Eight years ago today (December 13), the queen Beyoncè dropped a surprise self-titled album.
With no promotion or marketing, Beyoncè dropped her fifth studio album, Beyoncé. The only hint she gave fans was that a “surprise” was coming.
Once it dropped, the beehive went berzerk. It instantly saw success, selling 617,000 copies in the United States and 828,773 copies worldwide in its first three days of sales. An article reports the Beyonce album became the fastest-selling album in the history of the iTunes Store during the time. According to the report, it also debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, earning Beyoncé her fifth consecutive number-one album on the chart.
When Beyoncè released it, she didn’t say much even with the promotion. The only words on Instagram she wrote regarding the album was a 15-second video that said “surprise” in the caption. Take a look back:
Beyoncè’s surprise drop inspired other artists to do the same, like her husband Jay-Z, Kanye West, Taylor Swift, and more. Beyoncé’s eight million fans played a significant role in promoting her album at the time. Music critics called Bey’s move “genius.”
The album features classics like “Drunk In Love,” “Partition,” “Pretty Hurts,” and more. Take a listen: