Beyonce

Beyoncé wears Louis Vuitton’s silk top, cashmere shorts, hat, and mask; Givenchy 

by Riccardo Tisci’s silk satin bra. Lorraine Schwartz’s earrings, David Yurman’s ring. 

Photographs by Patrick Demarchelier, Styled by Alex White, W Magazine

In an interview for W Magazine,  Beyoncé discussed her new album titled '4' with Lynn Hirschberg. “I wanted this record to come from a raw place."

"Playing Etta James in the movie ­Cadillac Records really changed me. It was a darker character, and I realized that if anything is too comfortable, I want to run from it. It’s no fun being safe.”

According to Billboard Beyonce's fourth studio album, "4,", relased yesterday, is headed for a No. 1 debut next week on the Billboard 200 chart with maybe 300,000 copies sold by week's send on Sunday, July 3. If it starts at the top, it will be her fourth No. 1 solo album -- her three previous studio sets all hit No. 1 as well. 

The Atlantic compares her latest to her last album: "In between, there's an unmistakable, if gradual, turn from melancholic top 40 ballads to the confrontational snap of military drums and giddy proclamations of love. Is this I Am ... Sasha Fierce part 2? Not quite. The course of '4' documents a progression, a maturation, of Beyoncé's worldview." 

Rolling Stone observes, "Beyoncé's new album, '4', is a change of pace for the R&B queen ... '4' is a more relaxed, personal set that emphasizes ballads over bangers and showcases the singer's nuances; it's very much the sort of album a pop star makes when she doesn't feel like she has anything to prove." 

Billboard's Track-by-Track Review