Beyonce Knowles was nearly dumbstruck Thursday when, shortly after arriving in Toronto, she realize she was in the country where she and her Destiny’s Child bandmates got their start - and found their end as a group.
“Canada is memorable to me because my very first tour with Destiny’s Child was in Canada with Wyclef (Jean) and at the time we were in a little minivan … and we were the happiest kids in the world,” she said, reminiscing in her posh hotel room, her jeans-clad legs curled up on the couch.
Then she smiled, remembering the group that she formed when she was just nine also performed their very last concert together in Vancouver just last September.
“I never realized that until right now,” she said with a laugh. “It’s weird.”
The “bootylicious” pop diva with the honey vocals and honey-coloured hair, who goes by just Beyonce, was in the city to promote her sophomore solo album, “B’Day.”
The record, released Sept. 5 (a day after her 25th birthday) just hit No. 1 on the Billboard charts in its debut week, selling just over 541,000 units, according to Sony.
The success brought the Houston-born, New York-based singer “relief,” she said, because she was nervous about how her fans would embrace the new, forceful sound.
“This record is different and I wasn’t sure if everybody would understand it,” said Beyonce, sniffing from a cold that she was trying to control before her appearance on MuchMusic that evening. (She was also scheduled to perform a free concert to promote the Best Buy retail outlet in the city’s downtown the next day.)
The R-and-B vocalist co-produced, co-wrote and arranged the 11-track disc, which has harder beats than her five-time Grammy-winning debut album, “Dangerously In Love,” in 2003.
The first single, “Deja Vu,” features her boyfriend, rap mogul Jay-Z, as a guest artist. Her father, Mathew Knowles, executive produced the project and her sister, Solange Knowles, helped produce.
“At the time, I just loved it, so I didn’t care (about reaction),” she said of the month-long record-making process this past spring.
“But, you know, when it’s time for the record to come out, you’re like, ‘Oh God, did I make a mistake?’ But everybody is allowing me to grow, so it feels good.”
Indeed, Beyonce has grown quite a bit since she performed her final concert with Destiny’s Child members Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams last September at Vancouver’s GM Place.
In that year, the nine-time Grammy-winner has starred in “The Pink Panther” and worked on campaigns for L’Oreal and Tommy Hilfiger’s perfume, True Star Gold.
She also made People magazine’s “100 Most Beautiful People” list in April, put together a record and maintained her clothing line, House of Dereon, which she oversees with her mom.
“There are certain artists that have the responsibility of setting the trends and being innovative and I feel like I’m one of those artists,” said Beyonce, who’s now learning to play acoustic guitar with 10 female musicians who will soon tour with her.
“This year has been fascinating for me because I’ve learned a lot about myself … and it’s just beginning.”
Next up on her long list of goals is her role in the film “Dreamgirls,” an adaptation of the stage musical co-starring Jamie Foxx, Eddie Murphy and “American Idol” finalist Jennifer Hudson.
Directed by Bill Condon (”Gods and Monsters”), the movie stars Beyonce as Deena Jones, a member of a budding soul singing trio in the 1960s and ’70s.
The curvy singer with the powerful pipes said playing such a demure character is likely what led to her harder sound on her new disc.
“She was held back, held in and contrived and everything was whispery,” said Beyonce, who also starred in “Austin Powers: Goldmember” in 2002.
“It was so watered down and … doing that for six months I kind of just wanted to scream and unleash. So I did, and it was my release. I just felt really strong and that’s just what came out of the studio.”
from Macleans.ca
