With Lemonade, Beyoncé became the first artist whose first six studio albums debuted at number one.
Lemonade opened at number one on the Billboard 200 in May 2016, extending Beyoncé’s streak to six studio albums. The run began with Dangerously in Love, followed by B’Day, I Am... Sasha Fierce, 4, Beyoncé, and then Lemonade. Each of those studio albums entered the chart’s top position at debut.
The achievement was especially notable because Beyoncé’s 2013 self-titled album had also been a surprise release, arriving without traditional advance promotion and still debuting at number one. Lemonade continued that strategy while adding a feature-length film and a tightly connected visual narrative.
The wording refers to the first six studio albums in her discography at that time, not to every album or project she had released. It also concerns debut position on the U.S. Billboard 200, not worldwide charts. Lemonade opened with 653,000 album-equivalent units, including 485,000 pure album sales.