Beyoncé

"Lemonade" is an album and a film created by American singer Beyoncé, which was released in April 2016. It is a concept album that tells the story of Beyoncé's emotional journey after her husband's infidelity, and incorporates various genres including R&B, blues, rock, hip hop, soul, funk, country, gospel, electronic, and trap.

The album features guest vocals from James Blake, Kendrick Lamar, the Weeknd, and Jack White, and includes samples and interpolations of other songs.

"Lemonade" received widespread critical acclaim and won several awards, including nine Grammy Awards and eight MTV Video Music Awards. It topped charts in multiple countries, and has been certified triple platinum in the United States. The album was supported by five singles, and Beyoncé went on tour to promote it.

Black feminism is a key theme in "Lemonade", which is described as "a revolutionary work of Black feminism" by Miriam Bale for Billboard. The album and film center the experiences of Black women, celebrating their achievements and bringing visibility to those who are often ignored and undermined by society. "Lemonade" deconstructs stereotypical representations of Black women and attributes them complexity, agency, strength, and vulnerability. It also recognizes, commemorates, and celebrates the culture and history of Black people in the Deep South and the United States as a whole, including allusions to slavery, African religion and spirituality, New Orleans culture, and the Civil Rights movement. Black feminists, such as Julie Dash, Alice Walker, and Toni Morrison, are among the influences for "Lemonade", as well as literary works by Black women that focus on African-American folklore and Afrofuturism.

"Lemonade" was released along with a sixty-five-minute film of the same name, produced by Good Company and Jonathan Lia, which premiered on HBO on April 23, 2016. The film features poetry and prose written by British-Somali poet Warsan Shire, and is divided into eleven chapters, each representing a different stage of emotion. It features a cast including Ibeyi, Laolu Senbanjo, Amandla Stenberg, Quvenzhané Wallis, Chloe x Halle, Zendaya, and Serena Williams, as well as home video footage of Beyoncé's daughter Blue Ivy and her mother Tina Knowles. The film also includes an excerpt from a speech by Malcolm X and features the mothers of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, and Eric Garner holding pictures of their deceased sons. The film received critical acclaim and was included on various critics' lists of the best films of 2016.