Beyoncé is one of the most methodical artists working today; everything she does serves a purpose. On Wednesday, it was announced that she would serve as a cochair of the 2026 Met Gala alongside Venus Williams, Anna Wintour, and Nicole Kidman. Next year's theme is "Costume Art." The 2026 spring event will be Beyoncé's first Met Gala appearance since 2016, as she has been raising children and touring the world with three albums since then.
Now that Beyoncé has wrapped up the Cowboy Carter era, she seems to be dropping hints for what's to come with the third and seemingly final act of her album trilogy, which began with Renaissance (Act I). Many suspect the final entry to be a rock-oriented album. While she has not yet announced an official release date, fans can expect a significant announcement for the third act.
With this year's theme, she could use her big comeback moment to make a significant nod to the allegedly rock-tinged aesthetics of her third act. For as long as she's been a celebrity, she's used fashion to tell a story, and the Met Gala would be the perfect place to begin the rollout of a new album officially. Within this album trilogy, Beyoncé has lifted the veil of secrecy somewhat and largely done away with surprise drops. Now her fans can read the trail of breadcrumbs she's left behind for them to discover through her most recent appearances, something she hasn't done in a long while.
Ever since Beyoncé changed the music industry's standard release date to Friday with her self-titled album back in 2013, she has done away with the age-old album release rollout of teasing on social media, magazine covers, or promotional partnerships with different brands. Her 2016 album, Lemonade, was also a surprise release that came with its own film, but she has since shifted focus and made the typical album release work in her favor for the new three-act album trilogy she's currently embarked on. And with every outing, every outfit, every partnership she takes, there is a meaning — especially returning to the Met Gala after a decade.
For Renaissance, she started doing (curated) press — so this meant the cover of British Vogue with an interview done by the former editor in chief, Edward Enninful, as well as the cover of Harper's Bazaar to promote her athleisure brand Ivy Park. After that, fans were treated to "Break My Soul" as a single before the album (something she hadn't done since 4 in 2011).
It was long rumored that Beyoncé's second album was going to be a country album, and when we got her Verizon Super Bowl commercial last year, where surprised the world with two lead singles, "16 Carriages" and "Texas Hold 'Em," confirming suspicions.
She seemed to have gave her fans a hint at the next album in her collaboration with Levi's earlier this year in an ad titled, "The Denim Cowboy," where she can be seen riding a horse (a nod to the country aesthetics) at the beginning of the video before ending the clip on a motorcycle (a seeming nod to a rock era). Also, on her Cowboy Carter tour, she performed Jimi Hendrix's version of "The Star Spangled Banner," which he sang as a protest against the Vietnam War.
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On Instagram, she has also paid homage to legendary Black rock artists such as Prince and Betty Davis.
The end of the Cowboy Carter era spells a new beginning for her third and final act, which seems more and more likely to be rock-and-roll themed. She recently attended the Formula 1 Grand Prix in Las Vegas, wearing a race-ready custom Louis Vuitton racing suit and a fiery red romper with the Ferrari logo, which many feel nods to the rock aesthetic. Fans will have to wait until the first Monday in May to see exactly what this methodical mastermind has in store.
