For starters, I should point out I have never been a Beyoncé fan. I’ve heard—and even listened to—some of her songs in the past, I may even have bought a single or two, but never an entire album. Her latest release is a different story. The Visual Album crosses over so many disciplines that I thought it might be interesting to delve a little deeper into why the secretive creation and lightning-fast dissemination of it was such an amazing feat. David Bowie and Kanye West both pulled off under-the-radar releases in 2013, so why was this unique?
I watched the XO video (see below) before hearing the song and was able to fully experience what the artist had intended: the complete—and instantly-available—expression of her vision.
Re-defining Branded Content
It’s no secret that Beyoncé controls her image rather vigorously. She has created a credible persona of wife, mother and maturing artist and her PR machine does its very best to limit unauthorized images and stories from circulating. Her speech is free of ums and only occasionally peppered with the right amount of street cred-inducing profanity. Her lasting relationship with Jay-Z has also contributed to positioning her as Queen Bey.
The fact that this album included an unannounced, multi-pronged release of 14 songs and 17 videos, a 5-part mini-documentary and ubiquitous web promo campaign equates to a perfect communications coup that left out all of the middlemen except iTunes. Whilst I appreciate that the work itself is one of self-expression and art, it is deftly packaged. It is value-added branded content, targeting a specific audience of 30-somethings who have grown up with Beyoncé, admire her evolution as a woman and influential artist and buy into her image.
Arguably, if it wasn’t accompanied by a manifesto in the form of the documentary and the intro to the wonderfully sensuous Haunted, (which I find oddly reminiscent of Madonna’s Justify My Love), the effort might be a little less self-conscious of its carefully orchestrated, ground-breaking approach. In the unlikely event that you didn’t fully grasp the magnitude of the achievement, Beyoncé herself is there to provide the rationale, bolstered by the analysis of carefully-chosen, admiring authorities. So, unlike comparable efforts from other artists, the work is allowed to speak for itself in a first instance but simultaneously decoded elsewhere, allowing for additional dimensions of varying depth and relevance to emerge (Is this a feminist album? Can Beyoncé get away with being so overtly sexual? What is the secret of a lasting marriage?)
Amplifying Collaborations
Beyoncé is everywhere on this album (executive producer, co-songwriter, actor) but she also surrounds herself with the most sought-after artists (Drake, Jay-Z, Frank Ocean), actors (Harvey Keitel on Pretty Hurts), producers (Justin Timberlake, Timbaland) and directors (Jonas Åkerlund, Hype Williams). The videos’ production values are second to none and varied in their approaches and aesthetic sensibilities.
The coupling of images and sound upon the release of the song gives the artist much greater control over the listener or viewer’s initial interpretation of the work. By augmenting her own mastery of music and stage presence with the talent of equally established artists in their own fields, Beyoncé appropriated all the tools at her disposal to craft a multi-sensory experience and communicate directly with her fans through means that offer a greater level of control than a live show would permit. In turn, making her desire to be closer to the audience so evident goes a long way in cementing the relationship, particularly given our insatiable appetite for details of the lives of stars.
There is no doubt that there was a target audience for this release and the accompanying promotional tools prompt commentary and engagement as well as augment the number of touch points. In part V of the mini-doc, Pharrell says of the orgasm-fuelled Rocket track’s—I’m assuming potential—impact on women everywhere: “only a mama can talk like that, and a wife . . . you just ran through jail and let all the women out.” It’s self-serving, of course, but not entirely false and perfect fodder for online discussion.
As a result, social media did its part in making the whole event literally blow-up the Internet. As Rolling Stone reported, no work was to be done that day until you watched/listened to the entire album and bowed down to the star’s boundless hubris and undeniable talent. And maybe that combination is what gave the Visual Album the impact it deserved: as in any well-executed branding exercise, the experience lived up to the promise. So much so that sales shattered iTunes’ record with 828,773 albums sold in the first three days.
Long live the Queen. If that album’s not on your playlist, you’re missing out.
