Beyoncé’s 2016 visual album about marriage, betrayal, and Black womanhood is Lemonade.
Lemonade was released on April 23, 2016, alongside an hour-long film broadcast on HBO. The album combines R&B, pop, rock, blues, soul, hip-hop, and country influences. Its songs and visuals are organized around emotional stages including intuition, denial, anger, apathy, accountability, reform, forgiveness, hope, and redemption.
The project drew extensive discussion because of its themes of infidelity, family history, race, feminism, and cultural identity. It also features appearances by Beyoncé’s mother, Tina Knowles-Lawson, and daughter, Blue Ivy Carter. “Formation,” “Sorry,” “Hold Up,” and “Freedom” became especially prominent tracks.
Lemonade debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and received widespread critical acclaim. It is sometimes confused with Beyoncé’s self-titled 2013 visual album, but Lemonade is the later project built around the 2016 film and its chaptered narrative.