Beyoncé Screens Visual Album in New York
A week after shocking the world with her self-titled visual album, Beyoncé got up close with fans at a screening of the project at New York’s School of Visual Arts on Saturday. Queen Bey graced the carpet in a black Tom Ford dress and boots before heading inside to play her 17 music videos and host a Q&A.
As guests snacked on popcorn from “Beyoncé” bags and drank sodas and huckleberry juice, she answered questions from fans, who submitted them via the #AskBeyonce hashtag on Instagram.
She explained how she came up with the name ‘Yonce, why she was nervous about releasing the album to iTunes, and why she’s grateful to her former manager and father, Mathew Knowles (via The Huffington Post).
“I’ve never done anything so brave in my life,” said Bey of the unprecedented album, which has already sold over 1 million copies worldwide on iTunes.
Read highlights from her Q&A session below.
On her inspiration: “It’s interesting how motherhood changes you and it changes your perspective on life. I took all the things that I wanted to change about myself and all the things I wanted to share, and I put it into this record.”
On the message behind BEYONCÉ: “More than the music, I’m proud of myself as a woman. The biggest message is owning your imperfections and all the things that make you interesting because I refuse to allow someone to put me in anybody’s box.”
On secretly releasing it to iTunes: “I just got off the stage, I had a glass of wine and my cousin Angie was like, ‘Are you alright?’ because I was talking to myself and I was terrified. I was so scared. I had already gone through all the horrible ways it could go in my mind… I saw it live on iTunes and I waited for the first comment. Then I woke up the next morning and… [breaks into dance].”
On the birth of ‘Yonce: “We were in the studio, and Justin Timberlake started beating on buckets. So, when you hear the beat, it’s literally a bucket. … And Dream just started, ‘Yoncé on his mouth like liquor,’ and I’m like, ‘What does that mean?’ But I love it, I think Beyoncé is Beyoncé, Mrs. Carter is Beyoncé, Sasha Fierce is Beyoncé. And I’m finally at a place where I don’t have to separate the two. It’s all pieces of me, and just different elements of a personality of a woman, because we are complicated.”
On taking charge of her career: “My father taught me so, so much. When I decided to manage myself, it was important to me not to sign to some big company. I wanted to follow in Madonna’s footsteps and be a powerhouse. When you get to this level, you don’t have to share your money or your success… And we did it. And it’s my company.”
Video via Facebook.com/Beyonce