life of beyonce | Page 6

about six months and not go into the studio. I need to just live life, to be inspired by things again."[100] During this time, a 60 Minutes segment aired, revealing Knowles was homeschooled as a child and prays before every performance.[101] In February 2010, she featured on Lady Gaga's song, "Telephone". The song reached number one on the US Pop Songs chart, thus becoming the sixth number-one on the chart for both Knowles and Gaga. With this, they both tied with Mariah Carey for most number-ones since the Nielsen BDS-based Top 40 airplay chart launched in 1992.[102] It received a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals at the 53rd Grammy Awards.[103]

2010-present: Untitled fourth studio album

In late 2009, producer Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins confirmed on his twitter account, that he is working on tracks for Knowles' fourth studio album.[104] Other songwriters and producers also working on the album, include Jim Jonsin,[105][106] Ne-Yo[107][108][109] Sean Garrett[110][111] The Dream,[106] Symbolyc One,[112] Diplo, Switch and Derek E. Miller.[113] In July 2010, it was revealed that Knowles had expressed interest in recording a song for the album that was written by Irish band, The Script. She heard a song the band recorded for their second album, when it was passed around their record company, Sony Music.[114] While on the set of filming a television commercial for Vizio, Knowles was interviewed by Entertainment Tonight and confirmed reports that she had begun working on the album. "I'm actually in the studio now writing songs and producing ... I have a lot of live instruments that I'm putting into the tracks to try to change the sound and make my own genre of music. So, I'll be shooting videos and everybody will be watching them on their Vizio televisions soon."[115] When asked to clarify what she meant by creating her own genre, in an interview with MTV during the New York screening of her I Am... World Tour DVD release, Knowles replied "Well, I wouldn't say I'm inventing a new genre ... I'm mixing every type of genre that I love and I'm inspired by every type of genre. ... It's not R&B. It's not typically pop. It's not rock. It's just everything I love all mixed together in my own little gumbo of music."[116] She also revealed that Fela Kuti, The Stylistics, Lauryn Hill, Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson's Off the Wall have inspired the album.[116] Rap-Up magazine have confirmed the album will be released in 2011.[117]

Aside from music, Knowles will be making a return to acting, starring in a remake of A Star Is Born, to be directed and produced by Clint Eastwood for Warner Bros. The remake will be the fourth telling of the "A Star Is Born" tale, the most memorable in recent years being the 1976 version with Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson.[118]

Artistry



Music and voice



"Trust in Me"



While predominately R&B, Knowles' music explores various styles. The Daily Mail calls Knowles' voice "versatile", capable of exploring power ballads, soul, rock belting, operatic florishes, and hip hop.[119]

"Emotion"



Knowles' prominent use of melisma and other vocal ornamentation earns her both praise and criticism from critics and fans.[120][121]

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Knowles' music is generally contemporary R&B, but she also incorporates pop, funk, hip hop, and soul into her songs. While she almost exclusively releases English songs, Knowles recorded several Spanish records for the re-release of B'Day. Prior to recording the Spanish titles on the album's re-release, Knowles was coached phonetically by American record producer, Rudy Perez.[122] She also recorded a Spanish song during her time in Destiny's Child, and received favorable responses from their Latin fans. Knowles learned Spanish in school when she was young, but can now only speak a few words of the language.

Since Destiny's Child, Knowles has artistically been involved in her career.[23] She received co-writing credits for most of the songs recorded by the group, as well as her solo efforts. Known for writing personally driven and female-empowerment themed compositions, Knowles has stated that having Jay-Z in her life has changed a few of her thoughts about how men and women relate to one another, which helped her transition from writing songs such as "Independent Women" and "Survivor" to man-tending anthems such as, "Cater 2 U" in which she sings about bringing him slippers and drawing his bath.[123] Some of her songs are autobiographical, which she has admitted are taken from personal experiences, as well as her friends'.[124] Knowles has also received co-producing credits for most of the records in which she has been involved, especially during her solo efforts. However, she does not formulate beats herself, but typically comes up with melodies and ideas during production, sharing them with producers.[125] Knowles was recognized as a songwriter during the run of Destiny's Child in the 1990s and early to mid-2000s. She