Lemonade was the Beyoncé album inspired partly by the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. Released in 2016, it connects personal themes of betrayal, healing, and family with broader ideas about Black identity, history, and resilience.
The album’s hour-long film, also titled Lemonade, premiered on HBO on April 23, 2016. Its imagery includes references to New Orleans, Southern Black culture, and the destruction and displacement associated with Katrina. The work also draws on poetry by Warsan Shire.
Lemonade was widely praised for its ambitious blend of R&B, rock, country, blues, hip-hop, and soul. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and won the Grammy for Best Urban Contemporary Album, while its visual presentation became central to how the album was understood.