Beyonce announces first solo tour in six years

Pop queen Beyonce has announced a 2023 world tour on Instagram, following the release of her multiple-Grammy-nominated 2022 album, "Renaissance," reported Variety.

The singer has also released the dates and cities on her official website on Wednesday. Beginning on May 10 in Stockholm, and continuing in Europe through June before coming to North America, the Renaissance World Tour will run for at least 40 dates, according to the dates posted on the website.

According to 'Variety', the announcement's timing, which comes just days before the Grammy Awards on Sunday, sparks speculation that the singer may perform or at least appear on the show. Beyonce is leading the Grammy nominations with nine nods, all related to "Renaissance." Sources tell Variety, that her husband Jay-Z will perform with DJ Khaled on the show, most likely their nominated song "God Did."

Beyonce's last full tour was the "Formation" tour in 2016, which unusually featured no guest appearances until the final show, at New Jersey's MetLife Stadium, where she brought out Kendrick Lamar and Jay-Z, reported The New York Times.

Beyonce performed her first full concert in four years on Jan 21 at the new Atlantis Royal Resort in Dubai. It was an elaborate and highly theatrical performance -- for which sources say she was paid whopping 24 million dollars.

Beyonce has faced numerous controversies since the release of "Renaissance," and outrage over the obscene phrase used in the song. Following the protest, Beyonce removed the words from her song. The lyric was criticized as ableist and offensive on social media. It even inspired an essay published in The Guardian in which writer Hannah Diviney wrote, "Beyonce's commitment to storytelling musically and visually is unparalleled, as is her power to have the world paying attention to the narratives, struggles and nuanced lived experience of being a Black woman... But that doesn't excuse her use of ableist language."

In addition to Beyonce's shows, this year will see blockbuster tours from artists including Taylor Swift, Ed Sheeran, Metallica, Morgan Wallen and Madonna, reported the New York Times.