Beyoncé has been keeping her fans on edge as they wait for the coming of her new music video for “Run The World (Girls)”. The 29 year-old R&B/pop diva opened up to Billboard magazine about her new album entitled 4, why she decided to part ways with her father, female empowerment and what it was like to finally take a break from the music scene:
On what inspired the new sound on her album:
“I started off being inspired by [Afrobeat music pioneer] Fela Kuti. I actually worked with the band from “Fela!” [the hit Broadway musical based on his life] for a couple of days, just to get the feel for the soul and heart of his music; it’s so sexy, and has a great groove you get lost in. I loved his drums, all the horns, how everything was on the one. What I learned most from Fela was artistic freedom: he just felt the spirit. I also found a lot of inspiration in ’90s R&B, Earth, Wind & Fire, DeBarge, Lionel Richie, Teena Marie… I listened to a lot of Jackson 5 and New Edition, but also Adele, Florence + the Machine, and Prince. Add in my hip-hop influences, and you can hear how broad it is. I also gave myself more freedom to really belt out some songs, and bring soul singing back: I used a lot of the brassiness and grittiness in my voice that people hear in my live performances, but not necessarily on my records.”
On letting go of her father as manager:
“It’s not that anything bad happened between us. My family has my support always, and they support me, but when you’ve been working with the same people for 15 years, it’s natural to eventually have your own ideas. I believe that parents prepare their kids for the moment that they’re on their own: at this point, I’m taking everything my dad and my mother have taught me, and I’m able to do things my way. We were at a point where we’d learned so much from each other, and now it’s exciting for me to do this on my own and hire my own team. I’ve started managing myself.”
You can read more of the interview on Billboard.com.
Rihanna Unveils “Man Down” Single Cover
One day after debuting the music video for her single “California King Bed”, Rihanna uncovered the new art for her follow-up single “Man Down”. In an interview with MTV News, the 23 year-old described her next singles, saying:
“The special thing in that song is the fact that it’s a female singing those lyrics, then you have that reggae thing and the chant; the overall energy in that song is so gangsta. It’s got a lot of swagger. I really enjoy it.” [Source]
Random Tidbit: Rihanna just inked a deal with Vito Coco, a popular best-selling coconut water brand. If you missed it, you can check out her newest video for “California King Bed” here.
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