The high of selling millions of albums, headlining a massive tour, and basically being a worldwide ambassador of girl power requires a major force to come down from. Last year, it took an ocean’s waves to wash away Beyoncé’s larger-than-life alter ego, Sasha Fierce.
“The ocean makes me feel really small,” she says at the top of her MTV special Beyoncé: Year of 4–which aired last night. “It makes me put my whole life in to perspective. I’m this little piece of this huge earth. It humbles you and it grounds you.”
Like she says in the Target ad for her new album, she spent 2010 off the stage and in the audience. In Year of 4, we get to see some of the other stuff she did during her time away from the spotlight.
Most folks spend their vacations at beach houses to chill. Not this chick. Beyoncé does stuff like slide down the Great Wall of China and scuba dive in the Red Sea.
Catch footage of that as well as clips of her creating 4, picking the album’s cuts alongside hubby Jay-Z, and learning the bonkers choreography for its lead single “Run the World (Girls)” here:
Now that Queen B is back and buzzing, she’s in heavy promo mode and made a grand return to morning TV today by performing for ABC’s Good Morning America. Check out her go at “1 + 1″ below.
Glad Beyoncé’s back? Have you bought 4 yet? Let us know.
Read more:
Age Before Beauty: ‘Forbes’ releases 2011 top earners list
Beyonce’s a little peeved her new album leaked, but happy fans like it
Did Beyonce steal the idea behind her amazing Billboard Music Awards performance?
Severely overrated
Wow, KC what an original, insightful statement! LOL
best album I have ever heard from beyonce.. best purchase of the year so far
Why LOL?
Why does every comment have to be followed with LOL?
Enough already.
It would take a tsunami to wash away her massive ego.
she’s got a big ego? at least she can back it up. can you?
BEYONCE IS THE BEST!!!! I absolutely LOVE HER
Can’t see thunder-thighs in action. ABC put the kibosh on that YouTube link.
I couldn`t be an artist, because you`re depending on people liking your music, movies, art, etc and if they don`t like it then you`re losing alot of financially and probably confidents as well. Not everyone is gonna like your stuff all the time.
I have not bought 4, but I have listened to it online. I am surprised that I like it as much as I do. Its much more soulful and much less poppy than any of her previous albums, IMO. Its probably the strongest set of songs she’s recorded, even if there aren’t obvious major hits on it. Whether it blows up or not, I think its a good album for her artistic maturity.
You should buy the album! It is worth it..she is really working hard to improve the maturity of her music and I bought the album and was knocked out! Buy it,cause if quality music does not sell,these record companies will never support putting good music out!
Beyonce has definitely matured over the years and I think she finally wanted to show people that she’s not just some little pop singer who constantly looks for top 40 hits. I’m glad she didn’t do a pop record. This just might be my moment to give Beyonce her props. I often wondered why there was so much hype about her even after I watched her tour performances. I just wasn’t impressed by what she was doing, but maybe that will change this time around. I really use to adore Beyonce pre-Bday and Sasha Fierce. I hope I can get back to that.
I feel the same way. I LOVED Beyonce during her Destiny’s Child days, but I kind of got tired of her when she became a solo artist. However, I am now beginning to fall back in love with her, and I agree that it is due to her growing and maturing as an artist. My perception of her has really changed this past year….I just might stop at Target and purchase her album.
Trust me, you won’t be disappointed. It blows all her previous albums out of the water. I’m also glad she took risks with her music this time around rather than play it safe. Although going by what she says “earning the right” to make this album, it seems to me that she’s been allotted more creative freedom on this album than her previous ones. Hence the obvious difference in quality. Maybe her label is why she hasn’t completely lived up to her artistic potential on previous albums.
Musically somewhat interesting, but the lyrics are truly awful/embarrassing, and often bordering on illiterate.
EW–Beyonce needs a cover!! She is just so talented!! Come on!
I agree Amanda! Beyonce should be on the cover!!! Come EW!
EW rarely puts African Americans on the cover. The last African American female that graced the cover was Tyra Banks back in 2008. It’s truly a shame that this woman has not been placed on the cover given that she’s graced Vogue, Rolling Stone, Vanity Fair and virtually every magazine cover on the planet. EW probably wanted to relegate her to the back sections of the magazine but her publicist had enough sense not to allow it.
It doesn’t get any better than Beyonce. Thank you for the post. I got her album the other day and just love it. Its so soulful and my favorite tracks are the End of Time and Love on Top
Really? She is the absolute best there is? Scary thought.
Isn’t it great? Love on Top is a winner and so is Start Over–it is so universal! And End of TIme and Countdown are great uptempos…what a great album! Hope others buy it too!
disappointed on the album. glad I haven’t bought it. seriously, run the world’s lyrics. come on b, you can do better. she needs a better songwriters and songs to buy.
waiting for the stans to kill me now because of my comment.
No the stans know you are to be pitied cause you have poor musical taste and thus not worth bothering with. This album is already being discussed by the LA Times as an Album of year Grammy candidate….it is wonderful. Your loss if you can’t perceive that.
I admire the fact that Beyonce has decided to explore the woman that she was, is, and yet to become. As many people do this through their own ways of coming to terms with themselves. This can be done through music, dance, writing, or just going away to be alone with your own thoughts. Good she could see at this young age that it needed to be done.
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