Beyoncé has surprised fans with the release of a new song called Black Parade.
The track was dropped via her Instagram page with a simple black square and the title in bold white font with a 30-second snippet.
Moments after the teaser, the full 4 minute 41 second track was released on her YouTube channel as well as other streaming platforms on Juneteenth, a day that marks the anniversary of the end of slavery in the USA on 19 June 1865.
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"Happy Juneteenth Weekend!" the multi-Grammy Award winning artist wrote in the caption.
"I hope we continue to share joy and celebrate each other, even in the midst of struggle. Please continue to remember our beauty, strength and power.
""BLACK PARADE" celebrates you, your voice and your joy and will benefit Black-owned small businesses. Click the link in my bio to learn more."
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The lyrics in the song are a powerful tribute to black history as well as police brutality and the George Floyd protests.
"Put your fists up in the air, show black love," Beyoncé sings, "Need peace and reparation for my people."
It's the mum of three's first solo music release since her live album Homecoming, recorded from her history-making performance at Coachella in 2018, nicknamed Beychella. She also released The Lion King: The Gift album in 2019 to coincide with the live action Disney remake where she voiced an adult Nala.
A link in the singer's Instagram bio takes you to a page featuring her new initiative Black Parade Route, a directory of black-owned businesses created and curated by Beyoncé's long-time stylis Zerina Akers along with company "Black Owned Everything".
She added of the initiative set up as part of her charity BeyGOOD: "Happy Juneteenth. Being Black is your activism. Black excellence is a form of protest. Black joy is your right.
""Black Parade" benefits BeyGOOD's Black Business Impact Fund, administered by the National Urban League, to support Black-owned small businesses in need."
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The links within the directory include black-owned businesses across Art and Design, Beauty, Fashion, Home and Living, Lifestyle, Restaurants and Bars, Services, and Wellness.
Beyoncé has been vocal on social media in recent weeks, using her platform to raise awareness of issues around race since the wrongful killing of African-American man George Floyd.
In a video statement posted via her Instagram page Beyoncé said she was "broken and disgusted" as she demanded justice and also called for an end to "senseless killings of human beings".
She most recently wrote an open letter urging Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron to bring charges against the three officers involved in Breonna Taylor's killing.
The emergency medical technician Breonna Taylor was shot dead in her own home by police on 13 March.
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