Beyoncé to Debut at #1 with Self Titled Visual Album

Beyonce's surprise self titled fifth album will debut at #1 on the Billboard Hot 200 chart despite only being available as a digital release for three days.

Beyonce shocked the world by releasing her long anticipated album on Friday the 13^th without any promotion or prio notice. However, it is a risk that is seemingly paying off. The album reached #1 in 100 countries and Billboard reported that BEYONCE sold 80,000 copies in the first three hours of its release. It is expected to sell more than 200,000 to lay claim to the #1 of the week. By doing so, Beyonce is set to dethrone country legend Garth Brooks who was expected to debut at #1 with more than 165,000 before Beyonce released her iTunes-exclusive "visual" album.

According to Twitter, the unexpected release of the album generated more than 1.2 million tweets. Among those who tweeted about the album were stars like Katy Perry and Lady Gaga.

.@Beyonce just punked us all: https://t.co/5VyRJIEm0h pic.twitter.com/Q7u9OxeVRl

— Billboard (@billboard) December 13, 2013

Don't talk to me today unless it's about @Beyonce THANX — Katy Perry (@katyperry) December 13, 2013

Beyonce explained in a video why she chose to opt out of a traditional rollout for the album. She missed the experience that accompanied such records as Michael Jackson's Thriller.

"Now people only listen to a few seconds of  song on the iPods and they don't really invest in the whole experience. It's all about the single, and the hype. It's so much that gets between the music and the art and the fans. I felt like, I don't want anybody to get the message, when my record is coming out. I just want this to come out when it's ready and from me to my fans," she said.