Lemonade was Beyoncé’s 2016 album released with an accompanying hour-long film.
The album was released on April 23, 2016, after the premiere of its visual film on HBO. Lemonade combines R&B, pop, rock, blues, soul, hip-hop, and other influences. Its lyrics and visuals form a broad narrative involving betrayal, grief, anger, reconciliation, family, and Black womanhood.
The project includes songs such as “Formation,” “Sorry,” “Hold Up,” and “Freedom.” It features guest appearances from artists including Jack White, Kendrick Lamar, The Weeknd, and James Blake. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and became one of Beyoncé’s most critically acclaimed releases.
Lemonade is sometimes described simply as a film or simply as an album, but it was conceived as a combined audio-visual project. Its surprise release followed Beyoncé’s earlier visual-album approach while expanding the format into a more continuous cinematic work.