Beyoncé’s New Album Was The Best Kept Secret In Pop Among A Sea Of 2013 Releases

2013 was an interesting year for music, especially for female artists. It started with Lady Gaga’s Artpop, released November 6, which quickly became more of an art flop.

Following that “Gagalicious” album, Katy Perry released her album Prism on October 18.  The album channels living in the present, relationships, and self-empowerment.

New rising star Lorde, the 17-year-old girl who dances like she is possessed, released her debut album called Pure Heroin on September 27 but then followed up with an extended version on December 13.  

Let’s not forget about la loca Miley Cyrus. She came out with a wild, different persona from her innocent days of old starting with the twerking 2013 MTV VMA performance with Robin Thicke, to the non-stop chat about her nude ride on a wrecking ball. Her album, titled Bangerz, followed on October 4.

But then, in the middle of the night on December 13, Beyoncé AKA Queen B, dropped her self-titled album out of nowhere—talk about baller status. The news spread like wildfire throughout social media, it became such a shocker and an excitement that it became a full-blown event. Beyoncé—featuring 14 songs and 17 music videos—quickly sold 80,000 copies in just three hours and, one week later, hit number one on the charts.

Traditionally, the music industry avoids putting out new music at the very end of the year, but nothing stops Queen B from breaking tradition. The question everybody is asking is, how did B manage to keep the album the best kept secret in pop music?

The album, which costs $16, features a bunch of hot collaborations from Jay Z, Drake, Frank Ocean, Ngozi Adichie, to her daughter Blue Ivy.