Called Lemonade, it was broadcast as a one-hour HBO video special in the US on Saturday night and simultaneously released to the high-end music streaming service owned by Beyonce's husband, rapper Jay Z.

The music features collaborations with Jack White, Diplo, James Blake, Kendrick Lamar and the Weeknd. Each song is bookended with poetry from Somali-British poet Warsan Shire.

The song Formation, which Beyonce performed at this year's Super Bowl, also features on the album.

The subject matter of Lemonade has led some fans to question whether Beyonce penned it about her husband. One song, Pray You Catch Me, includes lyrics about betrayal of trust, and features the singer walking down a street smashing up cars with a baseball bat.

Me: *grabs baseball bat*#LEMONADE pic.twitter.com/WpbpzXEzw8— Shannon Otto (@stotto) April 24, 2016

However, the album also touches on themes of race and gender. It includes an excerpt from a Malcolm X speech about black women in America, and a vocal sample of legendary activist singer Nina Simone. The videos include guest appearances by female celebrities including Serena Williams.

Jay Z launched Tidal just over a year ago – backed by music heavyweights such as Madonna – as an alternative to music streaming players such as Spotify. It promises higher-quality music files and a better deal for musicians, as it does not offer a free tier.

However, the service has recently been mired in controversy. It faces a class-action lawsuit for deceptive marketing practices after performer Kanye West initially released an album, The Life of Pablo, exclusively to Tidal, only to then give it a broader release.

Lemonade is available to stream via Tidal for paid-up members. However, non-members can sign up for a free 30-day trial to access the album for a month.

It is the singer's sixth album. Her last album, which was self-titled, was released in 2013.

Follow Digital Life on Twitter