Lemonade is the Beyoncé album built around the 2016 visual album concept and includes “Formation.”
Beyoncé released Lemonade on April 23, 2016, through Parkwood Entertainment and Columbia Records. It followed a one-hour film on HBO that combined music, poetry, imagery, and themes of relationships, identity, Black womanhood, and African American history.
The album blends multiple styles, including R&B, rock, country, blues, reggae, and hip-hop. Its tracks include “Sorry,” “Hold Up,” “Freedom,” and “Formation.” “Formation” was released before the album’s premiere and became especially associated with its imagery of Black Southern identity.
Lemonade received widespread critical acclaim and earned a Grammy nomination for Album of the Year. It won Best Urban Contemporary Album. The title is often discussed alongside the visual film, but Lemonade refers both to the audio album and the larger audiovisual project.