Beyoncé’s visual album was released simultaneously with her self-titled 2013 album, Beyoncé.
The project arrived unexpectedly on December 13, 2013, without the usual advance promotional campaign. It was initially made available exclusively through the iTunes Store, and each of its fourteen songs was paired with a music video. Beyoncé described the format as an immersive experience in which the visual material helped express the album’s themes.
The release included songs such as “Drunk in Love,” “Partition,” “Flawless,” and “Pretty Hurts.” Its surprise strategy became a major event in music marketing and influenced how later albums were announced and distributed.
The term “visual album” can cause confusion because it refers both to the audio record and its accompanying collection of videos. Beyoncé’s later projects used related formats: Lemonade combined an album with a film, while Black Is King accompanied The Lion King: The Gift. The 2013 release is specifically titled Beyoncé and is her fifth studio album.