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"Last night, a surprise popped up in the iTunes store. Beyonc\u00E9 released her fifth studio album, self-titled BEYONC\u00C9, immediately causing an online frenzy. Although the superstar has been in the spotlight all year, performing in the Super Bowl halftime show and touring with her Mrs. Carter Show, there were no lead singles, advance publicity or forewarning of any kind to promote the album. &amp;quot;I felt like I didn&amp;#039;t want anybody to give the message when my record is coming out. I just want this to come out when it&amp;#039;s ready and from me to my fans,&amp;quot; explains the 32-year-old pop diva in a video on her Facebook page. The album is quite the release, with 14 never-before-heard tracks and a music video to accompany each song. The singer dubbed her new release a &amp;quot;visual album&amp;quot;\u2014a way to convey to her fans the images she sees when creating new music. &amp;quot;When I&amp;#039;m connected to something, I immediately see a visual or a series of images that are tied to a feeling or an emotion, a memory from my childhood, thoughts about life, my dreams or my fantasies. And they&amp;#039;re all connected to the music,&amp;quot; she said about her artistic choice. The album&amp;#039;s music videos flow together cinematically, and includes film clips from Beyonc\u00E9&amp;#039;s childhood, footage of her daughter Blue Ivy and shots of her husband rapper Jay Z, meshed together to give an intimate portrait of the singer. The tracks also provide a sweeping range of topics, from her frustration with record labels in &amp;quot;Ghost,&amp;quot; to her take on feminism in &amp;quot;Flawless.&amp;quot; Although the record provides a personal glimpse at Beyonc\u00E9&amp;#039;s own life, she incorporates numerous other artists in the album, including Canadian recording artist Drake, rapper Frank Ocean and Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. The album is available exclusively in its entirety on iTunes until December 20th, when singles will be offered for individual purchase. According to her label, Columbia Records, the physical album is currently being manufactured and will be available in stores before Christmas as a CD/DVD set. What do you think about Beyonc\u00E9&amp;#039;s surprising album release? Share your thoughts in the comments below. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.womansday.com/life/entertainment/news/a48121/beyonce-releases-unexpected-visual-album/>