#81 Beyoncé, 'Beyoncé' (2013)

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I’ve been waiting for Beyoncé to show up. With this album, Beyoncé changed the rules. She redefined herself as an artist and simultaneously redefined the way albums could be released. She gave birth to first child, Blue Ivy at the start of 2012 and would return to work just 3 months later, making a point that mothers need not indefinitely pause their careers to raise children. ‘Beyoncé’ was recorded in strict secrecy, which is a miracle in itself in the age of social media. And seemingly out of nowhere, without warning, the record was released on 13 December 2013 in the early hours. It would be exclusive to iTunes for a week thereafter physical copies were released. Beyoncé was bored with the way albums had been marketed previously and she wanted to change the narrative and experience for fans.

Accompanying the release was a visual for each track. Beyoncé was inspired by MJ’s ‘Thriller’ and wanted the songs to be an immersive experience feeling that people consumed music differently when there was a specific visual attached. This body of work is completely different to her previous releases. It’s the sound of a more mature and developed artist. Highlights for me were ‘XO,’ ‘Drunk In Love (feat. Jay-Z), ‘Jealous,’ ‘Superpower (feat. Frank Ocean),’ ‘Pretty Hurts’ and the hauntingly beautiful ‘Heaven.’ In fact, I enjoyed most of the tracks on the LP, even the one with Drake. Beyoncé is credited with the surprise album, a concept that is more easily executed in the digital age. She changed the way artists think about releasing music and this model has been followed by so many others; Drake, Eminem, Childish Gambino, Kanye West and Kendrick Lamar, amongst many others. Beyoncé is one of the few artists that can do what the hell she wants and get away with it. This record was so much more than I expected it to be.

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