Queen Bey is back. Beyoncé's excellent self-titled record was surprise-released at the end of 2013. And now, the same night that she premiered the HBO special "Lemonade," she's done it again. Lemonade is available now via Columbia/Parkwood, streaming exclusively on Tidal. The album features appearances from Jack White, James Blake, Kendrick Lamar, and the Weeknd. Find previews of all the tracks below. Update (4/24, 10:07 a.m. EST): Lemonade will reportedly remain a Tidal exclusive "for the foreseeable future," The Verge reports. Update (4/24, 3:45 p.m. EST): Tidal has now made the album available for purchase. It's available across the world, including countries where Tidal streaming isn't supported. The album and film are available for $17.99. According to The New York Times, it's expected to be available for sale on the iTunes Store at midnight tonight. __Update (4/25, 8:12 a.m. EST): __Lemonade is now available for sale on iTunes, along with the film and a digital booklet. Update (4/25, 10:48 a.m. EST): It's also available on Amazon. Update (4/26, 12:08 p.m.): Lemonade now has a physical release date. It's available on May 6 and comes with a CD of the album and a DVD of the visual.
Update (4/23, 10:11 p.m. EST): Jon Brion is responsible for the strings on the album. Meanwhile, Yeah Yeah Yeahs and Soulja Boy have both been credited on "Hold Up" since the song contains elements of "Maps" and "Turn My Swag On" respectively. Diplo, Vampire Weekend's Ezra Koenig, Emile Haynie, MNEK, and Father John Misty have writing credits on "Hold Up" as well. Jack White and Led Zeppelin have writing credits on "Don't Hurt Yourself," which samples Led Zeppelin's "When the Levee Breaks." "6 Inch," featuring the Weeknd, was co-written by Abel Tesfaye alongside The-Dream and "embodies portions of" Animal Collective's "My Girls." Outkast's "SpottieOttieDopaliscious" is sampled on the song "All Night," which was also produced by Diplo. Just Blaze co-produced the Kendrick Lamar-featuring track "Freedom."
Before its premiere, "Lemonade" was reported to be a "docu-style special" in the same vein as 2013's "Life is But a Dream." Instead it turned out to be another "visual album," with cameos from Jay Z and tennis star Serena Williams. Update (4/23, 10:24 p.m. EST): The film also features appearances from Amandla Stenberg, Quvenzhané Wallis, and Zendaya. Update (4/24, 12:47 a.m. ET): Trayvon Martin, Tamir Rice, and Mike Brown's mothers are featured in the film, holding photographs of their deceased sons during the song "Forward," featuring James Blake.
Earlier this year, Beyoncé joined Coldplay at Super Bowl 50 for a controversy-generating performance of "Formation." She later denounced criticism of the performance, saying, "If celebrating my roots and culture during Black History Month made anyone uncomfortable, those feelings were there long before a video and long before me." That night, she announced the Formation World Tour, which kicks off next week. She previously teased new music in the campaign for her new clothing line Ivy Park.
Lemonade:
01 Pray You Catch Me
02 Hold Up
03 Don't Hurt Yourself [ft. Jack White]
04 Sorry
05 6 Inch [ft. The Weeknd]
06 Daddy Lessons
07 Love Drought
08 Sandcastles
09 Forward [ft. James Blake]
10 Freedom [ft. Kendrick Lamar]
11 All Night
12 Formation
Watch the video for "Formation."