Beyoncé‘s Renaissance era is all about queens honoring queens.
“Thank you, queen,” Beyoncé wrote in an emotional note to Madonna after the pair released their surprise “Queens Remix” of her latest single, “Break My Soul,” on Friday. “I’m so grateful for you. You have opened so many doors for so many women. You are a masterpiece genius. Thank you for allowing me to sing in your song and thank you for naming the remix.”
Madonna shared the message on Instagram alongside a photo of a bouquet of flowers Beyoncé sent her: “Thank you!! From one [queen] to another. I love the re-mix!” Madonna captioned the post.
The “Queens Remix” of “Break My Soul” samples Madonna’s iconic 1990 hit “Vogue” but with an updated twist for Beyoncé’s Renaissance phase: The superstar reads the names of Black female artists in the spoken-word style Madonna first used to name-drop other celebrities on the original song.
Madonna/Instagram Beyoncé sent Madonna flowers with an emotional note.
In that section of the song, Beyoncé calls out her Destiny’s Child bandmate Michelle Williams, Chloë x Halle, Alicia Keys, Whitney Houston, Rihanna, Nicki Minaj, Aaliyah, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Santigold, Bessie Smith, Nina Simone, Betty Davis (the Nasty Gal funk artist), Lauryn Hill, Roberta Flack, Renaissance featured artist Grace Jones, Aretha Franklin, and her sister, Solange Knowles.
The original cut of “Break My Soul” reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 this week, marking Beyoncé’s first solo chart-topping hit in the United States since 2008’s “Single Ladies.”
Barry Brecheisen/WireImage Beyoncé and Madonna
Renaissance — which features contributions from Grace Jones, Pharrell Williams, and Big Freedia, and an epic Donna Summer sample as a tribute to Black artists and the genres they founded in clubs around the world — debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200, making Beyoncé one of only a select few artists who’ve occupied the No. 1 slots on the Billboard albums and singles rankings in the same week.
Last week, Madonna also dropped an interpolation of her 1984 hit “Material Girl,” with Saucy Santana joining her for the new tune “Material Gworrllllllll!”
Hear “Break My Soul (The Queens Remix)” above.
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