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| Beyonce at the Billboard Music Awards, May 22, 2011 |
As a follow-up to the foot-stomping "Run The World Girls", Beyonce's second single, "1+1"is a power ballad (this is the zone where I feel she's at her best). She debuted the single on the final night of "American Idol" to millions of viewers. It was an emotionally-charged performance. Take a look below, if you missed it.
The juxtaposing songs are the first shreds of evidence that she's keeping her promise that a whole new array of sounds will make their way into "4," which drew inspiration from an abundance of sources.
Along with the band of Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti, Beyonce said she, "found a lot of inspiration in '90s R&B; Earth, Wind & Fire; DeBarge; Lionel Richie; Teena Marie." In addition, she said, "I listened to a lot of Jackson 5 and New Edition, but also Adele, Florence + the Machine, and Prince. Add in my hip-hop influences, and you can hear how broad it is. I also gave myself more freedom to really belt out some songs, and bring soul singing back."
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