A surprise album or surprise release is an album or single with little or no prior announcement, marketing or promotion.[1] The strategy contrasts traditional album releases, which typically feature weeks or months of advertising in the form of singles, music videos, tour announcements and album pre-sales. Often, the release of a surprise album is the formal announcement of its release. This strategy developed in part due to the prevalence of album leaks on the Internet during the 2000s and became popular by the mid-2010s among high-profile recording acts.
The first surprise album of its kind with minimal prior promotion is often credited to Radiohead's 2007 studio album In Rainbows, announced only ten days before release. However, Beyoncé's 2013 eponymous studio album was the first surprise album of its kind with no announcement or promotion beforehand.