The Beyoncé album whose visual film centers on marriage, betrayal, and Black womanhood is Lemonade.
Released in 2016, Lemonade is Beyoncé’s sixth studio album and her second visual album. Its premiere was accompanied by Lemonade, a one-hour film broadcast on HBO. The project combines songs, poetry, imagery, and scenes featuring Beyoncé with a wider meditation on family, race, history, forgiveness, and resilience.
The album’s tracks include “Formation,” “Sorry,” “Hold Up,” “Freedom,” and “All Night.” It features guest appearances by Jack White, Kendrick Lamar, James Blake, and The Weeknd. Its narrative draws on a range of musical styles, including rock, country, blues, hip-hop, and R&B.
Lemonade received widespread critical acclaim and earned a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year. “Formation” became especially associated with the album’s cultural and political impact, though the record as a whole is broader than that single.