A day ahead of her anticipated return to the Super Bowl Halftime Show, alongside Coldplay and Bruno Mars, Beyoncé had released a mesmerizing surprise new single. “Formation,” and accompanied it with a dazzling music video. The song, which was produced by Mike Will and Apluss, was set in New Orleans. It features shots of Beyoncé lying on top of a sinking police cruiser as well as a powerful image of the words along a graffiti-ed wall that says, “Stop shooting us.”

It reads as a celebration of black culture, with lyrics referencing Beyoncé’s “Jackson 5 nostrils”. The music video also features a cameo from Beyoncé and Jay Z’s adorable 4-year-old daughter, Blue Ivy.

To promote the surprise track, Beyoncé posted several shots on Instagram shortly after its release, showing Bey and a long line of lovely dancers striking a pose.
Download “Formation” on TIDAL 👯👯👯 A photo posted by Beyoncé (@beyonce) on
Beyoncé also posted the single’s cover art, a still from the video. Last month, Queen Bey collaborated with Coldplay and released a video for “Hymn for the Weekend,” which has since been accused of cultural misappropriation for its portrayal of India.