How Lemonade is changing the way we play music
POPSCI: A scientific slant on what’s trending in popular culture
Spotify and YouTube are the radio and cassette player of the modern day. The way we listen to music is in flux — an ever-evolving landscape that musicians are having to keep up with so they can connect more directly with their fans. And in a hyper-visual culture — as many as 65% of us identify as visual learners — perhaps it’s no surprise that music videos have become a key part of how we consume music. Having never been one for half-measures, Beyoncé’s Lemonade takes this concept to new levels.
As the most-nominated female in Grammy award history, Beyoncé has yet again dominated the conversation with the unexpected drop of her second visual album earlier this month. The hour long album-cum-film was, in true Queen Bey style, a tale of Black female empowerment, this time entwined with some A* celeb gossip about Jay Z’s alleged infidelity with ‘Becky with the good hair’, which consequently sparked a media storm — Twitter statistics show the use of the bee and lemon emojis enjoyed a spike in response, too. But with exclusive release available on Tidal, for just 24-hours only, Lemonade makes a stand for more than just female equality.
Featuring 11 chapters and countless cameos (including Serena Williams, Winnie Harlow and Amandla Stenberg), the visual album is proving that music is an art that, when consumed from start to finish, is capable of portraying powerful narrative. And with no promotion or advance hype, the release invited fans everywhere to immediately make up their own minds about the album, prior to the media’s judgement. In this sense, the album arguably redefines the power consumers can be given; and it’s a win for brands too — Tidal has subsequently become the most popular music app on the Apple store.
Essentially, all the hype post-release is thanks to one of the most powerful marketing tools of all; surprise. By eliminating any anticipation, surprise can work to intensify emotional responses by up to 400%, helping to forge powerful memories. “It’s the neuropsychological equivalent of a pause button.” says Tania Luna co-founder of Surprise Industries, an agency that crafts surprising experiences. “It makes us stop what we’re doing, hijacks our attention, and forces us to pay attention.” Ever wondered why Apple keeps its new product details under wraps or why Birchbox’s monthly gift is a total mystery? But in the case of Lemonade, Beyoncé hasn’t just cultivated a neatly gifted surprise for her fans — she’s further changing the way we experience music. Who knows? We had to catch this album on Tidal; maybe we’ll be catching the next at the IMAX.
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Written by Hannah Elderfield, behavioural analyst at Canvas8
