Lemonade features “Formation” as its closing track.
Beyoncé released Lemonade on April 23, 2016, alongside a one-hour film on HBO. The project combines music, poetry, and visual storytelling, and its songs are arranged around emotional stages such as intuition, denial, anger, and redemption.
“Formation” was first presented in February 2016, before the complete album appeared. Its lyrics and video address Black identity, Southern heritage, police violence, and cultural pride. The song's New Orleans imagery includes references to Hurricane Katrina and local Black history.
Lemonade became Beyoncé's sixth consecutive album to debut at number one on the Billboard 200. It received nine Grammy nominations, including Album of the Year, and won Best Urban Contemporary Album and Best Music Video. “Formation” itself won Best Music Video at the 2017 Grammys.