Beyonce: Run the World Girls

Beyonce's elaborate music video for new single "Run the World (Girls)," premiered during "American Idol" on May 18 to mixed reviews.

The Francis Lawrence-directed video finds Beyoncé navigating through an apocalyptic world and leading a determined army of supporters while sporting a slew of high fashion outfits from Alexander McQueen, Givenchy, Emilo Pucci to Jean Paul Gaultier.

"Run the World (Girls)," which relies on a sample of Major Lazer's "Pon De Floor" and was produced by Switch with additional production by Beyoncé and Shea Taylor, is the first glimpse of the singer's highly anticipated fourth album, "4."

"It's definitely riskier than something a bit more…simple," Beyoncé told Billboard.com of the single. "I just heard the track and loved that it was so different: it felt a bit African, a bit electronic and futuristic. It reminded me of what I love, which is mixing different cultures and eras."

Beyonce told MTV News about her new album. "I started off being inspired by Afrobeat music pioneer, Fela Kuti. She reported that she actually worked with the band from Fela!,the hit Broadway musical based on Kuti's life just to get the feel for the soul and heart of his music.

Beyonce stated that she also found inspiration in a lot of old-school R&B too, Earth, Wind & Fire, DeBarge, Lionel Richie, Teena Marie," Beyonce said. "I listened to a lot of Jackson 5 and New Edition, but also Adele, Florence and the Machine and Prince. Add in my hip-hop influences, and you can hear how broad it is.