Beyoncé Surprises Fans With Sudden Release of New ‘Visual Album’

Beyoncé surprised fans by releasing a new album on iTunes titled following an announcement via the singer’s official Instagram account. The new “visual album” is titled–what else– “Beyoncé.”

The singer took to Instagram at midnight on Friday, Dec. 13 to post a trailer for the new project featuring 14 songs and 17 videos, and immediately became the center of social media conversations at a time when Shonda Rhimes’s “Scandal” is the main thing trending.

“I didn’t want to release my music the way I’ve done it,” Beyoncé said in a press release. “I am bored with that. I feel like I am able to speak directly to my fans.”

According to her press release “Shot primarily during her successful ‘Mrs. Carter Show World Tour,’ the videos were veiled in secrecy, even though they were filmed in open places, including a beach in Brazil, the streets of NYC, on the famed Cyclone Rollercoaster in Coney Island, New York, downtown Los Angeles, a chateau in Paris, a roller skating rink in Houston, Texas where she skated as a child, and a beautiful church in South America.”

The new album, which is exclusively available on iTunes, features collaborations with Drake, Frank Ocean, hubby Jay Z and daughter Blue Ivy, who has previously appeared on a track with her father.

As of this writing, the hashtags #QueenBey and Blue Ivy were trending on Twitter.

This is not the first time Beyoncé has used social media to make a grand announcement. Earlier this year, the singer announced her halftime appearance at the Super Bowl via her official Tumblr account.