Beyoncé explains why she stopped making music videos

“I thought it was important that during a time where all we see is visuals, that the world can focus on the voice,” the star said.

She explained that her recent records – which seek to contextualise black musicians’ often overlooked contributions to genres like house, disco and country – needed to stand on their own.

“The music is so rich in history and instrumentation. It takes months to digest, research, and understand,” she said.

“The music needed space to breathe on its own.”

She added that, for Renaissance in particular, the live concert experience was more important than filming music videos.

The album, released in 2022, was written during the pandemic and was conceived as “a place to dream and to find escape during a scary time for the world”. The subsequent tour, and the tour film released in cinemas last year, was intended as a moment of community and catharsis for her followers.

“The fans from all over the world became the visual,” Beyoncé told GQ.

“We all got the visual on tour.”