Lemonade is the Beyoncé album released in 2016 that includes “Formation” and functions as a visual album.
Beyoncé released Lemonade on April 23, 2016, initially through the streaming service Tidal. The project combined an audio album with a film broadcast on HBO. Its songs and film chapters explore ancestry, betrayal, marriage, Black identity, grief, resilience, and reconciliation.
The album includes “Formation,” “Sorry,” “Hold Up,” “Freedom,” and “All Night.” Its visual presentation drew on poetry by Warsan Shire and featured imagery connected to African-American history and culture, including New Orleans and the American South.
Lemonade is sometimes described simply as a surprise album, but that label does not capture its multimedia format. Beyoncé had used visual-album ideas before, especially on her 2013 self-titled album, while Lemonade developed the approach into a tightly connected film and record.