Beyonce and Jay-Z drop surprise new joint album Everything Is Love

WHILE most musicians tease their upcoming albums for weeks as part of a meticulously planned publicity strategy, Beyonce and Jay-Z prefer to drop surprise albums with absolutely zero notice. 

Beyonce did it with her iconic album Lemonade in 2016 and now she has collaborated with her husband on a nine-track album called Everything Is Love.

The couple’s joint album dropped on Saturday on the Tidal music streaming service that Jay-Z partially owns, in an attempt to encourage consumers to sign up. The album is not yet available on other popular streaming services such as Spotify or Apple Music.

Lyrics on the album talk about Jay-Z’s disgust at the Grammy Awards, where he was a top nominee but left empty- handed.

“Tell the Grammys f*** that 0 for 8 s***,” he says.

He also confirms the rumour that he turned down a Super Bowl Halftime Show offer: “I said no to the Super Bowl / You need me, I don’t need you/ Every night we in the end zone / Tell the NFL we need stadiums too.”

The album features Beyonce rapping on songs more than she has done on previous releases.

The video clip for one single, APES***, has been released in full on YouTube.

The video was filmed at the Louvre in Paris last month and features the pair posing in various settings in the oddly empty museum, delivering their lines in front of centuries-old masterpieces, even the Mona Lisa.

Last November, Jay-Z told The New York Times that a project with Beyonce had started coming together as they worked on their own solo albums, 4:44 and Lemonade.

“We were using our art almost like a therapy session,” he said at the time. “And we started making music together.” He explained that, because Bey’s music was progressing more quickly, Lemonade ended up coming out “as opposed to the joint album that [they] were working on.”

The star couple are currently in the middle of their international OTR II tour. They debuted some songs from their new album on Saturday night in London.

Speaking to the crowd at from the stage at the duo’s London Stadium concert, Beyonce said: “Thank you for being the most incredible audience in London. You give us so much love every time we come here.

“Because we love you all so much we have something special for you. We want you guys to be the first to experience this new project.”

— With wires