What was Beyoncé’s first visual album, released in 2013?

Beyoncé’s first visual album was Beyoncé, released in 2013.

The self-titled album arrived without a traditional advance promotional campaign on December 13, 2013. It was accompanied by a music video for every song, leading Beyoncé and critics to describe it as a visual album. The surprise release strategy became one of the defining album launches of the digital era.

The album explored intimacy, sexuality, motherhood, fame, and independence. Its songs included “Drunk in Love,” featuring Jay-Z; “Partition”; “Flawless”; and “Pretty Hurts.” The visual component gave each track its own film, while the album’s sequencing and themes connected the individual releases into a larger work.

It is often confused with Lemonade because both projects combine music and film, but Lemonade was released in 2016 and used a single long-form film. Beyoncé is also the album’s official title, although it is commonly called the “visual album” to distinguish it from the artist’s name.