Beyonce Strikes A Fierce Pose On Her ‘4’ Album Cover

Robbie Daw | May 19, 2011 7:23 am

Following last night’s video premiere of  “Run The World (Girls)” on American Idol, both the album cover and release date for Beyonce’s upcoming fourth LP 4 have been revealed. Are you ready for this jelly? Bey, who looks like she’s getting her Raquel Welch on with her 4 stance and (controversial?) fur garb, is in full-on promo mode. Not only did she mentor Idol‘s remaining three contestants last night, she got busy this week with taping a Sasha-fierce performance for Oprah Winfrey’s upcoming Farewell Spectacular, which marks the daytime talk show icon’s exit from her quarter-century-old series. (Note to Little Monsters and Bey stans everywhere: the Oprah special airs next week, on May 23 and 24 — i.e. right when Lady Gaga’s Born This Way drops. Can Planet Pop handle this much diva in one week?)

Sony announced that 4 will be released (via Columbia) on June 28, a date that will also herald the arrival of new releases from Selena Gomez & The Scene, David Cook and Jill Scott. Beyonce recorded her fourth album over the course of a year, between spring 2009 and spring 2010, with such songwriters and producers as Jim Jonsin, Ne-Yo, Sean Garrett, The Dream, Diplo, Switch, Derek Miller and Frank Ocean.

Earlier this month Bey described the music that was inspiring her while making the record to Billboard:

“I started off being inspired by [Afrobeat music pioneer] Fela Kuti. I actually worked with the band from Fela! [the hit Broadway musical based on his life] for a couple of days, just to get the feel for the soul and heart of his music; it’s so sexy, and has a great groove you get lost in. I loved his drums, all the horns, how everything was on the one. What I learned most from Fela was artistic freedom: he just felt the spirit. I also found a lot of inspiration in ’90s R&B, Earth, Wind & Fire, DeBarge, Lionel Richie, Teena Marie… I listened to a lot of Jackson 5 and New Edition, but also Adele, Florence + the Machine, and Prince.”

The album’s campaign officially kicked off in April with the debut of Beyonce’s “Run The World (Girls),” a single that, to-date, has been floundering somewhat on the Billboard Hot 100. The Major Lazer-sampling electro groove initially debuted at #33 on the chart, but has been in a steady free-fall since then. (This week the song is down to #76.)

But can you ever truly count worldly songstress Bey out? While her second LP B’Day got off to a rocky start five years ago with forgettable lead single “Deja Vu” and its under-performing followup “Ring The Alarm,” the album pulled no punches with the smash Ne-Yo/Stargate-co-produced “Irreplaceable,” which spent nine weeks atop the Hot 100 and became a solidified Beyonce classic.

Will you be picking up a copy of 4 when Bey season rolls around in late June? Let us know below!

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