Beyoncé drops new song ‘Black Parade’ for Juneteenth: Listen

Beyoncé is back.

On Juneteenth, the superstar musician and activist surprise-released a new single called “Black Parade,� which she said on Instagram “celebrates you, your voice and your joy.�

“I hope we continue to share joy and celebrate each other, even in the midst of struggle,� she wrote. “Please continue to remember our beauty, strength and power.� The artist added that the song “will benefit Black-owned small businesses,� an extensive list of which she provided on her website.

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A sweeping yet fine-grained salute to Blackness in its many forms, “Black Parade� layers Beyoncé’s throaty singing and casually audacious rapping over a low-slung, brass-equipped groove coproduced by the artist and her music director, Derek Dixie, who also played a prominent role on 2016’s “Lemonade.� (Among the eight credited songwriters are Beyoncé and her husband, rapper Jay-Z.)

“I’m going back to the South, where my roots ain’t watered down,� the Houston native proclaims to open the song, which goes on to mention an “ankh charm on gold chains� and “waist beads from Yoruba.�

Later, Beyoncé situates the track firmly in the present with apparent references to both the COVID-19 pandemic (“Fly on the runway in my hazmat�) and the nationwide protests against racism and police violence (“Rubber bullets bouncing off me�).

“We got rhythm / We got pride,� she chants, “We birth kings / We birth tribes.�

“Black Parade� is Beyoncé’s first solo release since last year’s “Homecoming,� a live album documenting her blockbuster performance at Coachella in 2018, and “The Lion King: The Gift,� which accompanied Disney’s reboot of the family movie (in which she voiced the character of Nala).

In April, she appeared on a remix of Megan Thee Stallion’s “Savage� — a fundraiser for Houston residents affected by the coronavirus — that topped the Billboard Hot 100.