Beyonce Pulls Off Another Surprise

Release of undisclosed live album, with a new song
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Apr 17, 2019 12:29 PM CDT
Beyonce Drops Surprise Live Album
In this Feb. 12, 2017 file photo, Beyonce poses in the press room at the 59th annual Grammy Awards in Los Angeles.   (Photo by Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP, File)

Beyonce's Netflix documentary Homecoming, focusing on the singer's 2018 Coachella performance, premiered Wednesday with a surprise for fans. Included is a brand new song, a cover of "Before I Let Go," released by Frankie Beverly and Maze in 1981, per Variety. But you don't need to see the documentary to listen. The song features as a bonus track on Homecoming: The Live Album, a previously undisclosed release shared across major streaming platforms as Homecoming aired. The New York Times reports it also includes an alternate version of "I Been On" and an a cappella version of "Lift Every Voice and Sing"—"a song often referred to as the black national anthem"—sung by Beyonce and Jay Z's eldest daughter, Blue Ivy.

The documentary itself follows "the emotional road from creative concept to cultural movement," according to Netflix. Per People, it also shows Beyonce discussing "an extremely difficult pregnancy" with twins, which caused her to postpone the Coachella concert by a year. "My body went through more than I knew it could," the 37-year-old says, noting she suffered from preeclampsia and was 218 pounds before birth. "In the womb, one of my babies' hearts paused a few times so I had to get an emergency C-section," she adds. "I had to rebuild my body from cut muscles. It took me a while to feel confident enough to … give my own personality." Now, "I just feel like I'm just a new woman." (Beyonce recently backed plant-based living.)

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