Lemonade is the Beyoncé album structured around a family’s generational trauma.
Released on April 23, 2016, Lemonade is Beyoncé’s sixth studio album. It was accompanied by a one-hour film broadcast on HBO, and the music and film together form an audiovisual work about betrayal, grief, identity, healing, and resilience.
The album draws on R&B, rock, country, blues, soul, hip-hop, and electronic music. Its narrative is organized into chapters associated with emotional stages, moving from anger and apathy toward forgiveness, hope, and redemption. Beyoncé also incorporates poetry by Warsan Shire into the film.
The album’s central themes are often discussed alongside its references to Black womanhood, American history, and family memory. It features artists including Jack White, Kendrick Lamar, James Blake, and The Weeknd. Lemonade is distinct from the self-titled 2013 visual album because its film uses a more continuous narrative and chapter-based structure.