Beyoncé Dropped a Whole Live Album Along with Her New Coachella Documentary
When Beyoncé performed at Coachella last year, the show quickly became the stuff of legends. Sweatshirts! Solange! Pep rally meets ancient Egypt vibes! Beyoncé yelling out, "Thank you Coachella for allowing me to be the first black woman to headline. Ain’t that ‘bout a bitch?" And almost none of it was available to watch, anywhere.
So it was a huge boon when Netflix announced Homecoming, the documentary of Beyoncé's performance, and all the work leading up to it, that premiered early this morning on the streaming service. And since Beyoncé is a master of self-(and cross-)promotion, there was a good chance the queen was planning something alongside the doc. Sure enough, you can now listen to HOMECOMING: THE LIVE ALBUM, the full audio for the Coachella performance.
The planning for what is now known as Beychella was deep and meticulous, putting a celebration of black culture, often borrowed from but rarely fully acknowledged, at literal center stage. Beyoncé's Balmain-designed outfits and drumline performers referenced historically black colleges and universities, plus black Greek-letter organizations. She sampled Nina Simone and excerpts from a Malcolm X speech. The new documentary offers a more intimate portrait on how she turned out the history-making show, from planning to performance, at an absolutely break-neck speed after the birth of her twins. Known for her perfectionist standards, Beyoncé writes her own history of the show with the documentary: a lesson to America on the momentousness of black culture.
Good luck getting anything else done for the rest of the day.
