‘It p***ed me off’: Beyonce was told b&w imagery didn’t sell… but she defied corporate advice and created her ‘biggest commercial success’ with I Am… Sasha Fierce

Before 28-time Grammy winner Beyoncé Knowles-Carter put her third studio double album I Am… Sasha Fierce together in 2008, she was told b&w imagery ‘wouldn’t sell.’

‘I remember being in a meeting discussing analytics, and I was told the research discovered that my fans did not like when my photography was black and white,’ the 39-year-old R&B diva recalled in the September 2021 issue of Harper’s BAZAAR, which hits newsstands August 31.

‘They told me I wouldn’t sell if it wasn’t in color. That was ridiculous. It p***ed me off that an agency could dictate what my fans wanted based on a survey. Who did they ask? How is it possible to generalize people this much? Are these studies accurate? Are they fair? Are all the people I’m trying to uplift and shine a light on included? They’re not. It triggered me when I was told, “These studies show…”  

‘They told me I wouldn’t sell if it wasn’t in color’: Before 28-time Grammy winner Beyoncé Knowles-Carter put her third studio double album I Am… Sasha Fierce together in 2008, she was told b&w imagery ‘wouldn’t sell’

‘I was so exhausted and annoyed with these formulaic corporate companies that I based my whole next project off of black and white photography, including the videos for Single Ladies and If I Were a Boy and all of the artwork by Peter Lindbergh for I Am…Sasha Fierce, which ended up being my biggest commercial success to date. I try to keep the human feeling and spirit and emotion in my decision-making.’

I Am… Sasha Fierce received mixed reviews from critics, but went on to sell over 8M copies and earn six Grammy Awards in 2010 – the most won in one night by a female artist.

Beyoncé likely enlisted the late German photographer who died, age 74, from undisclosed causes in 2019 because his iconic work was instrumental in creating the nineties supermodel.

Lindbergh’s 1990 British Vogue cover featured Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell, Tatjana Patitz, Cindy Crawford, and Christy Turlington – and inspired George Michael’s Freedom ’90 video. 

The 39-year-old R&B diva recalled in Harper’s BAZAAR: ‘It p***ed me off that an agency could dictate what my fans wanted based on a survey. Who did they ask? How is it possible to generalize people this much? Are these studies accurate? Are they fair? Are all the people I’m trying to uplift and shine a light on included? They’re not. It triggered me when I was told, “These studies show…”‘

Beyoncé (pictured in 2008) continued: ‘I was so exhausted and annoyed with these formulaic corporate companies that I based my whole next project off of black and white photography’

Knowles-Carter added: ‘Including the videos for Single Ladies and If I Were a Boy and all of the artwork by Peter Lindbergh for I Am…Sasha Fierce, which ended up being my biggest commercial success to date’

Alter ego: I Am… Sasha Fierce received mixed reviews from critics, but went on to sell over 8M copies and earn six Grammy Awards in 2010 – the most won in one night by a female artist

https://youtube.com/watch?v=4m1EFMoRFvY%3Frel%3D0%26showinfo%3D1

Knowles-Carter is turning the big 4-0 next month and she said she wants the next decade to ‘be fun and full of freedom.’

‘I want to feel the same freedom I feel on stage every day of my life. I want to explore aspects of myself I haven’t had time to discover and to enjoy my husband and my children,’ the Destiny’s Child alum explained.

‘I have paid my dues and followed every rule for decades, so now I can break the rules that need to be broken. My wish for the future is to continue to do everything everyone thinks I can’t do.’

Beyoncé also revealed she’s been in the recording studio for the last ‘year and a half’ and teased: ‘Yes, the music is coming!’

Kingmaker: The Destiny’s Child alum likely enlisted the late German photographer (pictured in 2010) who died, age 74, from undisclosed causes in 2019 because his iconic work was instrumental in creating the nineties supermodel

Gianni Versace was also inspired: Lindbergh’s 1990 British Vogue cover featured Linda Evangelista, Naomi Campbell, Tatjana Patitz, Cindy Crawford, and Christy Turlington – and inspired George Michael’s Freedom ’90 video

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