Why Beyoncé's 'Act III' album speculation is growing ahead of Met Gala
Why Beyoncé's 'Act III' album speculation is growing ahead of Met Gala
Caché McClay, USA TODAY NETWORKWed, April 29, 2026 at 3:20 PM UTC
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Why Beyoncé's 'Act III' album speculation is growing ahead of Met Gala
As Beyoncé Knowles-Carter's highly anticipated Met Gala return nears, speculation is mounting that her Act III album rollout could be linked to the event.
The 35-time Grammy winner is set to return to The Metropolitan Museum of Art's spring exhibition for the first time in a decade on May 4. This time, Beyoncé will step in as the 2026 co-chair alongside Nicole Kidman, Venus Williams and Anna Wintour.
Ahead of the Met Gala, dubbed fashion's biggest night in New York City, rumors have been circulating on social media that Beyoncé might be making an announcement related to her next album. One fan account called @beyscatalog on X alleged that the singer's next album will be announced in connection to the Met Gala, speculating that a lead single release could be scheduled for next month and a full album released this summer. However, that is unlikely to be the case.
Beyoncé's longtime publicist, Yvette Noel-Schure, rejected those claims, commenting on the fan's social media post that this is "unequivocally false!!" An anonymous source also reportedly told TODAY that the singer's unannounced Act III album won't be released next week.
Prior to these rumors from fans, Beyoncé returned to Instagram earlier this week after a short hiatus. Her most recent included photos of her donning a purple Saint Laurent gown from its spring/summer 2026 collection.
Fans quickly noted its resemblance to the yellow Roberto Cavalli dress she wore during her "Lemonade" era in the 2016 “Hold Up” video, prompting speculation that the purple gown and the visual parallels could be teasing her forthcoming album.
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Growing speculation Act III could be a rock-leaning album
In July 2022, Beyoncé released her seventh studio album "Renaissance." The project earned her four Grammys, including best dance/electronic music album, and made her the most decorated artist in the awards' history. She later announced the album was the first part of a three-act project, making "Cowboy Carter" the second act.
After releasing albums across genres, both country and dance music, there has been growing speculation that the last project in the trilogy could be a rock album. Beyoncé only fueled this idea by dressing as funk-rock diva Betty Davis for Halloween. Plus, an ad for her August 2025 Levi's jeans collection fanned the flames of speculation when she swapped out her horse for a motorcycle.
This year, the rumors grew after Beyoncé released a Valentine's Day merchandise collection featuring a "Bodyguard" choker with a the description "A little Rock 'n' Roll with a whole lotta sexy."
Why some fans think news about her next album could arrive in May
Beyoncé released "Renaissance" on July 29, 2022 — a Friday. "Cowboy Carter" also dropped on a Friday, just a few months shy of two years later, on March 29, 2024. Following this pattern, fans suspect her next album could also land on the 29th of the month and on a Friday. The next time this pattern occurs would be May 29, 2026, a little over two years after her last release.
However, this is just one theory. Beyoncé loves to make announcements during major events, and certainly in her own timing.
Her Met Gala appearance is her next big anticipated public event. Follow Caché McClay, the USA TODAY Network's Beyoncé Knowles-Carter reporter, on Instagram, TikTok and X as @cachemcclay.
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Why Beyoncé Act 3 speculation is growing before the Met Gala
Source: “AOL Entertainment”
