Hi all! Welcome to another week of Now Listening with Lala! I hope you’re handling finals and kicking butt through the end of this semester. Almost there, we got this dudes! If you needed an inspirational, emotional, and musical pick-me-up through these times of trouble, I’ve got just the thing for you.

Yet again, Queen Bey silently dropped a visual album on April 25th, Lemonade. Rawer and realer than ever, Beyoncé is running the world and has revolutionized the music industry with this work of art. Beautifully cinematic and raw in the most unpredictable of ways, this 12 track album tells a story.

Giving insight to the troubles of her marriage with Jay-Z, Beyoncé discreetly touches on motherhood, police brutality, discrimination towards people of color, and the Black Lives Matter  movement. This album is broader than an unfaithful relationship. Beyoncé has taken a political stance and spoon feeds you her most relentless and empowering album yet. This is a phenomenon you just cannot ignore.

Lemonade is an actual documentation of Beyoncé’s greatness. Musically, each track is inspired from other genres: hip-hop, alternative, R&B, jazz, rap, folk, electro. This woman is the Pop Goddess. In addition, some great artists are featured on this album. Jack White, Kendrick Lamar, The Weeknd, and James Blake all appear on tracks. However, they weren’t the only artists to have collaborated with Beyoncé. Father John Misty, Diplo, Ezra Koenig, and many more have played a part in this incredible masterpiece.

Much of this album’s interpretation is focused on the  infidelity between her marriage with Jay-Z. But there is more to this story than just cheating. Granted, the first few tracks are clearly directed towards Jay-Z. With lyrics like “Uh, this is your final warning / You know I give you life / If you try this sh*t again / You gone lose your wife”  in the track Don’t Hurt Yourself, Jay-Z better be on his best behavior. As the album progresses, the focus of tracks shift from anger to bargaining to depression to acceptance. This thread of emotions expresses that Beyoncé is invested in her relationship, she intends to fix her marital issues in order to make it stronger than ever.

Life handed Beyoncé lemons and she made lemonade. The most delicious and refreshing lemonade in the current music scene. A worthy listen, this album is only streaming on Tidal, but is able to be purchased on iTunes and Amazon. If you’re thirsty, take a sip of some Lemonade asap. ❃