Beyoncé’s 2011 studio album was titled 4.
The album was her fourth solo studio release, and its title referred directly to that number. Beyoncé also connected the number with personal significance: her birthday is September 4, her mother’s birthday is January 4, and she married Jay-Z on April 4.
4 represented a shift toward more traditional R&B, soul, funk, and adult-contemporary influences. Its singles included “Run the World (Girls),” “Best Thing I Never Had,” “Countdown,” and “Love on Top.” The album’s sound was shaped partly by Beyoncé’s desire to move beyond the dance-pop emphasis of some earlier work.
The title is often written simply as the numeral 4 rather than spelled out. It should not be confused with Beyoncé’s later albums Lemonade, Renaissance, or Cowboy Carter, each of which introduced a different musical and visual concept.