25 Things You Don't Know About Beyonce's ‘Lemonade' 10 Years Later

Hold up: It's been exactly 10 years since Beyoncé dropped Lemonade, and to celebrate the anniversary, we're breaking down some must-know facts about the groundbreaking visual album.

On April 23, 2016, just days before she was set to embark on the Formation World Tour, Beyoncé, 44, surprised fans with her sixth studio album, Lemonade.

Premiering alongside the 13 tracks - including "Hold Up," "All Night," "Freedom" and "Daddy Lessons" - was an hour-long film, directed by the Grammy winner herself.

Keep scrolling for 25 things you don't know about Lemonade, as seen in the latest issue of Us Weekly, on newsstands now:

1. Beyoncé shocked fans by surprise-releasing her sixth studio album, Lemonade, on April 23, 2016.

2. This was not the first time she kept new music under wraps - she also did so on her self-titled 2013 album and later with her 2018 collaborative album with Jay-Z, Everything Is Love. In fact, she's largely credited with popularizing the surprise album drop.

3. Lemonade was released as a visual album, premiering alongside an hour-long film.

4. The visual component was directed by Beyoncé alongside collaborators including Kahlil Joseph and Melina Matsoukas.

5. Beyoncé performed "Formation," the lead single on Lemonade, for the first time just a day after it was released during her guest appearance at the Super Bowl 50 halftime show, headlined by Coldplay.

21. It was also nominated for four Emmy awards and won a Peabody Award.

22. Rolling Stone named Lemonade as the No. 1 album of the 21st century.

23. Beyoncé ultimately lost Album of the Year to Adele's 25. (Though in her speech, Adele said, "The artist of my life is Beyoncé.")

24. Beyoncé performed "Freedom" with Kendrick Lamar as the surprise opening number at the 2016 BET Awards.

25. Several artists, including Sabrina Carpenter, Cardi B and Fergie, have credited Lemonade with influencing their own work.

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This story was originally published April 23, 2026 at 1:54 PM.