Alien Superstar

"Alien Superstar" is a song recorded by American singer Beyoncé. It is the third track on the former's seventh studio album, Renaissance (2022), which was released on July 29, 2022, through Parkwood and Columbia.

Composition
Pitchfork writer Julianne Escobedo Shepherd described the song as an "old way house anthem", comparing the track's musicality to that of Vanity 6. The "futuristic" dance-pop and R&B song features heavy synthesizer production and elements of ballroom music, such as usage of the term "category", throughout the song. Beyoncé goes from rapping in a monotone delivery during the verses, before singing over stacked vocals during the choruses.

Critical reception
Upon release of the parent album, "Alien Superstar" received positive reviews from critics.

Ranking it as the eighth best song off the album, Billboard praised the song's unconventional song structure, "warbling synths", and utilization of rapping and stacked vocals. The New York Times called the song a "bold pop homage to ballroom culture" that delves into themes of Afrofuturism, and self-celebration. Kevin Fallon of The Daily Beast deemed it as Renaissance 's "stand-out track", praising its "ode to queer dance-floor anthems". Pitchfork and NPR both placed the song on their Best Songs of 2022 lists, ranking the at number two and number five respectively. The former publication called it a "new-gen ballroom staple" and compared its funky and electronic sound to that of Prince.

Commercial performance
After the release of Renaissance, "Alien Superstar" debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 chart at number 19 and on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart at number eight.

Samples

 * contains an interpolation of "I'm Too Sexy", written by Rob Manzoli, Richard Fairbrass, and Christopher Fairbrass and performed by Right Said Fred.
 * contains a sample of "Moonraker", written by John Michael Cooper and performed by Foremost Poets
 * contains a sample of Barbara Ann Teer's "Black Theater" autobiographical account
 * contains a sample of "Unique", written by Kim Cooper and Peter Rauhofer and performed by Danube Dance.

Recording locations

 * The Juicy Juicy (Los Angeles, California)
 * Parkwood West (Los Angeles, California)

Personnel
Performers


 * Vocals by Beyoncé
 * Background vocals by Blu June

Musicians


 * Mike Dean – synths
 * Honey Dijon – additional programming
 * The-Dream – synths
 * Chris Penny – keys and programming
 * Luke Solomon – drum production and programming

Technical credits


 * Beyoncé – production, vocal production
 * Matheus Braz – assistant engineering
 * Chi Coney – engineering
 * John Cranfield – engineering
 * Mike Dean – co-production
 * Honey Dijon – production
 * The-Dream – co-production
 * NovaWav – additional production
 * Chris Penny – production
 * Andrea Roberts – engineering
 * Luke Solomon – production
 * Stuart White – mixing, recording

Live performance
Beyoncé first performed "Alien Superstar" in Stockholm, Sweden on the opening night of the Renaissance World Tour, including it on the setlist for the duration of the tour. The song is featured in the robotic-themed "Renaissance" act of the tour and follows a transition from "Cozy". The performance starts with Beyoncé pantomiming that she's asleep, with her dancers holding up a quilted bedspread and pillows designed by Victor Weinsanto. She then 'wakes up' and holds her hands up while spelling out "Unique" and counting down with her fingers. The performance continues with the song's intro. During the second chorus, elements of "Sweet Dreams" are used such as the instrumental and select lyrics.

A number of outfits were worn during this section over the course of the tour, starting with a custom Courrèges outfit from the fall 2023 collection. At later dates, she wore a custom Philosophy di Lorenzo Serafini bodysuit, a metallic Balmain bodysuit, and a silver-and gold Lanvin bodysuit with cutouts.

During a performance of the song at a show in Arizona, there was an audio malfunction that caused Beyoncé and her dancers to temporarily retreat. She then restarted the performance, wearing a new metallic outfit with wings designed by Juraj Zigman.