Beyoncé’s self-titled album, Beyoncé, was released as a surprise digital download in December 2013.
The album arrived on December 13, 2013, without a traditional advance announcement. It was released through Columbia Records and iTunes, and Beyoncé described it as a visual album because every song was accompanied by a music video. The unexpected release changed how major artists could launch albums.
The record includes songs such as “Drunk in Love,” “Partition,” “Flawless,” and “Pretty Hurts.” It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, making Beyoncé the first woman to have her first five studio albums debut at the top of that chart.
The title is usually written simply as Beyoncé, although it is also called the “visual album” or the “self-titled album” to distinguish it from her broader discography. It should not be confused with later visual projects such as Lemonade, which arrived in 2016.