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Beyoncé is treating fans to some fresh material to listen to this Fourth of July.

On Saturday, the 35-time Grammy winner announced the release of “MORNING DEW (DONK)” — her first new song in two years.

The new track kicks off a 60-day countdown to her next birthday and the reissue of B’DAY, her second album that was released two decades ago on September 4, 2006.

Written by Beyoncé, Pharrell Williams, The-Dream and Darius Dixon, and produced by Beyoncé and Pharrell Williams, “MORNING DEW (DONK)” is a “direct nod to her loyal BeyHive to commemorate the upcoming epic celebration of B’DAY,” according to a press release.

The song, which will be included on the 20th Anniversary edition of B’DAY, arrives accompanied by a lyric video that repurposes old footage, directed by frequent collaborator Cliff Watts.

Beyoncé has released a new song, ‘MORNING DEW (DONK),’ to mark the 4th of July holiday in the USBeyoncé has released a new song, ‘MORNING DEW (DONK),’ to mark the 4th of July holiday in the US (PA)Beyoncé is re-releasing her second studio album, ‘B’Day,’ on her actual birthday in two monthsBeyoncé is re-releasing her second studio album, ‘B’Day,’ on her actual birthday in two months (Getty)

B’DAY, was the second No 1 album for Beyoncé with first-week sales of 541,196 copies after its worldwide release September 4, 2006, and in the United States on September 5, 2006.

The #1 US Billboard 200 Album chart debut was repeated internationally, including Japan, where it took less than three days to land atop the International Album Chart.

The new release comes two years after Beyoncé’s record-breaking eighth studio album, Cowboy Carter.

Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter was a huge critical and commercial success, making her the first Black woman to top Billboard’s Top Country Albums chart and the first Black artist to win Best Country Album earlier this year at the 2025 Grammys.

She said the idea for the album “was born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed [by the country music scene] and it was very clear that I wasn’t.

“But, because of that experience, I did a deeper dive into the history of Country music and studied our rich musical archive.”

“This ain’t a Country album,” she wrote at the end of her post. “This is a ‘Beyoncé’ album.”