"Alien Superstar" is a song recorded by American singer

Beyoncé Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most Cultural impact of Beyoncé, ...

. It is the third track on her seventh studio album, ''Renaissance'' (2022), which was released on July 29, 2022, through Parkwood and Columbia.

Composition

Pitchfork A pitchfork or hay fork is an agricultural tool used to pitch loose material, such as hay, straw, manure, or leaves. It has a long handle and usually two to five thin tines designed to efficiently move such materials. The term is also applie ...

'' writer Julianne Escobedo Shepherd described the song as an "old way

house A house is a single-unit residential building. It may range in complexity from a rudimentary hut to a complex structure of wood, masonry, concrete or other material, outfitted with plumbing, electrical, and heating, ventilation, and air c ...

anthem", comparing the track's musicality to that of

Vanity 6 Vanity 6 was an American female vocal trio that gained popularity in the early 1980s. They were protégées of musician Prince. Led by singer Vanity, they are known for their song " Nasty Girl". Vanity left in 1983 and the band was reformed as ...

. The "futuristic"

dance-pop Dance-pop is a Music genre, genre of electronic dance music that originated in the late 1970s to early 1980s. It is generally uptempo music intended for nightclubs with the intention of being danceable but also suitable for contemporary hit ra ...

and R&B song features heavy

synthesizer A synthesizer (also synthesiser or synth) is an electronic musical instrument that generates audio signals. Synthesizers typically create sounds by generating waveforms through methods including subtractive synthesis, additive synthesis a ...

production and elements of

ballroom A ballroom or ballhall is a large room inside a building, the primary purpose of which is holding large formal parties called ''balls''. Traditionally, most balls were held in private residences; many mansions and palaces, especially histori ...

music, such as usage of the term "category", throughout the song. Beyoncé raps in a monotone delivery during the verses, before singing over stacked vocals during the choruses. The song features some cultural references, including

Maya Angelou Maya Angelou ( ; born Marguerite Annie Johnson; April 4, 1928 – May 28, 2014) was an American memoirist, poet, and civil rights activist. She published seven autobiographies, three books of essays, several books of poetry, and is credi ...

's poem "Still I Rise". The song samples an autobiographical recording by American writer and producer

Barbara Ann Teer Barbara Ann Teer (June 18, 1937 – July 21, 2008) was an American writer, producer, teacher, actress and social visionary. In 1968, she founded Harlem's National Black Theatre, the first revenue-generating black theater arts complex in the U.S. ...

featured in ''

Black Drama ''Black Drama'', sometimes referred to as ''Black Theater'', is a two-track American spoken word record featuring two autobiographical accounts from Barbara Ann Teer and Charlie L. Russell, both leading African American figures in live theater d ...

'': "We dress a certain way. We walk a certain way. We talk a certain way. We paint a certain way. We make love a certain way, you know? All of these things we do in a different, unique specific way that is personally ours".

Critical reception

Upon release of the parent album, "Alien Superstar" received positive reviews from critics. ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'' called the song a "bold pop homage to ballroom culture" that delves into themes of

Afrofuturism Afrofuturism is a cultural aesthetic, philosophy of science, and history that explores the intersection of the African diaspora culture with science and technology. It addresses themes and concerns of the African diaspora through technoculture ...

, and self-celebration. Kevin Fallon of ''The Daily Beast'' deemed it as ''Renaissance'''s "stand-out track", praising its "ode to

queer ''Queer'' is an umbrella term for people who are non-heterosexual or non- cisgender. Originally meaning or , ''queer'' came to be used pejoratively against LGBTQ people in the late 19th century. From the late 1980s, queer activists began to ...

dance-floor anthems". Ranking it as the eighth best song off the album, ''Billboard'' praised the song's unconventional song structure, "warbling synths", and utilization of rapping and stacked vocals. ''Pitchfork'' and

NPR National Public Radio (NPR) is an American public broadcasting organization headquartered in Washington, D.C., with its NPR West headquarters in Culver City, California. It serves as a national Radio syndication, syndicator to a network of more ...

both placed the song on their "Best Songs of 2022" lists, ranking the at number two and number five respectively. The former publication called it a "new-gen ballroom staple" and compared its

funky Funk is a music genre that originated in African-American communities in the mid-1960s when musicians created a rhythmic, danceable new form of music through a mixture of various music genres that were popular among African-Americans in the mi ...

and

electronic Electronic may refer to: *Electronics, the science of how to control electric energy in semiconductors * ''Electronics'' (magazine), a defunct American trade journal *Electronic storage, the storage of data using an electronic device *Electronic c ...

sound to that of

Prince A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...

; in September 2024, they included it on their list of "The 100 Best Songs of the 2020s So Far", ranking it at number 24.

Commercial performance

After the release of ''Renaissance'', "Alien Superstar" debuted on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

Hot 100 The ''Billboard'' Hot 100, also known as simply the Hot 100, is the music industry standard record chart in the United States for songs, published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine. Chart rankings are based on sales (physical and digital), o ...

chart at number 19 and on the

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

chart at number eight.

Personnel and credits

Samples

* contains an

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of "

I'm Too Sexy "I'm Too Sexy" is a song by British pop band Right Said Fred, released in July 1991 by Tug Records as their debut single from their first album, '' Up'' (1992). The song was written by band members and brothers Fred Fairbrass and Richard Fa ...

", written by Rob Manzoli,

Richard Fairbrass Richard Peter John Fairbrass (born 22 September 1953) is an English singer and television presenter, best known as lead singer of the pop group Right Said Fred, who achieved hits in the early 1990s including the singles "I'm Too Sexy" and " Deep ...

, and Christopher Fairbrass, and performed by

Right Said Fred Right Said Fred are an English pop band formed by brothers Fred and Richard Fairbrass in 1989. They are best known for the hit 1991 song " I'm Too Sexy". History 1989–1991: Formation Prior to forming Right Said Fred, the Fairbra ...

* contains a sample of "Moonraker", written by John Michael Cooper and performed by Foremost Poets * contains a sample of

's " Black Theater" autobiographical account * contains a sample of "Unique", written by Kim Cooper and

Peter Rauhofer Peter Rauhofer (29 April 1965 – 7 May 2013) was an Austrian-American disc jockey (DJ), remixer and producer who formerly worked under the moniker Club 69 as well as Size Queen. A native of Vienna, Austria, he was famous for a variety of his ...

and performed by Danube Dance

Recording locations

*The Juicy Juicy (Los Angeles, California) *Parkwood West (Los Angeles, California)

Personnel

Performers * Vocals by Beyoncé * Background vocals by Blu June Musicians * Mike Dean – synths * Honey Dijon – additional programming * The-Dream – synths * Chris Penny – keys and programming * Luke Solomon – drum production and programming Technical credits * Beyoncé – production, vocal production * Matheus Braz – assistant engineering * Chi Coney – engineering * John Cranfield – engineering * Mike Dean – co-production * Honey Dijon – production * The-Dream – co-production * NovaWav – additional production * Chris Penny – production * Andrea Roberts – engineering * Luke Solomon – production * Stuart White – mixing, recording

Live performance

Beyoncé first performed "Alien Superstar" in

Stockholm, Sweden Stockholm (; ) is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in Sweden by population, most populous city of Sweden, as well as the List of urban areas in the Nordic countries, largest urban area in the Nordic countries. Approximately ...

on the opening night of the

Renaissance World Tour The Renaissance World Tour was the ninth concert tour by American singer-songwriter Beyoncé. Her highest-grossing tour to date, it was staged in support of her seventh studio album, ''Renaissance (Beyoncé album), Renaissance'' (2022). The to ...

, including it on the setlist for the duration of the tour. The song is featured in the robotic-themed "Renaissance" act of the tour and follows a transition from " Cozy". The performance starts with Beyoncé pantomiming that she's asleep, with her dancers holding up a quilted bedspread and pillows designed by Victor Weinsanto. She then 'wakes up' and holds her hands up while spelling out "Unique" and counting down with her fingers. The performance continues with the song's intro. During the second chorus, elements of " Sweet Dreams" are used such as the instrumental and select lyrics. Beyoncé wore a number of outfits during this section over the course of the tour, starting with a custom

Courrèges Courrèges () is a French prêt-à-porter fashion house that was founded by French fashion designers André Courrèges and his at the time partner (and later wife) Coqueline Courrèges in 1961 as a couture house. Fashion house Courrèges was l ...

outfit from the fall 2023 collection. At later dates, she wore a custom Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini bodysuit, a metallic Balmain bodysuit, and a silver-and gold

Lanvin Lanvin () is a French luxury fashion house founded in 1889 by Jeanne Lanvin in Paris. It is the oldest French fashion house still in operation. Since 2018, it has been a subsidiary of Shanghai-based Lanvin Group. Lanvin Group includes Lanvin, S ...

bodysuit with cutouts. During a performance of the song at a show in

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

, an audio malfunction caused Beyoncé and her dancers to temporarily retreat. She then restarted the performance, wearing a new metallic outfit with wings designed by Juraj Zigman. "Alien Superstar" remained on the setlist for the

Cowboy Carter Tour The Cowboy Carter Tour (full title Cowboy Carter and the Rodeo Chitlin' Circuit Tour) is the ongoing tenth concert tour by American singer and songwriter Beyoncé, in support of her eighth studio album, ''Cowboy Carter'' (2024). An all-stadium ...

in 2025 with a performance similar to how it was during the previous tour, omitting the " Lift Off" outro.

Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

Certifications

References

{{Beyoncé songs Beyoncé songs 2022 songs Songs written by Beyoncé Songs written by Jay-Z Songs written by Mike Dean (record producer) Songs written by Labrinth Songs written by 070 Shake Songs written by Rami Yacoub Song recordings produced by Beyoncé Song recordings produced by The-Dream Song recordings produced by Mike Dean (record producer) Songs written by Rob Manzoli Songs written by Fred Fairbrass Songs written by Richard Fairbrass Songs written by Atia Boggs