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First Look: Beyoncé, ‘Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)’

It's Trent, Bitch! — Mon, 13 Oct 2008 19:53:48 +0000

Last Saturday we got our first look at Beyoncé’s new music video for If I Were A Boy and today we get our first look at her other new music video for Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It). Each video has a very distinctly different message but they deffo show that Beyoncé is more than just a crooner or a dancer … she’s also a schizophrenic:

Beyoncé has two new songs on the radio — and two new videos as well. Why two, you might ask? Because one of them is not really Beyoncé: It’s Sasha. As B hinted in a letter to fans earlier this month, she wants to show “the many sides” of herself, and she’s doing that via two completely different videos, even if they are both in black and white. One video is pure Sasha — her onstage persona — and the other is stripped-down Beyoncé. “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” is an upbeat dance track, and as such, the video is about dancing. B is joined by two look-alike dancers, befitting her alter-ego theme. They click their heels, almost as if they’re tap dancing, to give the song some extra beats, but despite all the hip-and-leg shaking going on, they want you to look at their hands. More specifically, their ring fingers. And since Beyoncé didn’t even want an engagement ring, according to what she told Essence magazine, this is your first clue that this song is really from Sasha’s heart, not Beyoncé’s. The video for “If I Were a Boy,” the Beyoncé side of the two, however, is the more meaningful one — and it comes with a twist that requires repeat viewing. Beyoncé and her boyfriend say a few words (”intimacy,” “honesty,” “commitment”), and then they start saying the words together: “You.” “Me.” “Us.” … The message might hearken back to what Ciara sang when she and B were going through a tomboy phase in their video clips, but this time, Beyoncé makes you feel it. Without the video, you might not.

In case you missed watching If I Were A Boy the first time around, you can watch it online right here as well. After the jump, check out B’s video for If I Were A Boy …

I dunno. Single Ladies is hot. Sasha or whoever the hell Beyoncé thinks she is, girl is tearin’ it up! If I Were A Boy is more artisitc, I think. I don’t know which one I like more … do you?

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First Look: Beyoncé, ‘If I Were A Boy’

It's Trent, Bitch! — Sat, 11 Oct 2008 16:15:47 +0000

Britney Spears isn’t the only pop diva releasing a new music video this weekend … here is our first look at Beyoncé’s new music video for her single If I Were A Boy (the first of two new videos to be released from her upcoming new album I Am …):

The song is deffo growing on me and I really like the stark nature of the video. I’m usually not a fan of narrative music videos (at least, not the ones that have been produced in the past few years) but I quite like this one. It’s a clever way to tell a tale, especially when the twist occurs. The vid may not be club-worthy but it’s deffo not to be missed. What do y’all think?

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First Listen: Beyoncé, ‘If I Were A Boy’, ‘Single Ladies’

It's Trent, Bitch! — Wed, 08 Oct 2008 15:50:14 +0000

Z100 in NYC brings us the world premiere of Beyoncé’s new single If I Were A Boy for our listening pleasure. Many folks assumed that the track might be similar to (if not a total rip-off of) Ciara’s song Like A Boy but I think that after listening to the track it becomes clear that the songs are not really that similar at all. Ciara’s single is an upbeat track, Beyoncé’s new single is a slower jam … check it out:

I think the track is a bit unexpected, I anticipated a more poppy, upbeat song … but I think I like this track. The lyrics (which you can read HERE) are interesting. I’m not sure if the link above will work for those of you outside of the US. If the link above does not work for you, click HERE to hear a shorter clip of If I Were A Boy that should work for everyone. I will update the links if they either stop working or if better ones come along. I’m not crazy in love with the song but I like it … do you?

UPDATE: Head on over to IHeartMusic.com to hear in full Beyoncé’s other new track Single Ladies. The song is much more upbeat, much more the type of song that I expect Beyoncé to release. I’m not sure if the site is authorized to offer the track so check it out while you can in case it gets pulled. Of the two, I think I still prefer If I Were A Boy … which do you prefer?

UPDATE 2: Pink reader Lizette enlightens that If I Were A Boy is a cover song! Singer/songwriter BC Jean already wrote and recorded the track, you can hear her original version HERE on her official website or HERE on her official My Space profile. Um … WTF?! No offense to BC Jean (who wrote a really great song) but why is Beyoncé covering her song when, as a self-professed “legend”, she should be writing and recording her own music? Anyone?

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Xtina’s Out Of This World New Album Artwork

It's Trent, Bitch! — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 00:02:37 +0000

Here is our first look at the new cover artwork for the upcoming Xtina Aguilera Greatest Hits album titled Keeps Gettin’ Better: A Decade of Hits which is scheduled for release this Fall:

I mean … I don’t really get the astronaut vibe of this album artwork but I can appreciate that homegirl opted out of wearing the gaudy red lipstick so … thumbs up. In other Hollywood “It” Girl music news … Lindsay Lohan’s new single Playground will be released to radio on September 30th and will be available for sale on iTunes on October 7th. Her album Spirit In The Dark will drop November 4th. Beyoncé will 2 new singles on the same day that both Rihanna (Breakin’ Dishes) and Britney Spears (Womanizer) are set to release their singles (October 7th). If I Were A Boy (which reportedly has a pop feel) and Single Ladies (which, again reportedly, has a more “urban” feel) are both set to be released before her as-yet untitled new album is released in December. OH and don’t forget … Britney’s Womanizer track will be released to radio tomorrow. Yeesh … there is awful lot of girlpop coming our way … um, or should I just say a lot of awful girlpop music is coming — run for you life?

[thanks Kevin]

Beyoncé Channels Her Inner Cop In Her New Music Video

It's Trent, Bitch! — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 19:48:06 +0000

Beyoncé was spied filming scenes for her new music video If I Were A Boy, which is to be the first single off her as-yet untitled new album due out in November, on the streets of NYC last Friday … check out these pics of Officer Knowles extending the long arm of the law as she plays one of New York’s Finest in her new music video:

I can see Beyoncé playing a bad-ass cop … you can tell she’s got some aggression/authority issues to work out and playing a police officer is the perfect way for her to act out those feelings. She looks pretty hawt in that uniform … I wonder if hubby Jay-Z requested that she wear it for him in the privacy of their own home … I mean, I can see that happening, can’t you?

[Photo credit: Bauer-Griffin]