Alien Superstar
"Alien Superstar" (stylized in all caps) 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 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 the 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. Personnel and credits

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 Theatre" 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 seamless 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. Charts

Weekly charts

Year-end charts

References

Beyoncé songs
2022 songs
Songs written by Beyoncé
Songs written by Jay-Z
Songs written by Mike Dean (record producer)
Songs written by Labrinth
Songs written by 070 Shake
Songs written by Rami Yacoub
Song recordings produced by Beyoncé
Song recordings produced by The-Dream
Song recordings produced by Mike Dean (record producer)