Beyonce releases surprise album ‘Lemonade’ as much-anticipated TV special airs

Beyonce cemented her status as the queen of surprise releases on Saturday, releasing a completely new album and videos called Lemonade via a widely anticipated one-hour special on cable network HBO.

During the show, which ignited social media as fans breathlessly enthused about, and debated, the program and its content, Beyoncé appeared to address long-standing rumours of trouble in her marriage with rapper Jay Z.

After levelling accusations in her song lyrics about being cheated on, Beyonce made clear in the last tracks of the new album that she has decided to reconcile with him and continue in the marriage.

In a preview earlier last week, the singer teased fans with a snippet promoting the show, mysteriously intoning “The past and the present merge to meet us here. What are you hiding? Why can’t you see me? You’re the love of my life.”

Fans, who wondered if Saturday’s show was to be a concept video with new music from the R&B star, found out on Saturday that was pretty much the case, with chapters carrying titles that riffed on the grieving process stages such as anger, denial and forgiveness.

Before the end of the program, which featured a compilation of music videos, vignettes, vintage, home-movie style footage and poetry, Beyonce, 34, had dropped Lemonade onto the Tidal streaming service. The film was also available via Tidal.