Trivia / Beyoncé (2013)

• Surprise Release: This album is the Trope Codifier for the modern surprise release. After 4 was subject to a Content Leak, Beyoncé was recorded in secrecy, with only her innermost social circle being aware of its existence, and with a constantly shifting deadline. Thus, its release at the end of 2013 occurred with no prior announcement, and the result is widely credited with popularizing surprise albums. According to Beyoncé, she followed this model to reinvigorate public interest in album releases after their decline in prominence during the 2000s.

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