Beyoncé’s album released in 2011 and titled with a single number was 4.
4 is Beyoncé’s fourth solo studio album, released on June 24, 2011. She chose the title because the number had personal and cultural significance: it is her birth date, September 4, and her mother Tina Knowles’s birthday, as well as the birthday of Jay-Z, September 4 being connected to the couple’s shared date.
The album marked a shift toward more traditional R&B, soul, funk, and live instrumentation. Its singles included “Run the World (Girls),” “Best Thing I Never Had,” “Countdown,” and “Love on Top.” The album’s sound was designed to emphasize vocals and musicianship rather than follow a purely electronic pop formula.
4 is sometimes confused with Beyoncé’s later visual album Lemonade or her 2016 studio album. Its defining clue is both its release year and its numerical title.