B'Day

B'Day is the second studio album by American singer and songwriter Beyoncé. It was released on September 1, 2006, by Columbia Records, Music World Entertainment and Sony Urban Music. The album was recorded in April 2006, and was produced by Beyoncé herself, alongside Darkchild, Nellee Hooper, Ne-Yo, The Neptunes, Stargate, and Swizz Beatz, among others. The album features two guest appearances from Beyoncé's then-boyfriend Jay-Z, with deluxe and international editions including Bun B of UGK, Slim Thug, Shakira, and Alejandro Fernández.

Originally set to be released in 2004, B'Day was planned as a follow-up to Beyoncé's solo debut Dangerously in Love (2003). However, it was delayed to accommodate the recording of Destiny's Child's final studio album Destiny Fulfilled (2004) and Beyoncé's starring role in the film Dreamgirls (2006). While on vacation after filming Dreamgirls, Beyoncé began contacting various producers and rented Sony Music Studios, completing the album within two weeks during April 2006. Most of the album's lyrical content was inspired by Beyoncé's role in the film, with its musical style ranging from 1970s–1980s funk influences and balladry to urban contemporary elements such as hip hop, pop, and R&B. Live instrumentation was employed in recording most of the tracks as part of Beyoncé's vision of creating a record using live instruments.

Upon its release, B'Day received generally favorable reviews from music critics, who directed most of the acclaim towards its sonic quality and Beyoncé's vocal performance. The album charted at number one in Canada, Taiwan, and the United States while reaching the top five in Germany, Greece, Ireland, Japan, the Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Among numerous additional accolades, it won Best Contemporary R&B Album at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards (2007). B'Day Anthology Video Album, which featured 13 music videos to accompany the album's tracks, was released alongside the album's reissue, subtitled Deluxe Edition, in April 2007. B'Day has been certified multi-platinum in Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Russia, and the United States. As of 2013, it has sold over 8 million copies worldwide.

B'Day produced six singles. "Déjà Vu" peaked at number four on the US Billboard Hot 100, while "Ring the Alarm" became Beyoncé's highest-debuting single at the time but broke her string of top-ten singles after peaking at number 11. "Irreplaceable" became her fourth Billboard Hot 100 number-one, while the deluxe track "Beautiful Liar" peaked at number three. Both singles achieved widespread international success. "Get Me Bodied" was released exclusively in the United States, while "Green Light" was released internationally; neither replicated the success of their predecessors. To further promote B'Day, Beyoncé embarked on her second solo concert tour The Beyoncé Experience (2007). A live album titled The Beyoncé Experience Live was also released.