Beyoncé is commemorating the 10th anniversary of her fifth studio album, “Beyoncé,” and affirming her status as Queen Bey in the process. The celebrated artist shared an Instagram video early Wednesday morning, marking a decade since the album’s release on December 13, 2013, on iTunes.
In the video, Beyoncé highlights some of the album’s tracks, inviting fans to reminisce about the iconic moment when she pleasantly surprised them with the album’s unanticipated drop in the early hours of the morning, devoid of prior promotion or announcement.
Beyoncé Celebrates the 10th Anniversary of Game-Changing Album (Credits: US Weekly)
Expressing her desire for a genuine connection with her fans, Beyoncé stated in the clip, “I don’t want anybody to give the message when my record is coming out. I just want this to come out when it’s ready and from me to my fans.” The video also features reactions from fans and news outlets regarding the album’s unexpected release, accompanied by individual videos for each song—an innovative move that arguably reshaped the music industry.
Quoting her 2014 hit with Nicki Minaj, “Feeling Myself,” Beyoncé recalls the impact of the digital release: “Know where you was when that digital popped. I stopped the world.” The visual album debuted at No. 1 on the U.S. Billboard 200, setting a record as the fastest-selling album in iTunes history at that time. It garnered over 1.2 million tweets in just 12 hours and sold a remarkable 828,773 copies worldwide within its initial three days.
In the Instagram clip, Beyoncé shares her ongoing pre-release jitters, stating, “I still get scared before every album release. I’m constantly searching for the deeper purpose for my art… thoughts about life, my dreams, or my fantasies.” The video concludes with Beyoncé describing the album as “the anti-perfection” and wishing it a happy 10th anniversary.
This celebration adds to Beyoncé’s list of accomplishments this year, following record-breaking success with her Renaissance World Tour and the ongoing success of the movie version, which continues to captivate audiences in theaters.
