Beyoncé
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After the release of "Beyonce", a number of producers and directors were interviewed about the making of the album. Check out all the articles below!

• How Beyoncé and Her Team Pulled It Off
• Beyoncé ordered tight secrecy on new album
• How Chairlift's Caroline Polachek Landed a Track on 'Beyonce'
• How Did Beyonce Keep Her Surprise Album a Secret?
• Beyonce's Video Director Didn't Know The Album Was Coming, Either
• Beyonce Music Video Stylist on Surprise Album, Jay Z's Outfit Demand
• ‘Pretty Hurts’ Director Melina Matsoukas on Beyoncé’s Throw-up Scene and Casting Harvey Keitel
• Director Jonas Åkerlund on ‘Haunted,’ ‘Superpower,’ and Beyoncé’s Many Virtues
• Beyonce 'Did A Hell Of A Job' Bringing Houston Together
• ‘Yoncé’ Director Ricky Saiz on Working With Beyoncé, Joan Smalls, and More
• Behind Beyoncé’s “Yonce”
• Who Is Yonce? Beyonce's Director Dishes About The 'Erotic' Alter Ego
• How The Sexiest Video On Beyoncé’s New Album Came Together
• Boots Explains Some of the Lyrics on "Beyonce"
• The Story Behind the Sneak Attack, and How Beyoncé Shattered iTunes' One-Week Record in Three Days
• Beyonce's Music Video Dancers SHOCKED Too -- We Had No Idea This Was Gonna Drop

You can also listen to the audio of Beyonce's explanations of the songs from iTunes Radio below.

UPDATE: More articles:

• Beyoncé’s Creative Director Todd Tourso on Her New Album and Keeping Secrets
• Ryan Tedder Produced Beyonce's 'XO,' Didn't Know About 'Beyonce' Release
• Beyonce's 'Pretty Hurts': Find Out How The Video Was Supposed To End
• How Beyoncé Kept Her Visual Album a Secret: One Video Extra Tells All
• Beyoncé's Late-Night Video Shoot at The Standard, High Line
• The Stylist B. Akerlund on Her Looks for Beyoncé and Other Stars
• Beyonce's Longtime Hairdresser Spills Top Secret Video Details

Aspiring singer Sam Bailey has landed the chance to go on tour with superstar Beyonce next year (14) after winning hit British talent show The X Factor. The Crazy In Love hitmaker shocked finalists Bailey and Nicholas McDonald on Saturday (14Dec13) by offering up the big prize in a pre-recorded video message, which aired during Saturday's (14Dec13) programme. In the promo, Beyonce, who recently announced the second European leg of her The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour, said, "Hey, I just want to say good luck to all the X Factor finalists and announce a very special prize to the winner. The winner of this year's The X Factor will be joining me on the Mrs. Carter tour, coming back to Europe in February. I can't wait to see you soon. Good luck!" Prison warden Bailey, who was mentored by Sharon Osbourne, was crowned the 2013 champion on Sunday (15Dec13) after winning over one million public votes, and the 36 year old will now join Beyonce as her support act at the LG Arena in Birmingham, England, on 23 February (14).

Beyonce announced new tour dates for Europe!

February 21, 2014 — SSE Hydro Arena — Glasgow, United Kingdom
February 24, 2014 — LG Arena — Birmingham, United Kingdom
February 26, 2014 — Manchester Arena — Manchester, United Kingdom
March 5, 2014 — The O2 — London, United Kingdom
March 6, 2014 — The O2 — London, United Kingdom
March 16, 2014 — Lanxess Arena — Cologne, Germany

UPDATE: Even more dates have been added:

March 12, 2014 — The O2 — Dublin, Ireland
March 19, 2014 — Ziggo Dome — Amsterdam, Holland
March 21, 2014 — Sportpaleis — Antwerp, Belgium

Beyonce sprung a massive "visual" album on her unsuspecting fans late Thursday (Dec. 12). With sales projected to exceed 600,000 copies for only four days of release, the pop diva has revealed the album's two lead singles, both set to hit airwaves on Monday (Dec. 16).

The pop-tossed "XO," co-written by Ryan Tedder (of OneRepublic) and Terius Nash (aka The Dream), is set to hit Top 40 radio. Meanwhile, "Drunk In Love," featuring husband and fellow headline-maker Jay Z, will set the Urban stations ablaze. Each song's music video has debuted on VEVO.

Beyonce‘s brand new visual album has shattered records as the fastest selling album on iTunes ever and after three full days on the market, it has sold 828,773 copies worldwide, according to Apple.

The album was released at 9pm PT on Thursday (December 12) and has sold 617,213 copies domestically, making it the highest selling debut week of Bey‘s solo career.

The sales week also makes it the highest for a female artist since Taylor Swift‘s album Red debuted back in November 2012 with 1.2 million copies sold.

Additionally, Beyonce‘s new album topped the iTunes chart in 104 countries.

Beyonce’s self-titled surprise release, which hit iTunes exclusively on Thursday evening (9 p.m. PT), has now sold over 430,000 units in just over one day, guaranteeing it the top slot on the Billboard 200 once that chart’s top 10 is revealed mid-week.

As reported yesterday, “Beyonce” shifted slightly over 80,000 in the three hours from 9 p.m. PT to midnight on Thursday evening, putting her Friday sales at roughly 350,000. With two more days left in the sales tracking week, the title could sell over 600,000 before the buzzer sounds.

The iTunes exclusive “visual” album, retailing for $15.99 contains 14 tracks- not available for a la carte purchases until Dec. 20- and 14 accompanying videos, along with other bonus video content. No set date has been announced for the CD release to physical retailers or of its availability on other digital download sites.

At 430,000, “Beyonce” is already set to become the biggest debuting album by a female artist since Taylor Swift sold an astounding 1.2 million copies of “Red” in the week corresponding to Billboard 200 chart dated Nov 10, 2012. And if predictions in the 600,000 range hold, the set would grant Beyonce the best debut week- and best sales week period- of her career. Her 2006 album “B’day” started with 541,000 in September 2006.

With the release of her new album, Beyoncé created a special radio station on iTunes Radio! The playlist features some of her favorite songs, as well as tunes from her new record with short introductions. You can listen to the radio here or read the transcript below.

Pretty Hurts: "Pretty Hurts was such an incredible song,it's really difficult to find a song with such a strong message that doesn't feel preachy & Sia is such a genius. The second I heard the song,I'm like I have to sing this song. I don't care how hard I have to fight for this song,this is my song! (laughs) I immediately saw the vision & I thought about pageants & I thought about the most humiliating,judgmental place you can be as a woman. I feel like sometimes the world is a big contest,we're all being judged. I wanted to capture how humiliating & insecure that makes you feel. Melina was able to capture that emotion & capture the extremes we feel we have to go to to please the people that judge us. I knew from the moment that I recorded the song that she was the person that I wanted to bring the visual to life."

At midnight on Friday the 13th, Beyoncé released her self-titled fifth studio album without any prior announcement, marketing campaign, or any other warning.

The set, featuring 14 songs and 17 videos, rose to No. 1 on iTunes in 100 countries — like only a queen can.

Billboard reveals that the album sold approximately 80,000 copies just in its first 3 hours, and could be headed to No. 1 on the Billboard 200 solely based off of 3 days worth of sales.

Thus far, reviews for the album and its unconventional release have been nothing short of stellar, and it’s definitely well-deserved.

Be sure to get your own copy of Beyoncé’s BEYONCÉ!

Last night Beyonce took her Mrs. Carter Show World Tour to the United Center in Chicago. She performed "XO" for the first time in a new outfit!

Also, new shirts have been added to the Beyonce Store.

When Beyonce’s fifth album arrived surreptitiously Friday morning at midnight, it was without the aid of an advance single, marketing campaign, radio airplay or TV performances. But now that it’s out and setting iTunes ablaze with a weeklong, album-only exclusive, which of the album’s 14 tracks will get the single treatment?

Starting next week, it will be two -- the Pharrell Williams-produced “Blow” at Top 40, and the Jay Z-assisted “Drunk In Love” at R&B/Hip Hop, starting next week, according to multiple sources who confirmed plans to Billboard. “XO,” a rousing ballad penned by Ryan Tedder and The-Dream, will follow later in 2014 as the second single at Top 40. Not that what just happened is about one song -- even to radio programmers, many of whom started playing “Beyonce” in its entirety on Friday.

“Beyonce is bigger than a single. Beyonce has created a movement,” says Reggie Rouse, VP of urban programming at CBS Radio and program director at V-103 and WAOK in Atlanta. “We’re featuring every track this weekend on V103. We put up all 17 video clips on our website. We're doing a blog on Beyonce. She just kills it. She is the standard. Beyonce made every radio station, blog, TV station react to what she did. Jay by himself is great, Beyonce by herself is great. Together? There’s nothing like it.”

So how did Beyonce keep the project so secret? Lots of code names, for starters, and a shifting deadline that wasn’t finalized until a week ago. As Beyonce stated in a video announcing the album on her Facebook page, the plan all along was to release everything all at once -- 14 songs and 17 videos -- as a surprise. “I miss that immersive experience," she says, of watching music videos like Michael Jackson’s “Thriller” as a family, as a mass event. "Now people only listen to a few seconds of a 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."

In the gallery you'll find behind the scenes photos from all of Beyoncé's new music videos.

You can watch previews of the videos below.

As reported by Billboard: iTunes is expected to have a week-long exclusive on the album, before a retail release tentatively set for Saturday, December 21, according to sources familiar with plans and progress with the pressing of physical copies. Though an official single didn't precede the set, two tracks are expected to be announced as the lead singles for different formats next week.

The fifth solo studio album from Beyoncé is now available worldwide, exclusively on the iTunes Store (www.iTunes.com/beyonce). The self-titled set is the artist's first visual album. BEYONCÉ is infused with 14 new songs and 17 visually stunning, provocative videos shot around the world from Houston to New York City to Paris, and Sydney to Rio de Janeiro, all before the album's release.

"I see music," says Beyoncé about her decision to create a visual album. "It's more than just what I hear. When I'm connected to something, I immediately see a visual or a series of images that are tied to a feeling or an emotion, a memory from my childhood, thoughts about life, my dreams or my fantasies. And they're all connected to the music."

That the album is available on the day the world is learning about its release is an unprecedented strategic move by the artist to deliver music and visual content directly to her fans when she wants to and how she wants to, with no filter. This unique approach allows music fans to be the first to listen, view, engage and form their own opinions void of any middleman. In the age of social media and an insatiable appetite for direct communication, this is the answer to the question asked over and over again, when is Beyoncé's next album coming?

The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour 2014 kicks off in Europe on February 20!

February 20, 2014 — SSE Hydro Arena — Glasgow, United Kingdom
February 23, 2014 — LG Arena — Birmingham, United Kingdom
February 25, 2014 — Manchester Arena — Manchester, United Kingdom
February 28, 2014 — The O2 — London, United Kingdom
March 1, 2014 — The O2 — London, United Kingdom
March 2, 2014 — The O2 — London, United Kingdom
March 4, 2014 — The O2 — London, United Kingdom
March 8, 2014 — The O2 — Dublin, Ireland
March 9, 2014 — The O2 — Dublin, Ireland
March 11, 2014 — The O2 — Dublin, Ireland
March 15, 2014 — Lanxess Arena — Cologne, Germany
March 18, 2014 — Ziggo Dome — Amsterdam, Holland
March 20, 2014 — Sportpaleis — Antwerp, Belgium
March 24, 2014 — Palau Sant Jordi — Barcelona, Spain
March 26, 2014 — MEO Arena — Lisbon, Portugal
March 27, 2014 — MEO Arena — Lisbon, Portugal

Thanks to Teen Vogue we can see a preview of Beyonce's upcoming fragrance!

UPDATE: The fragrance will be called Rise and will be available in February! Check out another photo here.

The 2014 Grammy Awards nominations were announced live Friday night by the Recording Academy. Beyonce is up for one award, thus becoming the female artist with the most nominations (46) in Grammy history. Congratulations!

BEST RAP/SUNG COLLABORATION
"Power Trip" - J. Cole Featuring Miguel
"Part II (On The Run)" - Jay Z Featuring Beyoncé
"Holy Grail" - Jay Z Featuring Justin Timberlake
"Now Or Never" - Kendrick Lamar Featuring Mary J. Blige
"Remember You" - Wiz Khalifa Featuring The Weeknd

The Grammys awards ceremony will air on CBS on January 26, 2014.

Congratulations to the Queen Bey!

Beyoncé’s documentary Life Is But a Dream arrives at No. 1 on the United Kingdom’s Music Video Top 40 chart this week. This makes Mrs. Carter’s first chart-topping DVD in the territory.

In the US, Life Is But a Dream enters Top Music Videos at No. 1, just ahead of two other new arrivals. This is Beyoncé's fourth No. 1 on this chart, following Live At Wembley (five weeks on top in 2004), I Am…Yours: An Intimate Performance at Wynn Las Vegas (eight weeks in 2009-2010), and I Am…World Tour (nine weeks in 2010-2011). In addition, she had a No. 1 video with Destiny's Child's Live in Atlanta (two weeks in 2006).

Joined by a small group of friends, Beyonce and Jay-Z decided to spend his birthday lunch at Cafe Gratitude in Los Angeles, a famous vegan spot.

Although their meals were not revealed, Bey shared a photo of their dual spreads on Instagram, and an insider tells us that the celebs indulged in some chocolate truffles for dessert. There were no presents or big birthday song sung at the lunch, but the source tells E! News, "They were great! They were happy. They had lunch, had a good time, and left."

Yesterday, the couple dined at another vegan restaurant, Native Foods in Westwood.

E! News also revealed more details about their meal at Real Food Daily on Tuesday: "The couple were sweet together, affectionate, jolly & in a positive vibe," says and eyewitness. "They were gracious, humble and excited to be there to begin their first day of their 22-day plant-based cleanse. They were also very thankful for the service."

Ring the alarm -- Beyonce and Jay Z are working on a new joint project. The superstar couple have pledged to take on a plant-based vegan diet for the next three weeks, the "Holy Grail" rapper announced on his website, Life + Times.

"Psychologists have said it takes 21 days to make or break a habit. On the 22nd day, you've found the way," Jay Z wrote by way of an introduction.

"On December 3rd, one day before my 44th birthday, I will embark on a 22 Days challenge to go completely vegan, or as I prefer to call it, plant-based!" he continued. "This all began a few months back when a good friend and vegan challenged me to embrace a 'plant-based breakfast' everyday. It was surprisingly easier on me than I thought..."

That friend was Marco Borges, an exercise physiologist and founder of 22 Days Nutrition, a vegan, organic, and gluten-free food and lifestyle company. Jay Z has called him "the world's best trainer," and Pharell says he's "a brilliant teacher of the idea that working out is not just a temporary fix to lose weight -- it's a way of life."

According to Borges' website, 22 Days Nutrition is "a partner in the journey of Jay Z and Beyonce's exploration of a vegan diet." So why now?

"There's something spiritual to me about it being my 44th birthday and the serendipity behind the number of days in this challenge; 22 (2+2=4) coupled with the fact that the challenge ends on Christmas day," Jay Z wrote. "It just feels right!"

Beyonce and Jay-Z were spotted yesterday in West Hollywood while leaving Real Food Daily restaurant and then shopping at Barneys.

It's been also reported that during her stay in California, Beyonce shot a new music video. For now there is only one picture from the set.

Beyonce performed yesterday at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. She dedicated I Will Always Love You/Halo to Paul Walker, who died last week in a car accident, and wore a new outfit during Naughty Girl/Party.