Beyoncé released the visual album Beyoncé in 2013.
The self-titled album arrived unexpectedly on December 13, 2013, without the usual advance promotional campaign. Columbia Records issued it digitally through the iTunes Store, and every song was accompanied by a music video, creating what Beyoncé and her team called a visual album.
The project contained fourteen songs and seventeen videos. Its music explored sexuality, motherhood, fame, feminism, and personal identity, while the visual component expanded each song’s setting and themes.
The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and became Beyoncé’s fifth consecutive number-one album in the United States. It is separate from her 2016 album Lemonade, another project in which music and film-like visuals were closely integrated.