Beyonce Shocks The World With Surprise Release Of New Fifth Album

13 December 2013, 07:57 | Updated: 13 December 2013, 09:00

The singer's record features all-star team-ups with the likes of husband Jay-Z, Frank Ocean and even daughter Blue Ivy.

Beyonce has shocked the world after releasing her new fifth album last night (12^th December).

Fans have been eagerly awaiting new music from Queen Bey all year, and she surprised everyone with the unannounced release of the self-titled record on iTunes shortly before midnight.

The exclusive "visual album" features collaborations with Frank Ocean as well as husband Jay-Z and daughter Blue Ivy Carter.

Her record is the first since 2011's '4' and features 14-songs – each of which have been accompanied by a video.

There's also bonus videos for the likes of 'Grown Woman' – the promotional single used during her Pepsi campaign.

30-second previews of all the tracks have also been posted on her official YouTube channel to give fans a taste of what to expect.

Beyonce explains the new album:

Post by Beyoncé.

"I see music, it's more than what I hear," she said in a statement video posted on her Facebook account to surround the release of the surprise album.

Explaining the choice to release visuals along with all the songs, she added: "I didn't want to release my music the way I've done it.

"I'm bored with that. I feel like I am able to speak directly to my fans. There's so much that gets between 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."

The tracklisting for the album is as follows: