Today (July 29), Beyoncé makes a big return with her seventh studio LP RENAISSANCE, the first installment of a planned trilogy. The long-awaited body of work contains 16 tracks and a wealth of contributions from BEAM, Grace Jones, Tems, Mike Dean, The-Dream, Syd, Skrillex, Hit-Boy, Boi-1da, and more.

As previously reported by REVOLT, RENAISSANCE sprung a leak a couple of days prior to its scheduled release date, with fans revealing hard copies of the album being sold in Europe. Despite its early availability, members of the Beyhive not only refused to press play on RENAISSANCE before its expected time, but also shunned many on social media who decided to do otherwise:

In response, Beyoncé took to both Instagram and her official website to thank her fans for protecting her art, which seemed to come as a surprise to the Destiny’s Child alum:

“So, the album leaked, and you all actually waited until the proper release time so you can all enjoy it together. I’ve never seen anything like it. … I appreciate you for calling out anyone that was trying to sneak into the club early. It means the world to me. … Thank you for being patient. … I will continue to give my all and do my best to bring you joy.”

In regards to official solo drops, RENAISSANCE follows the 2016 behemoth Lemonade, a 12-song effort that continues to have a lasting impact on music as a whole. That project skyrocketed to number one on the Billboard 200 thanks to 653,000 first-week album equivalent units sold. Since Lemonade made landfall, Beyoncé continued her reign with releases like (her joint album with JAY-Z) Everything Is Love, HΘMΣCΘMING: THE LIVE ALBUM, and the compilation The Lion King: The Gift. Check out King Bey‘s aforementioned message to the masses in its entirety below.