Beyonce Knowles - The Year of "4"

“I have always loved being surrounded by water, I think I was a mermaid in a previous life. The ocean makes me feel very small, and it puts my life into perspective. It reminds me that I am a very little piece of this huge earth, and it grounds you and humbles you, and it makes me, almost feel like I've been baptized. And I’m born again when I get out of the ocean.

Am I the same Beyonce? Absolutely not.”

Beyonce Knowles is currently one of the biggest artists around at the moment. Every one of her four current albums has made it to the number one spot. And she has had eight solo number 1 singles - Crazy in Love, If I Were A Boy, Déjà Vu, Halo, Single Ladies, Telephone, Sweet Dreams and Beautiful Liar. Along with two number ones from Destiny’s Child. She has also amassed a huge amount of awards, including a record-breaking thirteen Grammy awards.

After her hugely successful “I AM...” world tour that grossed a total $103 million based on 86 concerts. Beyonce was feeling “overworked and exhausted” because for a long time she had been travelling from tour venue to tour venue, at times she did up to five nights of shows in a row.

Towards the end of the tour, her mother, Tina Knowles, “preached” to her that she needed a break, to open her eyes and live her life, because she didn’t want her to wake up one day and have no memories of her life except from work and performing. After lots of battling Beyonce finally gave in and agreed to take a year out. This is why there is a three year gap between the release dates of” I am ... Sasha Fierce” 2008 and “4” 2011. Her tour and year out.

During her year out she saw and experienced many things such as scuba-diving in the red Sea, visiting the pyramids and is seeing the Great Wall of China. She also did normal things such as picking up her nephew from school. All these things reignited her creativity and became a source of inspiration for her new album "4".

There were several themes towards the photography featured on the album, the main being African. There are many tracks on the album that Beyonce states are inspired from her visits to Africa.

Other photos were shot in France.

Just before work began on the album, Beyonce separated from her father, Mathew Knowles, who had managed her since before Destiny’s child. She states that this was a scary idea, but that it also empowered her and that she wasn't going to let fear stop her.

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