When Beyoncé announced that her album, Renaissance, was only “Act I” of a larger three-part project, it set off a years-long guessing game. Then came Cowboy Carter, a dive into the Black roots of country music, which confirmed that each instalment would exist with in its own universe. Now, with two acts in the trilogy released, the internet has collectively turned its attention to the final chapter — and the dominant theory is that Act III is Beyoncé’s long-rumoured rock album.

Below, every hint that suggests Beyoncé’s next move will be an embrace of rock ’n’ roll.

Why fans think Beyoncé’s Act III will be a rock album

The theory isn’t simply wishful thinking. Beyoncé’s multi-act project has so far unfolded as a celebration of the Black roots of American music. Act I spotlighted disco and house, while Act II reclaimed country. For many fans, a rock album would complete the conceptual architecture Beyoncé has been building over the last few years: a trilogy that re-centres Black musical innovation across genres historically detached from it.

Clues in Beyoncé’s Levi’s ad hint at a rock era

One of the biggest hints towards Act III comes courtesy of a Levi’s commercial, released back in August. In the ad, Beyoncé enters on a horse — the symbol of Cowboy Carter — but exits on a motorcycle. It’s an unmistakable shift in iconography, which fans were quick to pick up on. As one commenter explained beneath the ad, “Coming on her horse, leaving with her motorbike. Oh we love it here, rock and roll is coming!!!!”

Easter eggs on the Cowboy Carter tour also suggest a rock direction

Tour visuals have also added fuel to the fire. On the Cowboy Carter tour, several set pieces resembled the outline of an electric guitar. Fans have pointed out that Beyoncé often uses stage design not just to frame the current era, but to hint at the next one. Similarly, Beyoncé’s outfits have slowly started to shift towards a new era – in Atlanta, for example, she fused country with rock, in leather shorts and a jacket, with layered belts, cowboy boots, and a cap.

When would Beyoncé’s Act III be released?

Obviously this is hard to predict, but if Beyoncé is following the loose spacing of the first two acts, fans believe Act III could arrive sooner rather than later.

Renaissance dropped in July 2022, Cowboy Carter arrived in March 2024, and both were announced with deliberate, tightly controlled rollouts.  Online, the dominant theory is that Act III will be announced in December 2025, and released in January 2026, to complete the three-act arc within a roughly three-year cycle.

There’s also the possibility that Act III will appear with no warning, following the surprise-drop logic of Beyoncé (2013) and Lemonade (2016).