On what date was Beyoncé’s sixth studio album Lemonade released?

Beyoncé released her sixth studio album, Lemonade, on April 23, 2016.

The album arrived first as a surprise release on the streaming service Tidal, accompanied by an hour-long film also titled Lemonade. Its release strategy followed Beyoncé’s earlier use of surprise album launches, but the visual album format made the project especially distinctive. The music combines pop and R&B with rock, country, blues, soul, and spoken-word elements.

Lemonade was structured around themes of betrayal, grief, anger, healing, reconciliation, and identity. Its songs include “Formation,” “Sorry,” “Hold Up,” and “All Night.” The project received extensive critical attention and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200.

The album is sometimes confused with the film’s premiere date because the music and visual components were presented together. April 23 is the release date generally cited for the album itself. Lemonade later won the Grammy for Best Urban Contemporary Album.