Beyoncé’s RENAISSANCE (Parkwood/Columbia)—which rocketed to the top of the Apple Music and iTunes charts after its midnight release—features contributions from, among others, Grace Jones and Tems (on the future-funk Afro-tech banger “Move”), Big Freedia (on lead single/current hit “BREAK MY SOUL”) and Robin S.

Hours before the drop, Queen Bey posted a message on her website revealing the inspiration for the album, which she made during the pandemic, a particularly creative time for her as it turned out. Notably, she references a “three-act project,” addressing the question of why the RENAISSANCE album art displays the designation “act i.”

She describes the three-year recording process as a way for her to escape reality “during a scary time for the world.” Bey thanks her “muse,” aka JAY-Z, as well as her children, father and Uncle Jonny for inspiring her.

Read Beyoncé's full message below.