There are familiar collaborators and friends present on Beyonce, including hubby Jay Z, Frank Ocean, Drake and even baby girl Blue Ivy. "I didn't want to release my music the way I've done it," Knowles said in a press release issued shortly after the album appeared on iTunes. "I am bored with that. I feel like I am able to speak directly to my fans. There's so much that gets between the music, the artist and the fans. I felt like I didn't want anybody to give the message when my record is coming out. I just want this to come out when it's ready and from me to my fans."

Not only is the emphasis on the full-length format (Bey calls it a "visual album"), there have been no singles from Beyonce released. The new songs Bey previewed throughout 2013 in Pepsi and H&M ads, online and even on her tour — "Grown Woman," "Standing on the Sun," "Grown Woman / I Been On" and "God Made You Beautiful" — are not even on the album.