Morning Dew (Donk)

"Morning Dew (Donk)"
Cover art for "Morning Dew (Donk)": a black-and-white image of Beyoncé lying in her bikini on a beach
Single by Beyoncé
from the album B'Day (20th anniversary edition)
ReleasedJuly 4, 2026 (2026-07-04)
Recorded
  • 2013
GenreR&B
Length4:03
Label
Songwriters
Producers
  • Beyoncé
  • Pharrell Williams
Beyoncé singles chronology
"II Most Wanted"
(2024)		 "Morning Dew (Donk)"
(2026)
Lyric video
"Morning Dew (Donk)" on YouTube

"Morning Dew (Donk)" is a song by American singer Beyoncé. It was surprise-released on July 4, 2026, and is the first single from the 20th-anniversary edition of her second studio album B'Day. A demo of the song, recorded during sessions for her 2013 self-titled album Beyoncé, previously leaked online in 2023 and went viral on TikTok.

Background

Around October 2014, a song titled "Donk" was registered under Beyoncé's name to the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers database.[1][2] "Donk" received press from media outlets the following month after it appeared on an alleged track list of a later-debunked edition of Beyoncé, her 2013 studio album, that circulated online.[3][4] The song was recorded during sessions for the album; in 2021, a snippet of its demo was leaked on social media.[5] The full version was leaked in September 2023, and it subsequently went viral on the video platform TikTok.[6]

Music and lyrics

"Donk" was officially released under the title "Morning Dew (Donk)".[7] The final version runs for about four minutes.[8] "Morning Dew (Donk)" is an R&B song,[9][10] retaining some elements of Beyoncé's musical style in 2013, built around a sultry sound and a bouncy, groovy rhythm.[11] It was written by Beyoncé, Pharrell Williams, The-Dream, Darius Dixson, and produced by Beyoncé and Williams.[12] It contains elements of "Twerk Something", written and performed by Cheeky Blakk, released in 1994.[13][14]

In "Morning Dew (Donk)", Beyoncé sings about a romantic relationship that, despite having lasted for a while, still makes her feel young love. The lyrics revolve around her intense devotion to a long-time partner, reflecting on their time spent together on activities like watching the film Purple Rain. She declares in the first verse, "I think I wanna go back to school and have my locker full of pictures of you / So give me that 'A' in biology, I'm graduatin' soon".[15] The lyrics are sexually charged, utilizing specific innuendos to communicate this tone. Beyoncé sings about how much her partner is sexually attracted to her and adds, "You know the sun rise for you / Give me that morning dew".[15]

Release

"Morning Dew (Donk)" was Beyoncé's first music release in two years, following that of Cowboy Carter, her eighth studio album. The song was surprise-released via streaming services on July 4, 2026, by Parkwood Entertainment and Columbia Records.[16] It impacted rhythmic, urban, and R&B radio in the US later that month, on July 28.[17]

"Morning Dew (Donk)" marked the start of a 60-day countdown leading up to the 20th-anniversary edition of B'Day, Beyoncé's second studio album.[18] The song serves as the reissue's lead single.[19] Accompanying the release of "Morning Dew (Donk)" was a black-and-white lyric video, which repurposes 2007 footage from Beyoncé's swimwear photoshoot with Sports Illustrated, shot and directed by Cliff Watts.[8]

On August 4, an EP featuring four additional versions of "Morning Dew (Donk)", subtitled "Remix Pack", was released on streaming services. The release includes explicit and clean versions of a remix featuring Jay-Z, which samples "Donk" by Soulja Boy, "Between the Sheets" by the Isley Brothers, and "Mo Bamba" by Sheck Wes.[20][21] The title of the third version, "Morning Dew (Donk) Acoustic 4:44", references Jay-Z's 2017 studio album 4:44.[22]

Critical reception

Kiana Mickles of Pitchfork called the song a contender for 2026 song of the summer, writing that it had "an effortless beat that unites twerking claps, crepuscular chords, and the flirty swagger of Bey's mid-aughts era".[23]

Track listings

Personnel

Credits have been adapted from Spotify and Tidal.[24][25]

Charts

Chart performance
Chart (2026) Peak
position
Australia (ARIA)[27] 86
Australia Hip Hop/R&B (ARIA)[28] 12
Canada Hot 100 (Billboard)[29]82
Global 200 (Billboard)[30]57
Guatemala Anglo Airplay (Monitor Latino)[31]4
Japan Hot Overseas (Billboard Japan)[32] 11
Netherlands (Single Tip)[33] 19
New Zealand Hot Singles (RMNZ)[34] 2
Nigeria (TurnTable Top 100)[35] 71
South Africa Airplay (TOSAC)[36] 15
South Africa Streaming (TOSAC)[37] 25
UK Singles (Official Charts)[38]60
UK Hip Hop/R&B (Official Charts)[39]12
US Billboard Hot 100[40]26
US Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs (Billboard)[41]7
US Rhythmic Airplay (Billboard)[42]9

Release history

Release dates and formats
Region Date Format Version Label Ref.
Various July 4, 2026 Original [43]
Italy July 17, 2026 Radio airplay Sony [44]
United States July 28, 2026 Columbia [17]
Various August 5, 2026
  • Digital download
  • streaming
 Remixes [20]

References

  1. ↑ Jung, E. Alex (November 2, 2014). "Someone Sort of Ruined Beyoncé's Surprise Album [Updated]". Vulture. Archived from the original on May 26, 2026. Retrieved July 5, 2026.
  2. ↑ Gecsoyler, Sammy (July 4, 2026). "Beyoncé releases surprise new track for Fourth of July weekend". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  3. ↑ Sisario, Ben (November 4, 2014). "Beyoncé to Release a New Album, a Version of Her Old Album". The New York Times. Archived from the original on August 11, 2020. Retrieved November 24, 2014.
  4. ↑ Renshaw, David (November 3, 2014). "Beyoncé rumoured to be releasing surprise album featuring Rihanna and Nicki Minaj next week". NME. Retrieved July 4, 2026.
  5. ↑ Horowitz, Steven J. (July 4, 2026). "Beyoncé Drops Unreleased Song 'Morning Dew (Donk)' Ahead of 'B'Day' 20th Anniversary Reissue". Variety. Archived from the original on July 4, 2026. Retrieved July 5, 2026.
  6. ↑ Smoot, Donnavan (February 22, 2024). "Beyoncé Makes History with 'Texas Hold 'Em,' but TikTok Is Talking About Her Unreleased Track 'Donk'". Yahoo News. Archived from the original on May 13, 2024. Retrieved May 13, 2024.
  7. ↑ Young, Alex (July 4, 2026). "Beyoncé Releases Surprise New Single "MORNING DEW (DONK)"". Consequence. Archived from the original on July 4, 2026. Retrieved July 4, 2026.
  8. 1 2 Peters, Mitchell (July 4, 2026). "Beyoncé Drops Surprise New Song 'Morning Dew (Donk)' on Fourth of July". Billboard. Retrieved July 5, 2026.
  9. ↑ Chelosky, Danielle (July 4, 2026). "Beyoncé Shares New Song "Morning Dew (Donk)": Listen". Stereogum. Archived from the original on July 4, 2026. Retrieved July 5, 2026.
  10. ↑ Bloch, Emily (July 4, 2026). "Beyoncé gave us her first new song in two years with surprise Fourth of July release". The Philadelphia Inquirer. Archived from the original on July 5, 2026. Retrieved July 5, 2026.
  11. ↑ Pilley, Max (July 4, 2026). "Beyoncé marks Independence Day by gifting steamy new song 'Morning Dew (Donk)' to fans". NME. Archived from the original on July 5, 2026. Retrieved July 5, 2026.
  12. ↑ Suskind, Alex (July 4, 2026). "Beyoncé Surprise-Releases New Song "Morning Dew (Donk)"". Pitchfork. Archived from the original on July 6, 2026. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  13. ↑ "The 10 best songs of July 2026". Paste Magazine.
  14. ↑ "The Twerk Heard Round the World". Fish Pot Studios. July 17, 2026.
  15. 1 2 Lutkin, Aimée (July 4, 2026). "Beyoncé's New Single 'Morning Dew (Donk)' Is About More Than You Think". Elle. Archived from the original on July 4, 2026. Retrieved July 4, 2026.
  16. ↑ Kreps, Daniel (July 4, 2026). "Beyoncé Delivers Fourth of July Fireworks With Surprise New Song 'Morning Dew (Donk)'". Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on July 4, 2026. Retrieved July 4, 2026.
  17. 1 2 @USRadioUpdater (July 29, 2026). ".@Beyonce's "MORNING DEW (DONK)" officially impacted US Rhythmic, Urban, and R&B radio yesterday (via @ColumbiaRecords)" (Tweet). Retrieved July 29, 2026 – via X (formerly Twitter).
  18. ↑ Lewis, Hilary (July 5, 2026). "Beyoncé Releases First New Song in Two Years Amid Upcoming Album Speculation". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on July 5, 2026. Retrieved July 6, 2026.
  19. ↑ Hussain, Shahzaib (July 6, 2026). "Beyoncé Surprise-Releases New Track 'Morning Dew (Donk)'". Clash. Archived from the original on July 7, 2026. Retrieved July 30, 2026.
  20. 1 2 Brandle, Lars (August 5, 2026). "Beyoncé Drops 'Morning Dew (Donk)' Remix Pack Featuring JAŸ-Z". Billboard. Retrieved August 5, 2026.
  21. ↑ Monroe, Jazz (August 5, 2026). "Jay-Z Hops on Beyoncé's "Morning Dew (Donk)" Remix". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 5, 2026.
  22. ↑ Tharpe, Frazier (August 5, 2026). "Jay-Z Drops His First Verse in Years on a Remix With Beyoncé and It's a Heater". GQ. Retrieved August 5, 2026.
  23. ↑ Lindert, Hattie (July 21, 2026). "20 Contenders for 2026 Song of the Summer". Pitchfork. Retrieved August 22, 2026.
  24. ↑ "MORNING DEW (DONK) - Single by Beyoncé". Spotify. Archived from the original on July 4, 2026. Retrieved July 4, 2026.
  25. ↑ "MORNING DEW (DONK) / Beyoncé / Credits". Tidal. Archived from the original on July 4, 2026. Retrieved July 4, 2026.
  26. ↑ "B'DAY 20th Anniversary Updates (@B7Album) on X". X (formerly Twitter). August 6, 2026. Retrieved August 7, 2026.
  27. ↑ "The ARIA Report: Week Commencing 20 July 2026". The ARIA Report. No. 1898. Australian Recording Industry Association. July 20, 2026. p. 4.
  28. ↑ "ARIA Top 40 Hip Hop/R&B Singles Chart". Australian Recording Industry Association. July 20, 2026. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  29. ↑ "Beyonce Chart History (Canadian Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 21, 2026.
  30. ↑ "Beyonce Chart History (Global 200)". Billboard. Retrieved July 14, 2026.
  31. ↑ "Top 20 Guatemala Anglo música". Monitor Latino. Retrieved July 29, 2026.
  32. ↑ "Billboard Japan Hot Overseas – Week of July 22, 2026". Billboard Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved July 23, 2026.
  33. ↑ "DC Tip 30 – 18/07/2026" (in Dutch). Dutch Charts. Retrieved July 18, 2026.
  34. ↑ "Hot 40 Singles". Recorded Music NZ. July 10, 2026. Retrieved July 10, 2026.
  35. ↑ "TurnTable Nigeria Top 100: Jul 10th - Jul 16th, 2026". TurnTable. Archived from the original on July 29, 2026. Retrieved July 29, 2026.
  36. ↑ "Local & International Radio Chart Top 20 – Week 33, 2026". The Official South African Charts. August 14, 2026. Retrieved August 14, 2026.
  37. ↑ "The Beyhive Is Buzzing With Beyonce's Return (Ed 242)". The Official South African Charts. July 17, 2026. Retrieved July 18, 2026. Storming onto our listings straight at #25, the global icon is officially back from her brief break with MORNING DEW (DONK)
  38. ↑ "Official Singles Chart on 17/7/2026 – Top 100". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 18, 2026.
  39. ↑ "Official Hip Hop and R&B Singles Chart on 17/7/2026 – Top 40". Official Charts Company. Retrieved July 18, 2026.
  40. ↑ "Beyonce Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard. Retrieved July 14, 2026.
  41. ↑ "Beyonce Chart History (Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs)". Billboard. Retrieved July 14, 2026.
  42. ↑ "Beyonce Chart History (Rhythmic Airplay)". Billboard. Retrieved August 29, 2026.
  43. ↑ Li, Joyce (July 5, 2026). "Beyoncé Kicks Off 60-Day Countdown to 'B'Day' 20th Anniversary With Surprise Single "Morning Dew (Donk)"". Hypebeast. Archived from the original on July 9, 2026. Retrieved July 10, 2026.
  44. ↑ Attanasi, Claudia (July 10, 2026). "MORNING DEW (DONK) - Beyoncé". EarOne (in Italian). Retrieved July 10, 2026.
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