Atlanta police are investigating the theft of unreleased Beyoncé music and other sensitive documents from a rental car hired for the singer’s choreographer and one of her dancers, according to the Hollywood Reporter (THR).
The thief allegedly broke into the rented SUV on the evening of 8 July, just ahead of Beyoncé’s sold-out, four-day stint at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. An Atlanta Police incident report said the suspect stole multiple hard drives containing “watermarked music, unreleased music, footage plans for the show, and past and future set lists.”
Choreographer Christopher Grant and dancer Diandre Blue told police that they left the car at a parking deck just past 8 pm. When they returned an hour later, they discovered someone had broken the window on the back lift gate and taken two suitcases. In addition to the precious hard drives, other items including clothing and MacBook laptops were taken from the car.
Atlanta’s local ABC affiliate WSB-TV, which first reported on the theft, as well as THR and other outlets, have reached out to Beyoncé’s representatives for comment with no response.
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According to the incident report, police found two “very light prints” at the scene and security camera footage that captured the incident. Officers used the Find My function to track the location of the laptops, leading them to a location redacted in the report. As of around noon local time, police had “secured an arrest warrant for a suspect,” unnamed, who remains at large.
None of the stolen material has appeared online yet, but it would not be the first time the superstar’s music has been released without her permission. After early solo albums were illegally uploaded online ahead of their scheduled release dates, Beyoncé adopted a unique approach for the second phase of her solo career.
She pioneered the “surprise drop” with her self-titled fifth album, which appeared unannounced in mid-December 2013. Recorded under the codename “Lily,” the videos for all 14 tracks were shot without producers playing any tracks on set to avoid leaks. These days, she doesn’t even make videos, preferring to “focus on the voice,” she told the BBC last year. Concertgoers will have plenty of spectacle to go along with that incredible voice at Beyoncé’s final stop of her nine-city Cowboy Carter tour. Tickets are still available for the 25-26 July shows in Las Vegas, although the best seats in the house will set you back as much as US$2,875.
