Beyonce Explains Strategy Behind Her Self-Titled Album Release

Beyonce explains the thought process behind her self-titled visual album.

Beyonce released a self-titled album today (December 13) with no publicized release date prior to its arrival. Hours after the project dropped, she also released a video explaining her decision to unveil an unexpected visual project. 

"I see music," Beyonce says. "It's more than just what I hear. When I'm connected to something, I immediately see a visual or a series of images that are tied to a feeling or emotion, a memory from my childhood, thoughts about life, my dream or my fantasies. They're all connected to the music. That's one of the reasons why I wanted to do a visual album. I wanted people to hear the songs with the story that's in my head. That's what makes it mine."  

Beyonce also discusses how the release is meant to help fans experience an album as opposed to a single and its "hype."

"People experience music differently," Bey says. "Now people only listen to a few seconds of a song on their iPods. They don't really invest on a whole album. It's all about the single and the hype. There's so much that gets between the music and the artist and the fans. I felt like, 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 from me to my fans."