Beyoncé released four studio albums before her 2013 self-titled album.
Those four albums were Dangerously in Love in 2003, B’Day in 2006, I Am... Sasha Fierce in 2008, and 4 in 2011. Together, they established her solo discography before Beyoncé arrived as a surprise release in December 2013.
The count refers to solo studio albums, not Destiny’s Child albums, compilation albums, live albums, or soundtrack projects. That distinction prevents common counting errors, especially because Beyoncé had already released music with Destiny’s Child before beginning her solo career.
Her 2013 album was her fifth solo studio album and used a visual-album format with accompanying videos. Later studio albums included Lemonade, Everything Is Love with Jay-Z, Renaissance, and Cowboy Carter. Some discographies count collaborative albums separately, so the wording “solo studio albums” is important.