Beyoncé became the first visual album to debut at number one on the Billboard 200.
Released without advance announcement on December 13, 2013, Beyoncé was the singer’s fifth solo studio album. It arrived as a digital-only release through the iTunes Store and included a short film for each of its songs, giving the project its visual-album format.
The album entered the Billboard 200 at number one, making Beyoncé the first artist to debut at number one with each of her first five solo studio albums. Its tracks included “Drunk in Love,” “Partition,” and “Flawless.”
The surprise release helped popularize the idea of an album arriving with little or no conventional promotional campaign. Beyoncé is therefore the album’s title, not a description of the performer or a separate compilation.