Lemonade is the Beyoncé album centered on themes of Black identity, marriage, and infidelity.
Released on April 23, 2016, Lemonade began as a visual album connected to an hour-long film broadcast on HBO. Its songs move through a sequence of emotional chapters, including denial, anger, apathy, emptiness, accountability, reform, forgiveness, hope, and redemption.
The album draws from rhythm and blues, rock, country, blues, reggae, and other traditions. Beyoncé also incorporates poetry by Warsan Shire, while the film places personal themes alongside images and histories associated with Black women in the American South.
Lemonade was widely praised and debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. It includes “Formation,” “Sorry,” “Hold Up,” and “Daddy Lessons.” The album’s personal references led to extensive public discussion, but its artistic scope is broader than any single relationship narrative.