Beyonce pulled a Santa act on her fans early Friday, by announcing and releasing a new self-titled album, her fifth, exclusively on iTunes. The album features 14 songs and 17 videos, with collaborations including her husband Jay Z, Drake and Frank Ocean. The closing track, “Blue,” is the long-rumored track which features her daughter Blue Ivy.
Beyonce says in a statement that she “didn’t want to release my music the way I’ve done it.” The act was more of a technological chess move, with a press release announcing the album noting that Beyonce “has been the target of leaks,” and that “this is a fully designed preventative plan.”
The release continued: “She recorded all over the world for a year and a half but the initial recording started after the writers and producers gathered under one roof in The Hamptons, New York’s beach enclave, in the summer of 2012 to live together, work together and to immerse themselves into her world and into her head. The fans that have grown up with the performer, mature and seasoned enough to relate to the content and the shared experiences, inspire the music, with themes that explore love, loss, fear, anger, honesty, happiness, sexuality and confidence.”
