Beyoncé was released as a surprise self-titled digital album in December 2013.
The album appeared on the iTunes Store on December 13, 2013, without the usual advance promotional campaign. Beyoncé described it as an “album” rather than simply a collection of singles, and the release included 14 songs and 17 accompanying videos.
Its surprise arrival changed expectations for major pop releases. Instead of announcing a release date months ahead, Beyoncé used a short video message and allowed the music to reach listeners immediately. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and became her fifth consecutive studio album to do so.
It is often called the “visual album” because every song had an associated video, though the separate 2016 project Lemonade is the album more commonly identified with the visual-album label. The 2013 record is officially titled Beyoncé.