Last updated: 02/05/24 at 15:44

With eight solo albums to her name, all of which peaked at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart when they were released, Queen Bey has been at the top of the music industry for years.

Beyoncé is one of the biggest names in the music industry. Since bursting onto the scene with Destiny’s Child in 1997, Queen Bey has shown the world that her talent is second to none, garnering a strongly dedicated fanbase as she took a stranglehold on the R&B and pop scene.

After breaking away from the group, Beyoncé instantly started to flex her star power, with album after album, single after single, reaching number one on multiple countries' charts with every release.

Beyoncé has released eight solo albums throughout her career, and her most recent gift to the Beyhive arrived in March 2024. Her newest album 'Cowboy Carter' shot straight to the top of the charts, claiming the No. 1 positions on Billboard’s Top Country Albums, Americana/Folk Albums, and Top Album Sales charts.

In celebration of this new release, we bring you our list of Queen Bey’s previous albums ranked.

This list is only taking into account her solo releases, so any Destiny’s Child albums or her 2018 release, ‘Everything Is Love’, with her husband, Jay Z will not be included.

Keep reading to find out which of Queen Bey's albums comes top of our list.

7 | B’Day

It should be said that even the lowest-ranked album on this list is still an industry-setting record. But up against the rest of her discography, Beyoncé’s second solo outing ‘B’Day’ takes the wooden spoon.

With hit tracks such as ‘Deja Vu’ with her then-boyfriend-now-husband Jay Z, ‘Irreplaceable’ and ‘Beautiful Liar’ (from the deluxe edition of the album), ‘B’Day’ made sure Beyoncé stamped her place towards the top of the music scene after her strong debut album.

6 | Dangerously In Love

Beyoncé’s debut solo album set the record straight that not only is Bey capable of going alone, but that she is able to surpass Destiny’s Child.

Tracks such as ‘Crazy In Love’ with Jay Z and ‘Baby Boy’ reached the number one spot on the US Billboard Hot 100, showing the soon-to-be Queen wasn’t looking to simply just B, if you will.

Nominated for a great number of awards, ‘Dangerously In Love’ was a fantastic entry into the solo scene.

The reason for its lower ranking in this list is similar to that of the previous entry - the strength of her later albums, coupled with the fact that it was her debut album so she was finding her feet at the time, means there are better records to come.

5 | 4

It may not be aesthetically pleasing to put ‘4’ in the number five spot, but that is where we feel it belongs. And that may be a controversial decision, as many may have this album in their top three, but again, an argument could be had that all seven of her albums should somehow make the top three.

‘4’ never stuck to just one type, so to say. ‘Run The World (Girls)’ and ‘End of Time’ are for the fierce, and used as anthems for powerful females. While ‘Best Thing I Never Had’ is a more tender tune with beautifully sung lyrics as usual from Bey.

And of course, the feature track, ‘Love On Top’, still gets a great reaction when it comes on in the club or at a party.

4 | Renaissance

Queen Bey’s 2022 album ‘Renaissance’ was a return to the top, as it was her first solo album release since 2016.

Two years of pandemic lockdowns brought people out in the masses when possible, and during the summer of 2022, the release of ‘Renaissance’ was perfect for the party-goers.

Blending dance music styles such as house and disco with the music styling we’ve all come to know and love from the Queen, Beyoncé produced the perfect dance floor bangers album.

Bey’s ability to switch up genres with hits such as ‘CUFF IT’ and ‘BREAK MY SOUL’ leads to ‘Renaissance’ taking the number four spot on our rankings.

3 | Lemonade

Beyoncé at her most vulnerable, ‘Lemonade’ showcases the more intimate side of the star with mature themes such as infidelity and finding her identity as a black woman.

For the music aficionado, the lyrics tell a story from the heart and are conveyed perfectly by the singer.

But for the average fan and listener, tracks such as ‘Formation’ and ‘Hold Up’ showed how dominant a force Bey is when she comes with the attitude.

As her most acclaimed studio album in her career and named the greatest album of the 2010s by the Associated Press, ‘Lemonade’ firmly deserves its place in the top three on our list.

2 | I Am…Sasha Fierce

Some may say ‘I am…Sasha Fierce’ has no right to be as high up on this list as ‘Lemonade’ or ‘4’, but put it in this context - those albums probably wouldn’t exist if it weren’t for this one.

The album is stylised to show off Bey’s dichotomous artistic personas, with ‘I am…’ intending to show her softer side, with slow midtempo pop and R&B ballads such as ‘Halo’ and ‘If I Were A Boy’.

‘Sasha Fierce’, on the other hand, is set to convey her on-stage alter ego of the same name, with more uptempo beats such as ‘Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)’ and ‘Video Phone’.

The mix of the two sides of Beyoncé is what makes this album, and is another reason why it features as the penultimate entry on our list.

1 | Beyonce

Possibly a unanimous pick for the greatest Beyoncé album of all time, the self-titled album didn’t just break the rule book, but took it and threw it away for how artists market their music.

On 13th December 2013, with no prior warning or promotion, Bey released a near-perfect album, with song after song that has endless repeatability. It is Beyonce at her most confident and sensual.

‘Drunk In Love’ featuring husband Jay Z is the stand-out, but other tracks such as ‘7/11’, ‘Flawless Remix (feat. Nicki Minaj)’, ‘Partition’ and ‘XO’ lift this album to be her very best in our opinion.

Register your interest in Beyoncé news to stay up to date with the latest information on future tours and tickets.

Register your interest in Beyoncé news