The fifth studio album from beloved Beyoncé is here and available worldwide, exclusively on the iTunes store! The self-titled set is actually her very first visual album – it consists of 14 new songs and 17 visually stunning videos that were shot all across the world in cities like New York, Paris, Sydney and Rio de Janeiro.
Why the change to a more visual-oriented piece this time around? “I see music,” says Beyoncé. “It’s more than just what I hear. When I’m connected to something, I immediately see a visual or a series of images that are tied to a feeling or an emotion, a memory from my childhood, thoughts about life, my dreams or fantasies. And they’re all connected to the music.”
The fact that the album was released on the same day the world found out about its existence is an unprecedented and surprising move from Beyoncé – she had a vision to deliver music and visual content directly to fans. “I didn’t want to release my music the way I’ve done it,” Beyoncé said of the change. “I am bored with that. I feel like I am able to speak directly to my fans. There’s so much that gets between the music, the artist, and the fans. I felt like I didn’t want anybody to give the message when my record is coming out. I just want this to come out when it’s ready and from me to my fans.”
Sure enough, this release was definitely just about the music – art took priority over gimmicks and publicity stunts.
The artist decided to not totally forego the physical aspect, though, so don’t despair! Manufacturing of actual CDs begins today and the double disc CD/DVD will be available at retail stores in time for the holidays.
Beyoncé acted as writer, producer and director for the album, and assembled a large team of artists and songwriters to help her – including JAY Z, Timbaland, Justin Timberlake, Pharrell Williams, Drake, Sia, Frank Ocean, The Dream and plenty more. She recorded all over the world for a year and a half; before that, the writers and producers gathered under one roof in New York in the summer of 2012 to totally immerse themselves in the project and create a more seamless work.
“I just want to give my album to the people I love and respect and hope that they feel the same thing I felt when I made the music,” Beyoncé said in a recent interview.
Check out ‘Beyoncé’ for yourself now on the iTunes website!