonce.
This a hunch further strengthened by comments from British Vogue editor-in-chief Edward Enninful who, after hearing select tracks from Renaissance, teased that a "thrilling abundance" of music is coming our way.
Beyonce is the magazine's July cover star.
As for the personnel involved, it has been reported that producers and songwriters Ryan Tedder from One Republic (who co-wrote Beyonce's hit Halo) and Raphael Saadiq are involved in the project.
With Break My Soul skyrocketing up the charts and clubs preparing their sound systems for the single, not to mention remixes, Beyonce has already laid the groundwork for delivering the soundtrack for the summer.
Scroll through the gallery below to see Beyonce's style evolution over the years
RESULT
Australia 3 (0) Honduras 1 (0)
Australia: Jedinak (53', 72' pen, 85' pen)
Honduras: Elis (90 4)
Muslim Council of Elders condemns terrorism on religious sites
The Muslim Council of Elders has strongly condemned the criminal attacks on religious sites in Britain.
It firmly rejected “acts of terrorism, which constitute a flagrant violation of the sanctity of houses of worship”.
“Attacking places of worship is a form of terrorism and extremism that threatens peace and stability within societies,” it said.
The council also warned against the rise of hate speech, racism, extremism and Islamophobia. It urged the international community to join efforts to promote tolerance and peaceful coexistence.
MOUNTAINHEAD REVIEW
Starring: Ramy Youssef, Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman
Director: Jesse Armstrong
Rating: 3.5/5
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE squad
Esha Oza (captain), Al Maseera Jahangir, Emily Thomas, Heena Hotchandani, Indhuja Nandakumar, Katie Thompson, Lavanya Keny, Mehak Thakur, Michelle Botha, Rinitha Rajith, Samaira Dharnidharka, Siya Gokhale, Sashikala Silva, Suraksha Kotte, Theertha Satish (wicketkeeper) Udeni Kuruppuarachchige, Vaishnave Mahesh.
UAE tour of Zimbabwe
All matches in Bulawayo
Friday, Sept 26 – First ODI
Sunday, Sept 28 – Second ODI
Tuesday, Sept 30 – Third ODI
Thursday, Oct 2 – Fourth ODI
Sunday, Oct 5 – First T20I
Monday, Oct 6 – Second T20I
The%20Mother%20
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
SCHEDULE
6.30pm Maiden Dh165,000 (Dirt) 1,400m
7.05pm: Handicap Dh170,000 (D) 1,600m
7.40pm: Maiden Dh165,000 (D) 1,600m
8.15pm: Handicap Dh210,000 (D) 1,200m
8.50pm: Handicap Dh210,000 (D) 2,000m
9.25pm:Handicap Dh185,000 (D) 1,400m
Amith's predicted winners:
6.30pm: Down On Da Bayou
7.05pm: Etisalat
7.40pm: Mulfit
8.15pm: Pennsylvania Dutch
8.50pm: Mudallel
9.25pm: Midnight Sands
WHAT IS A BLACK HOLE?
1. Black holes are objects whose gravity is so strong not even light can escape their pull
2. They can be created when massive stars collapse under their own weight
3. Large black holes can also be formed when smaller ones collide and merge
4. The biggest black holes lurk at the centre of many galaxies, including our own
5. Astronomers believe that when the universe was very young, black holes affected how galaxies formed
MATCH INFO
FA Cup final
Chelsea 1
Hazard (22' pen)
Manchester United 0
Man of the match: Eden Hazard (Chelsea)
Match info
Bournemouth 0
Liverpool 4 (Salah 25', 48', 76', Cook 68' OG)
Man of the match: Andrew Robertson (Liverpool)
List of officials:
Referees: Chris Broad, David Boon, Jeff Crowe, Andy Pycroft, Ranjan Madugalle and Richie Richardson.
Umpires: Aleem Dar, Kumara Dharmasena, Marais Erasmus, Chris Gaffaney, Ian Gould, Richard Illingworth, Richard Kettleborough, Nigel Llong, Bruce Oxenford, Ruchira Palliyaguruge, Sundaram Ravi, Paul Reiffel, Rod Tucker, Michael Gough, Joel Wilson and Paul Wilson.
The Orwell Prize for Political Writing
Twelve books were longlisted for The Orwell Prize for Political Writing. The non-fiction works cover various themes from education, gender bias, and the environment to surveillance and political power. Some of the books that made it to the non-fiction longlist include:
- Appeasing Hitler: Chamberlain, Churchill and the Road to War by Tim Bouverie
- Some Kids I Taught and What They Taught Me by Kate Clanchy
- Invisible Women: Exposing Data Bias in a World Designed for Men by Caroline Criado Perez
- Follow Me, Akhi: The Online World of British Muslims by Hussein Kesvani
- Guest House for Young Widows: Among the Women of ISIS by Azadeh Moaveni
FFP EXPLAINED
What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.
What the rules dictate?
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.
What are the penalties?
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.
