Taking a page straight from her husband’s creative-marketing playbook, Beyoncé released a surprise iTunes exclusive album that no one saw coming late last night.
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The album, Beyoncé, features 17 tracks, including songs with Drake, Jay Z, Frank Ocean and the singer’s baby, Blue Ivy. The album had no promotion or early-release single to build hype for the project. Every track is accompanied by a music video. Currently the album is available directly through iTunes as a complete package; iTunes as users won’t be able to download single songs until Dec. 20.
“I see music,” Beyoncé said in a press release, the Huffington Post reports. “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 an emotion, a memory from my childhood, thoughts about life, my dreams or my fantasies. And they’re all connected to the music.”
The late-night, no-hype album release is a departure from the norm for most singers—but most singers aren’t Beyoncé. The singer’s husband embraced a similar creative-marketing ploy earlier this year when he release his album Magna Carta Holy Grail as a free digital download for Samsung customers through an app.
“I didn’t want to release my music the way I’ve done it,” Beyoncé said. “I am bored with that. I feel like I am able to speak directly to my fans. There’s so much that gets between the music, the artist and the fans. I felt like I didn’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. I just want to give my album to the people I love and respect and hope that they feel the same thing I felt when I made the music.”
Read more at Huffington Post.
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