Formation (song)

"Formation" is a song by American singer and songwriter Beyoncé from her sixth studio album, Lemonade (2016). Beyoncé wrote and produced the song with Mike Will Made It, with Swae Lee and Pluss as co-writers. Pluss formulated the song's original beat while Swae Lee freestyled the hook, after which Beyoncé's wrote its verses. The song was surprise-released on February 6, 2016, through Parkwood Entertainment. It is a trap and bounce song in which Beyoncé celebrates her culture, identity, and success as a black woman from the Southern United States. The song received widespread acclaim upon release, with music critics praising it as a personal and political ode to black Southern identity. It was voted critics' top song of 2016 in The Village Voice's Pazz & Jop poll and named one of the best songs of the 2010s decade by numerous publications. In 2021, Rolling Stone placed the song at number 73 on its 500 Greatest Songs of All Time list. "Formation" won all six of its nominations at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards and received three nominations at the 59th Annual Grammy Awards: Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Music Video, winning the lattermost award. In the United States, the song debuted at number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 and was certified three-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America. It also charted within the top 40 in Australia, Canada, France, Hungary, Scotland, Spain, and the United Kingdom, and the song was certified diamond in Brazil, double platinum in Australia, and platinum in Canada and New Zealand. The song's music video premiered on the same day as the song itself as an unlisted video on YouTube. Directed by Melina Matsoukas, the New Orleans-set video portrays black pride and resilience through diverse depictions of...