Unreleased Beyonce music stolen in Atlanta on Cowboy Carter tour

Unreleased music by Beyoncé was among several items stolen from a vehicle in Atlanta just days before the singer’s four-night Cowboy Carter tour stop in the city, authorities have confirmed.

Hard drives containing the unreleased songs, show plans, and past and future set lists for her tour were among the items stolen from a rental car used by the singer’s choreographer and one of her dancers, according to a police report.

The theft occurred on 8 July, two days before Beyoncé’s first Atlanta performance. It will come as a blow to the star, who often goes to extreme lengths to prevent leaks.

Atlanta police say an arrest warrant has been issued, but the suspect’s name has not been made public.

Choreographer Christopher Grant and dancer Diandre Blue told police they had parked the rented black Jeep Wagoneer and gone inside a nearby food hall. When they returned, the vehicle’s rear window had been smashed and two suitcases were missing, a police incident report states.

They told police they were “carrying some personal sensitive information for the musician Beyoncé” in the vehicle that was also stolen.

That included “five jump drives containing watermarked music, unreleased music, footage plans for shows past and future, and set list”, the report states.

Other items reported stolen included a laptop, designer clothes and Apple AirPods. Authorities used tracking information on the laptop and headphones to track where the items may have gone, the police report notes.

Authorities also dusted the vehicle for any fingerprints and discovered “two very light prints”.

It is unclear whether the stolen items have been recovered.

The BBC has contacted a representative for Beyoncé for comment.

The singer has worked hard to avoid leaks in the second phase of her solo career, after early albums like Dangerously In Love and 4 found their way online illegally before their release dates.

She pioneered the “surprise drop” with her self-titled fifth album – which appeared unannounced on 13 December 2013, complete with artistic videos for each of its 14 songs.

Recorded under the code name Lily, the album was released exclusively through Apple’s iTunes store, to minimise the number of people with advance knowledge.

An extra from one of the video shoots even said that producers did not play any of the Beyoncé tracks on set to avoid leaks.

“It was actually kind of fun,” they told StyleCaster. “The entire time I’m thinking, ‘What is this going to be?'”

The gambit paid off.

Beyoncé became the fastest-selling album in the history of the iTunes store, selling almost 830,000 copies in 72 hours.

The star has employed similar tactics on every subsequent album. Songwriters who work with Beyoncé often do not know whether their contributions will be used until a record appears in shops.

Post Malone, who appeared on the 2024 song Levii’s Jeans, told the New York Times Beyoncé sent a representative to his house in Utah with a copy of the song, which remained under lock and key while they collaborated on the lyrics over text.

“It was terrifying,” he told the New York Times.

Fans have taken note of the star’s aversion to leaks – and actively tried to stop the spread of her 2022 album Renaissance, when it appeared online two days early.

Beyoncé responded with a handwritten note on her website, saying she had “never seen anything like it”.

“So, the album leaked, and you all actually waited until the proper release time so you all can enjoy it together,” she wrote.

“I appreciate you for calling out anyone that was trying to sneak into the club early. It means the world to me.”

Beyoncé is currently in Atlanta as part of her Cowboy Carter stadium tour. She has been performing in the city since 10 July and her last show was set for Monday night.

Her husband, the rapper Jay Z, made a surprise appearance on the third night of her stop in the city.

Choreographer Mr Grant has worked with other major musicians including Shakira.

Dancer Mr Blue appeared alongside Beyoncé in a 2024 Super Bowl advert, during which she released two singles from her Cowboy Carter album, released later that year.

The record, which celebrates and contextualises the black roots of country music, went on to win the Grammy Award for album of the year.

BBC News used AI to help write the summary at the top of this article. It was edited by BBC journalists. Find out more.