Lemonade is the Beyoncé album associated with the 2016 visual film and songs including “Formation” and “Hold Up.”
Beyoncé released Lemonade on April 23, 2016, after a one-hour film of the same name premiered on HBO. The album combines R&B, pop, hip-hop, soul, rock, country, and blues influences. Its songs are organized around emotional and thematic chapters, while the film uses poetry, visual symbolism, and locations connected to Black history and the American South.
“Formation” was released before the album and became one of its most discussed songs, while “Hold Up” drew attention for its mixture of reggae, pop, and rock elements. Lemonade debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and received widespread critical acclaim. It earned nine Grammy nominations, including Album of the Year, and won Best Urban Contemporary Album. The album is often confused with Renaissance because both were major concept-driven projects, but Renaissance was released in 2022 and has a different musical focus.