[Me. I Am Salman]

Beyoncé claims she was "terrified" about the surprise release of her new album, calling the move "a huge risk".

"I was so scared," the singer said on Saturday night, at a New York screening of the 17 music videos that accompanied the record. "I already envisioned like the worst things that could happen."

Beyoncé's self-titled LP was released on 13 December without fanfare, marketing campaign or even advance warning. Breaking records, it sped to No 5 in the UK and No 1 at home in the US. But the album was audacious not just for the manner of its delivery, or even its sound: it was Beyoncé's first time plotting an entire release without help from her father or any other outside management company.

"I felt like I wanted follow in the footsteps of Madonna and be a powerhouse and have my own empire," Beyoncé said. "And show other women when you get to this point in your career, you don't have to go sign with someone else and share your money and your success, you can do it yourself."

This sense of independence was also informed by motherhood: after Blue Ivy's birth, Beyoncé no longer just felt like "someone's child". "Once I became a mother, I felt like I could tear [down] those fourth walls and I just felt like it was time. I completely feel liberated."

With the new record, Beyoncé hopes to teach women to "own their own imperfections". The music collects all her "insecurities, all of my doubts, all of my fears and everything I've learned". Beyoncé also indicated that she wants to begin "developing" other musicians - perhaps, like her husband Jay Z, as an artist manager. "I just hope that I continue to move forward and challenge myself," she said, "and I think now that I've become a mother, I just want my legacy to inspire people."

http://www.theguardian.com/music/201...lbum-terrified

I'm so glad it paid off for her the fact that she took such a bold move all on her own and it amounted to this much success simply based on her name alone and has been praised by just about every critic and fanbase, proves she's a legend and among the likes of Madonna & Michael Jackson imo.