Beyoncé announces Renaissance world tour

Beyoncé has announced a 43-date world tour in support of her critically-acclaimed Renaissance album, including five nights in the UK.

The shows kick off in Stockholm, Sweden on 10 May, before landing at Cardiff's Principality stadium a week later.

Further UK dates will take place in Edinburgh, Sunderland and London.

She was reportedly paid $24m (£19.4m) for the one-off show, but faced criticism for performing in a country where homosexuality and gender reassignment are outlawed.

Critics said that contradicted the message of her latest album, which explicitly celebrates black and queer dance culture.

Beyoncé conceived the album as "a place to dream and to find escape" during the pandemic, layering her songs with multiple samples and references to club music, from Nile Rodgers' Studio 54 disco grooves and Grace Jones' imperious soul, to less-celebrated movements like bounce and dancehall.

Exclaim magazine called it "the sound of a once-in-a-generation superstar performing at her peak", while the Guardian described it as "a breath-taking, maximalist tour de force".

Unusually, Beyoncé has avoided making music videos for the album, meaning the Renaissance tour will be fans' first chance to see her visual interpretation of tracks like Break My Soul, Alien Superstar and Cuff It.

That, coupled with the fact that this is her first solo tour since 2016, means demand for tickets will be huge.

Lawmakers in the US, who are already investigating Ticketmaster over the fumbled sale of Taylor Swift's Eras tour, will be keeping an eagle eye on how systems cope with Beyoncé's concerts.

The star has yet to announce when tickets will go on sale, with a message on her website simply reading: "Soon."

She may reveal further details at this weekend's Grammys, where she is up for nine awards, including album of the year.

Beyoncé previously hinted at plans for a world tour in October, when she raffled tickets to a show during the fifth annual Wearable Art Gala.

Images shared from the auction suggested the "unique" prize, valued at $20,000 (£16,200), included first-class plane tickets, a three-night hotel stay, two concert tickets, and a guided backstage tour from Beyoncé's mother, Tina Knowles.