B’Day by Beyoncé

B'Day is the second solo studio album by American singer Beyoncé. It was released to coincide with her twenty-fifth birthday on September 4, 2006, in various countries and a day later in the United States by Columbia Records, Music World Entertainment, and Sony Urban Music. The album was originally planned as a follow-up to Beyoncé's 2003 solo debut Dangerously in Love to be released in 2004; however, it was delayed to accommodate the recording of Destiny's Child's final album Destiny Fulfilled (2004) and the singer's starring role in the 2006 film Dreamgirls. While on vacation after filming, Beyoncé began contacting various producers and rented Sony Music Studios, completing B'Day in two weeks. Most of the lyrical content of the album 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 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 critics and earned several accolades, including the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album at the 49th Annual Grammy Awards in 2007. The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200, selling over 541,000 copies in its first week of sales and scoring the second-highest debut-week sales for Beyoncé. It was also successful in international music markets and yielded six singles, including three commercial hits: "Déjà Vu", "Irreplaceable", and "Beautiful Liar". The B'Day Anthology Video Album, which features thirteen music videos to accompany the songs, was released alongside the deluxe edition of B'Day. Beyoncé then embarked on her second solo concert tour, titled The Beyoncé Experience, in 2007; a live album titled The Beyoncé Experience Live was released featuring footage from the tour. B'Day has since been certified triple platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) and has sold eight million copies worldwide as of 2015.