Michelle Obama and Beyoncé are friends and admirers of each other. While participating in a "Carpool Karaoke" segment on "The Late Late Show with James Corden," Obama and Corden sang and danced along to Beyoncé's hit "Single Ladies." When James Corden joked, "We were both fully in the Beyhive right there," Obama added, "We just dropped the mic in the hive. ... We were making honey to put in our 'Lemonade,'" referencing another Beyoncé album.

Corden then asked Obama about the infamous Secret Service code names. Obama explained they didn't get to choose the letter all their names started with. In fact, she didn't even choose her name. She told the host: "For me, they just came up with it and said, 'Do you like it?' And I was like, 'Yeah, whatever.'" 

Choosing the name "Renaissance" for an album seemed to be more purposeful for Beyoncé. She spoke with Harper's Bazaar in 2021 and dropped a hint about the not-yet-announced album's title, perhaps giving some insight into why she picked the name: "With all the isolation and injustice over the past year, I think we are all ready to escape, travel, love, and laugh again. I feel a renaissance emerging, and I want to be part of nurturing that escape in any way possible."