B'Day
Encyclopedia
B'Day is the second studio album
by American R&B
recording artist Beyoncé Knowles
, released on September 4, 2006 by Columbia Records
in collaboration with Music World Music and Sony Urban Music
. It was released to coincide with Knowles' twenty-fifth birthday. The album was originally planned for a 2004 release as a follow-up to her debut album Dangerously in Love
(2003). However, the project was put on hiatus due to the recording of Destiny's Child
's final studio album, Destiny Fulfilled
(2004), and her starring role in the film Dreamgirls
(2006).While on vacation after filming Dreamgirls, Knowles began contacting various producers; she rented Sony Music Studios
, and completed B'Day in three weeks. Most of the lyrical content of the album was inspired by Knowles' role in the film. The album's musical style ranges from 1970s–80s funk
and ballad
ry to urban contemporary
elements such as hip hop
and R&B. Live instrumentation
was employed in recording most of the tracks as part of Knowles' vision of creating a record using live instruments.
Upon its release, B'Day received generally positive reviews from most music critics and has since earned Knowles several accolades, including the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album
at the 49th Grammy Awards. The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200
chart, selling 541,000 copies in its first week, the highest debut-week sales of Knowles. The album has been certified triple platinum
by the Recording Industry Association of America
. It was also successful in international music markets and yielded six singles
, including three commercial hits: "Déjà Vu", "Irreplaceable
" and "Beautiful Liar
". B'Day Anthology Video Album
, which features thirteen music video
s to accompany the songs, was released alongside the deluxe edition of B'Day. Knowles then embarked on her second solo concert tour in 2007, which she titled The Beyoncé Experience
. A live album, The Beyoncé Experience Live, was released which featured footage from the tour. As of February 2008, B'Day had sold over 7 million copies worldwide.
, recording up to forty-five songs. After the release of Dangerously in Love in 2003, Knowles had planned to produce a follow-up album using several of the left-over tracks. However, on January 7, 2004, a spokesperson for her record label, Columbia
, announced that Knowles had put her plans on hold in order to concentrate on the recording of Destiny Fulfilled
, the final studio album
by Destiny's Child
, and for her singing of the U.S. national anthem
at the Super Bowl XXXVIII
in Houston, which was a childhood dream of hers. In late 2005, Knowles decided to postpone the recording of her second album because she had landed a lead role in Dreamgirls
, a film adaptation of the 1981 Tony Award
-winning Broadway musical of the same name
. As she wanted to focus on one project at a time, Knowles decided to wait until the movie was completed before returning to the recording studio. Knowles later told Billboard
magazine, "I'm not going to write for the album until I finish doing the movie."
While having a month-long vacation after filming Dreamgirls, Knowles went to the studio to start working on the album. She said, "[When filming ended] I had so many things bottled up, so many emotions, so many ideas," prompting her to begin working without telling her father and then-manager, Mathew Knowles
. Knowles kept the recording of B'Day somewhat quiet, telling only her artists and repertoire man Max Gousse, and the team of producers they contacted to collaborate for the album. She began working with songwriter-producers Rich Harrison
, Rodney Jerkins
, Sean Garrett
, Cameron Wallace; the Neptunes
, Norwegian production duo Stargate
, American hip hop
producer-rapper Swizz Beatz
, and Walter Millsap. Two female songwriters were also included in the production team who helped structure the album: Knowles' cousin Angela Beyincé, who had previously collaborated in Dangerously in Love, and up-and-coming songwriter Makeba Riddick, who made her way onto the team after writing "Déjà Vu", the lead single off the album.
in New York City, and was influenced by her husband Jay-Z's method of collaborating with multiple record producers; she used four recording studios simultaneously. She booked Harrison, Jerkins and Garrett, each with a room to work in. During the sessions, Knowles would move from studio to studio to check her producers' progress, later claiming this fostered "healthy competition" among producers. When Knowles conceived a potential song, she would tell the group who would deliberate, and after three hours the song would be created. While Knowles and the team brainstormed the lyrics, other collaborators such as the Neptunes, Jerkins and Swizz Beatz would simultaneously produce the tracks. They would sometimes begin working at eleven o'clock, spending up to fourteen hours a day in the studios during the recording process. Knowles arranged
, co-wrote and co-produced all the songs. Makeba Riddick, in an interview with MTV News
, recounted her experience in the production:
B'Day, which is titled as a reference to Knowles' birthday, was completed in three weeks, ahead of the originally scheduled six weeks.
Swizz Beatz co-produced four songs for the album, the most from a single producer in the team. Knowles recorded three songs a day, finishing recording within two weeks. Twenty-five songs were produced for the album; ten of the tracks were selected for the track list, and mastered in early July by Brian "Big Bass" Gardner in Los Angeles
.
elements including contemporary R&B
and hip hop
. Some songs have 1970s
and 1980s
styles, inspired through record sampling
. "Suga Mama
", which employs blues
-guitar samples from Jake Wade and the Soul Searchers
' "Searching for Soul", contains a 1970s funk- and 1980s go-go-influenced melody. "Upgrade U" is sampled from the 1968 Betty Wright
song "Girls Can't Do What the Guys Do". "Resentment" used Curtis Mayfield
's 1972 "Think (Instrumental)", from the Super Fly soundtrack. "Déjà Vu" has '70s influence, "Green Light" is a classic
groove, and "Get Me Bodied" features twang, a musical style that originated from Texas
.
Knowles crafted most songs on B'Day through live instrumentation
and diverse techniques. This is evident on "Déjà Vu", which utilizes bass guitar
, conga
, hi-hat
, horns
and the 808 drum
; it also features rap
vocals by Jay-Z
. In an interview with MTV, Knowles said, "When I recorded 'Déjà Vu' [...] I knew that even before I started working on my album, I wanted to add live instruments to all of my songs..." The album's second single "Ring the Alarm
" is noted for the use of a siren
in its melody. It was called a song that "shows a harder edge to Beyoncé's sound". "Freakum Dress
" is a crescendo
that uses a two-note
riff
and galloping beats. The song "advises women who have partners with straying eyes to put on sexy dresses and grind on other guys in the club to regain their affections." Meanwhile, the use of the "uh-huh huh huh" vocals and brassy stabs in the song "Green Light" is a direct echo to "Crazy in Love", according to Peter Robinson of The Guardian
.
and Music World Music, B'Day was first released outside of North America through Columbia Records
on September 4, 2006 to coincide with Knowles' 25th birthday. The following day, it was released in North America. Seven months after the release of the original version, an expanded double-disc deluxe edition of the album was released on April 3, 2007. In addition to the original track listing, the deluxe edition features five new songs, including "Beautiful Liar
", a duet with Colombia
n singer Shakira
. The single made Billboard Hot 100
history when it moved ninety-one positions—from number ninety-four to number three—on April 7, 2007. "Amor Gitano
" ("Gypsy Love"), a Spanish-language flamenco
-pop
duet with Mexican singer Alejandro Fernández
served as a soundtrack for Telemundo
's "El Zorro" telenovela, was included in the deluxe edition, alongside Spanish re-recordings of "Listen" ("Oye"), "Irreplaceable" ("Irreemplazable") and "Beautiful Liar" ("Bello Embustero"). The idea of recording songs in a foreign language emanated from her experience when Destiny's Child collaborated with Alejandro Sanz for "Quisiera Ser" (2000). Knowles worked with producer Rudy Perez for these recordings. The Spanish language EP on the deluxe edition was later released independently under the title Irreemplazable
.
B'Day Anthology Video Album
was released simultaneously with the deluxe edition; the anthology features thirteen videos including the director's cut of "Listen" and the extended mix of "Get Me Bodied". Most of the videos were accompaniments for the up-tempo tracks on B'Day; which featured retro stylisation, use of color and black hair styles, as Knowles thought it would create a resemblance between herself and the character she played in Dreamgirls, Deena Jones. The shooting of the videos was completed in two weeks; they were directed by Jake Nava
, Anthony Mandler
, Melina Matsoukas
, Cliff Watts, Ray Kay
, Sophie Muller
, Diane Martel
and Knowles. Initially the DVD was available exclusively in Wal-Mart
, but was later released to other markets. The Spanish songs were not included on international releases of the deluxe edition, but instead feature the thirteen music videos from the anthology DVD.
. "Green Light" was planned to be released as the second single for the international market, but the management opted for "Ring the Alarm
" instead, which was released in the United States only. "Irreplaceable
" was serviced to international markets as the second international and third overall single from B'Day. "Ring the Alarm" was released on October 3, and became her highest-charting single debut, opening at number twelve on the Billboard Hot 100
. "Upgrade U
", also featuring Jay-Z, was released as a promotional single
in November 2006, and reached number fifty-nine on the Hot 100.
The album's third single "Irreplaceable" became the best-selling single in the U.S. in 2007 and the 25th most successful song of the 2000s, according to the Billboard Hot 100 Songs of the Decade. Rolling Stone
ranked it number sixty on their list of 100 Best Songs of the 2000s decade. "Irreplaceable" became the most successful single to be released from the album and received positive critical acclaim, and spent ten consecutive weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100. The single's music video features the debut performance of her all-female band, Suga Mama.
"Get Me Bodied
" was released on July 10, 2007 as the fifth single. "Get Me Bodied" peaked at number sixty-eight on the Hot 100. The single's accompanying music video features sister Solange Knowles
and former Destiny's Child band-mates Kelly Rowland
and Michelle Williams
in its 1960s-influenced instructional music video. "Green Light" was released in the United Kingdom on July 30, 2007. Along with the release of the single, the remix EP Green Light: Freemasons EP was released on July 27, 2007 as a digital download.
In mid-2006, Knowles looked for an all-female band for her 2007 tour, The Beyoncé Experience
, to promote the album. She held an audition for keyboard
players, bassist
s, guitarist
s, horn
players, percussionists
and drummer
s around the world. Knowles named the band Suga Mama. Although the band only consisted of women, both male and female backup dancer
s performed onstage. As well as singing songs from B'Day, Knowles also performed songs from Dangerously in Love and gave a medley
of Destiny's Child songs. She embarked on the tour in Japan on April 10, 2007 and concluded it in Tapei, Taiwan
on November 12, 2007. At the Los Angeles
show Jay-Z and Destiny's Child bandmates Rowland and Williams made guest appearances. Footage from this show was filmed and released on November 20, 2007 as a live album titled The Beyoncé Experience Live.
, the official albums chart in the United States, on September 23, 2006. The album sold 541,000 units in its first week of release, Knowles' highest debut week album sales. The album gave Knowles her second number-one album following Dangerously in Love, which also topped the chart on its debut. This feat was noted by Keith Caulfield of Billboard magazine, surmising that perhaps "its handsome debut was generated by goodwill earned from the performance of her smash first album Dangerously in Love". By the end of 2006, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America
(RIAA), and became the thirty-eighth best-selling album of that year in the US.
The album's commercial performance was reinforced by the subsequent release of its editions. The release of the deluxe edition helped B'Day re-enter the top ten, gaining 903 percent in sales. On April 16, 2007, the RIAA re-certified B'Day as triple platinum, combining the sales from the original edition of album with those of the deluxe edition. However, B'Days extended life in the music market has been attributed to the release and eventual success of "Irreplaceable", which is the album's certifiable smash hit. The single, which was released by the end of 2006, helped the album in regaining its strength, having re-entered into the top ten of Billboard 200. According to Billboard magazine, it propelled the album in to a cumulative 3.3 million albums sold.
In the United Kingdom, B'Day debuted at number three on September 11, 2007 selling 35,012 copies in its first week. The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) certified B'Day platinum for shipping 300,000 units, and the deluxe edition gold for shipping 100,000 units. As of July 3, 2011, B'Day has sold 385,078 copies in the UK. The album peaked at number three on the European Top 100 Albums
, while reaching the top ten in the albums charts of Denmark
, Flanders
, Germany
, Ireland
, Italy
, the Netherlands
, Portugal
, Spain and Switzerland
. The album reached number two on the Canadian Albums Chart
, where it stayed for two weeks and receiving a platinum certification from the Canadian Recording Industry Association
(CRIA). Across Oceania, it had the same reception debuting on Australian Albums Chart and New Zealand Albums Chart both at number eight on the same week, September 11, 2006. B'Day remained on the charts for twenty and twenty-five weeks respectively, and was certified platinum by both the Australian Recording Industry Association
(ARIA) and the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
(RIANZ). As of February 2008, B'Day had sold over 7 million copies worldwide.
, which assigns a normalized
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average
score of 70, based on 23 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". Bill Lamb of About.com
complimented it for exuding the "work of a woman with focus, energy, empathy, and vocal firepower to spare", giving it four and a half stars out of five. Entertainment Weekly
s Jody Rosen commented that "the songs [in the album] arrive in huge gusts of rhythm and emotion, with Beyoncé's voice rippling over clattery beats". Jonah Weiner of Blender
gave the album four out of five stars and commented that "sweaty up-tempo numbers prove the best platform for Beyonce's rapperly phrasing and pipe-flaunting fireballs". The Boston Globe
s Sarah Rodman commented that the production team helped Knowles "focus on edgier, up-tempo tracks that take her sweet soprano to new places". Billboard
Gail Mitchell wrote that "throughout [the album], she romps with creative abandon, thankfully unafraid of stretching the boundaries lyrically and musically". Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine
compared the album to the work of Destiny's Child and wrote," B'Day is reminiscent of Knowles' former group at their commercial peak". In his consumer guide for MSN Music
, critic Robert Christgau
gave B'Day an A- rating and wrote favorably for it themes concerning wealth and empowerment: "On most of them she's wronged yet still in control because she's got so much money".
However, some critics deemed the album's production weak. Roger Friedman of Fox News
reviewed the album negatively and stated that "the result of so many cooks in the kitchen ... is that ... Beyoncé serves up a [mix of] ... shrill singing and invariably tuneless songs". Rolling Stone
magazine's Brian Hiatt averred that "while the mostly up-tempo disc never lacks for energy, some of the more beat-driven tracks feel harmonically and melodically undercooked, with hooks that don't live up to 'Crazy in Love' or the best Destiny's Child hits". Mike Joseph of PopMatters
stated that "the album is solid", but because of its rushed production, he counter-argued that "aside from its relatively short running time, its sound suspiciously under produced". Los Angeles Times
writer Richard Cromelin gave the album three out of four stars and commented that "Some of the experiments don't click, but by reconfiguring and repurposing century-spanning components of black music [...] she's gained an artistic high ground". Andy Kellman of Allmusic stated that Knowles' "hurryness" in the album produced "no songs with the smooth elegance" of "Me, Myself and I" or "Be with You"; he however added, "there is nothing desperate or weak about this album". The Guardian
s Caroline Sullivan wrote favorably of the album's female-oriented themes and stated "Apart from a few pop-R&B space-fillers, there's not much to dislike about B'Day".
The album was nominated for five Grammy Award
s, including "Best Contemporary R&B Album
", "Best Female R&B Vocal Performance
" for "Ring the Alarm" and "Best R&B Song
" and "Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
" for "Déjà Vu". The Freemasons club mix of "Déjà Vu" without the rap was put forward in the "Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical
" category. B'Day won the award for "Best Contemporary R&B Album" at the 49th Grammy Awards. The following year
, B'Day received two Grammy nominations for Record of the Year
for "Irreplaceable
" and Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals
for "Beautiful Liar
". In the same year, she also received a Grammy nomination for her work on Dreamgirls
.
for the single "Ring the Alarm
" fueled controversy after Knowles used alligators during the photo shoot. Knowles revealed that using the animal and taping their mouths shut was her idea. PETA
, an animal rights organization which had previously confronted her after she had used furs for her fashion line's clothing design, contacted a biologist
who later wrote a letter to her, stating "As a specialist in reptile biology and welfare, I'm concerned about your posing with a terrified baby alligator for your new album cover. Humans and alligators are not natural bedfellows, and the two should not mix at events such as photo shoots. In my view, doing so is arguably abusive to an animal."
In 2007, Knowles appeared on billboards and newspapers across Australia showing her holding an antiquated cigarette holder. Taken from the back cover of B'Day, the image provoked response from an anti-smoking group, stating that she did not need to add the cigarette holder "to make herself appear more sophisticated".
In the same year, three weeks after their release, the deluxe edition and the video anthology DVD were temporarily ceased for retail in stores. A lawsuit was filed for breach of contract of using "Still in Love (Kissing You)", a version of British singer Des'ree
's original song "Kissing You
". Not intended for the album's inclusion, Des'ree's deal also stipulated that the title of the song was not to be altered, and a video was not to be made. After the infringement case, the re-issued version of the album does not include the track, and instead includes "If" as a replacement. The lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice in October 2007.
On digital copies "World Wide Woman" is a non-hidden track placed at track 8, and other songs are pushed down the track order.
International deluxe edition
Notes
|-
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by American R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
recording artist Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...
, released on September 4, 2006 by Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
in collaboration with Music World Music and Sony Urban Music
Sony Urban Music
Sony Urban Music was a division of Sony BMG, active from 2004 to 2006, The division handled R&B, soul, and hip hop releases by artists nominally signed to Sony's Columbia and Epic labels...
. It was released to coincide with Knowles' twenty-fifth birthday. The album was originally planned for a 2004 release as a follow-up to her debut album Dangerously in Love
Dangerously in Love
Dangerously in Love is the debut solo album of American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles, released on June 22, 2003, by Columbia Records. Recording sessions for the album took place in 2002 to 2003 at several studios, during the hiatus of her then-group Destiny's Child...
(2003). However, the project was put on hiatus due to the recording of Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child was an American R&B girl group whose final line-up comprised lead singer Beyoncé Knowles alongside Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. Formed in 1997 in Houston, Texas, Destiny's Child members began their musical endeavors in their pre-teens under the name Girl's Tyme...
's final studio album, Destiny Fulfilled
Destiny Fulfilled
Destiny Fulfilled is the fourth and final studio album by American R&B trio Destiny's Child, first released in North America on November 16, 2004. It marked the return of Destiny's Child after it went into hiatus, which allowed each member to release solo albums...
(2004), and her starring role in the film Dreamgirls
Dreamgirls (film)
Dreamgirls is a 2006 musical drama film, directed by Bill Condon and jointly produced and released by DreamWorks and Paramount Pictures. The film debuted in three special road show engagements beginning December 15, 2006 before its nationwide release on December 25, 2006...
(2006).While on vacation after filming Dreamgirls, Knowles began contacting various producers; she rented Sony Music Studios
Sony Music Studios
Sony Music Studios was a well-known former music recording and mastering facility in New York City. The music and broadcasting complex was located at 460 W. 54th St., at 10th Avenue, in the Hell's Kitchen section of Manhattan...
, and completed B'Day in three weeks. Most of the lyrical content of the album was inspired by Knowles' role in the film. The album's musical style ranges from 1970s–80s funk
Funk
Funk is a music genre that originated in the mid-late 1960s when African American musicians blended soul music, jazz and R&B into a rhythmic, danceable new form of music. Funk de-emphasizes melody and harmony and brings a strong rhythmic groove of electric bass and drums to the foreground...
and ballad
Ballad
A ballad is a form of verse, often a narrative set to music. Ballads were particularly characteristic of British and Irish popular poetry and song from the later medieval period until the 19th century and used extensively across Europe and later the Americas, Australia and North Africa. Many...
ry to urban contemporary
Urban contemporary
Urban contemporary is a music radio format. The term was coined by the late New York DJ Frankie Crocker in the mid 1970s. Urban contemporary radio stations feature a playlist made up entirely of hip hop/rap, contemporary R&B, pop, electronica such as dubstep and drum and bass and Caribbean music...
elements such as hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
and R&B. Live instrumentation
Instrumentation (music)
In music, instrumentation refers to the particular combination of musical instruments employed in a composition, and to the properties of those instruments individually...
was employed in recording most of the tracks as part of Knowles' vision of creating a record using live instruments.
Upon its release, B'Day received generally positive reviews from most music critics and has since earned Knowles several accolades, including the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album
Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album
The Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality works on albums in the contemporary R&B music genre...
at the 49th Grammy Awards. The album debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
chart, selling 541,000 copies in its first week, the highest debut-week sales of Knowles. The album has been certified triple platinum
RIAA certification
In the United States, the Recording Industry Association of America awards certification based on the number of albums and singles sold through retail and other ancillary markets. Other countries have similar awards...
by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
. It was also successful in international music markets and yielded six singles
Single (music)
In music, a single or record single is a type of release, typically a recording of fewer tracks than an LP or a CD. This can be released for sale to the public in a variety of different formats. In most cases, the single is a song that is released separately from an album, but it can still appear...
, including three commercial hits: "Déjà Vu", "Irreplaceable
Irreplaceable
"Irreplaceable" is a song recorded by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles for her second studio album, B'Day . The song was written by Knowles, Shaffer "Ne-Yo" Smith, Tor Erik Hermansen, Mikkel S. Eriksen, Espen Lind, Amund Bjørklund, and produced by Stargate and Knowles...
" and "Beautiful Liar
Beautiful Liar
"Beautiful Liar" is a song recorded by American R&B singer Beyoncé and Colombian Latin pop singer Shakira. The song was written by Knowles, Amanda Ghost, Ian Dench, and Stargate members Mikkel S. Eriksen and Tor Erik Hermansen, and produced by Stargate and Knowles for the re-release of Knowles'...
". B'Day Anthology Video Album
B'Day Anthology Video Album
B'Day Anthology Video Album is the first video album by American recording artist Beyoncé Knowles. It features thirteen music videos for songs from her second studio album, B'Day and its deluxe re-release . It was released by Columbia Records exclusively through Wal-Mart stores on April 3, 2007...
, which features thirteen music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
s to accompany the songs, was released alongside the deluxe edition of B'Day. Knowles then embarked on her second solo concert tour in 2007, which she titled The Beyoncé Experience
The Beyoncé Experience
The Beyoncé Experience was the second worldwide concert tour by American singer-songwriter Beyoncé in support to her second solo album B'Day. According to Vibe, the tour grossed over $18.1 million.-Background:...
. A live album, The Beyoncé Experience Live, was released which featured footage from the tour. As of February 2008, B'Day had sold over 7 million copies worldwide.
Background
In 2002, Knowles had productive studio sessions while making her debut album, Dangerously in LoveDangerously in Love
Dangerously in Love is the debut solo album of American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles, released on June 22, 2003, by Columbia Records. Recording sessions for the album took place in 2002 to 2003 at several studios, during the hiatus of her then-group Destiny's Child...
, recording up to forty-five songs. After the release of Dangerously in Love in 2003, Knowles had planned to produce a follow-up album using several of the left-over tracks. However, on January 7, 2004, a spokesperson for her record label, Columbia
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
, announced that Knowles had put her plans on hold in order to concentrate on the recording of Destiny Fulfilled
Destiny Fulfilled
Destiny Fulfilled is the fourth and final studio album by American R&B trio Destiny's Child, first released in North America on November 16, 2004. It marked the return of Destiny's Child after it went into hiatus, which allowed each member to release solo albums...
, the final studio album
Studio album
A studio album is an album made up of tracks recorded in the controlled environment of a recording studio. A studio album contains newly written and recorded or previously unreleased or remixed material, distinguishing itself from a compilation or reissue album of previously recorded material, or...
by Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child was an American R&B girl group whose final line-up comprised lead singer Beyoncé Knowles alongside Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams. Formed in 1997 in Houston, Texas, Destiny's Child members began their musical endeavors in their pre-teens under the name Girl's Tyme...
, and for her singing of the U.S. national anthem
The Star-Spangled Banner
"The Star-Spangled Banner" is the national anthem of the United States of America. The lyrics come from "Defence of Fort McHenry", a poem written in 1814 by the 35-year-old lawyer and amateur poet, Francis Scott Key, after witnessing the bombardment of Fort McHenry by the British Royal Navy ships...
at the Super Bowl XXXVIII
Super Bowl XXXVIII
Super Bowl XXXVIII was an American football game played on February 1, 2004 at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas to decide the National Football League champion following the 2003 regular season....
in Houston, which was a childhood dream of hers. In late 2005, Knowles decided to postpone the recording of her second album because she had landed a lead role in Dreamgirls
Dreamgirls (film)
Dreamgirls is a 2006 musical drama film, directed by Bill Condon and jointly produced and released by DreamWorks and Paramount Pictures. The film debuted in three special road show engagements beginning December 15, 2006 before its nationwide release on December 25, 2006...
, a film adaptation of the 1981 Tony Award
Tony Award
The Antoinette Perry Award for Excellence in Theatre, more commonly known as a Tony Award, recognizes achievement in live Broadway theatre. The awards are presented by the American Theatre Wing and The Broadway League at an annual ceremony in New York City. The awards are given for Broadway...
-winning Broadway musical of the same name
Dreamgirls
Dreamgirls is a Broadway musical, with music by Henry Krieger and lyrics and book by Tom Eyen. Based upon the show business aspirations and successes of R&B acts such as The Supremes, The Shirelles, James Brown, Jackie Wilson, and others, the musical follows the story of a young female singing trio...
. As she wanted to focus on one project at a time, Knowles decided to wait until the movie was completed before returning to the recording studio. Knowles later told Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
magazine, "I'm not going to write for the album until I finish doing the movie."
While having a month-long vacation after filming Dreamgirls, Knowles went to the studio to start working on the album. She said, "[When filming ended] I had so many things bottled up, so many emotions, so many ideas," prompting her to begin working without telling her father and then-manager, Mathew Knowles
Mathew Knowles
Mathew Knowles is an American music executive and manager. He is the father and former manager of R&B singer Beyoncé , Knowles also managed Kelly Rowland as well as girl group Destiny's Child . He was also the manager of Solange Knowles.-Manager and producer:Knowles is an alumnus of Fisk...
. Knowles kept the recording of B'Day somewhat quiet, telling only her artists and repertoire man Max Gousse, and the team of producers they contacted to collaborate for the album. She began working with songwriter-producers Rich Harrison
Rich Harrison
Rich Harrison is a Grammy Award-winning record producer and songwriter from Washington, D.C.. He is primarily an R&B/Hip-Hop producer...
, Rodney Jerkins
Rodney Jerkins
Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician. Jerkins received two Grammy nominations in 2011.-Biography:...
, Sean Garrett
Sean Garrett
Garrett Hamler, better known by his stage name Sean Garrett is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, and record producer. He has produced fifteen number one singles in only seven years of producing music. That number puts him in fifth place on the Billboard list of producers with the most number...
, Cameron Wallace; the Neptunes
The Neptunes
The Neptunes are a record production duo consisting of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, who are credited with contributing the sound for many successful hip hop, R&B and pop artists in the late-1990s and 2000s...
, Norwegian production duo Stargate
Stargate (production team)
This is a list of songs written and produced by the Norwegian production team Stargate.-Produced singles:-1999:5ive - Invincible*05. "Two Sides to Every Story"*06. "You Make Me a Better Man"Noora Noor - Curious*01. "Curious"...
, American hip hop
Hip hop
Hip hop is a form of musical expression and artistic culture that originated in African-American and Latino communities during the 1970s in New York City, specifically the Bronx. DJ Afrika Bambaataa outlined the four pillars of hip hop culture: MCing, DJing, breaking and graffiti writing...
producer-rapper Swizz Beatz
Swizz Beatz
Kasseem Dean , better known by his stage name, Swizz Beatz, is an American record producer, DJ, rapper and painter. At the age of 17, he gained attention in the hip-hop world through his friendship with rapper DMX. Grady Spivey and rapper Cassidy helped launch his label Full Surface Records...
, and Walter Millsap. Two female songwriters were also included in the production team who helped structure the album: Knowles' cousin Angela Beyincé, who had previously collaborated in Dangerously in Love, and up-and-coming songwriter Makeba Riddick, who made her way onto the team after writing "Déjà Vu", the lead single off the album.
Recording and production
Knowles rented the Sony Music StudiosSony Music Studios
Sony Music Studios was a well-known former music recording and mastering facility in New York City. The music and broadcasting complex was located at 460 W. 54th St., at 10th Avenue, in the Hell's Kitchen section of Manhattan...
in New York City, and was influenced by her husband Jay-Z's method of collaborating with multiple record producers; she used four recording studios simultaneously. She booked Harrison, Jerkins and Garrett, each with a room to work in. During the sessions, Knowles would move from studio to studio to check her producers' progress, later claiming this fostered "healthy competition" among producers. When Knowles conceived a potential song, she would tell the group who would deliberate, and after three hours the song would be created. While Knowles and the team brainstormed the lyrics, other collaborators such as the Neptunes, Jerkins and Swizz Beatz would simultaneously produce the tracks. They would sometimes begin working at eleven o'clock, spending up to fourteen hours a day in the studios during the recording process. Knowles arranged
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
, co-wrote and co-produced all the songs. Makeba Riddick, in an interview with MTV News
MTV News
MTV News is the news division of MTV, one of the first and most popular music television network in the U.S., as well as some of MTV's related channels around the world. MTV News began in the late 1980s with the program The Week In Rock, hosted by Kurt Loder, the first official MTV News correspondent...
, recounted her experience in the production:
[Beyoncé] had multiple producers in Sony Studios. She booked out the whole studio and she had the biggest and best producers in there. She would have us in one room, we would start collaborating with one producer, then she would go and start something else with another producer. We would bounce around to the different rooms and work with the different producers. It was definitely a factory type of process.
B'Day, which is titled as a reference to Knowles' birthday, was completed in three weeks, ahead of the originally scheduled six weeks.
Swizz Beatz co-produced four songs for the album, the most from a single producer in the team. Knowles recorded three songs a day, finishing recording within two weeks. Twenty-five songs were produced for the album; ten of the tracks were selected for the track list, and mastered in early July by Brian "Big Bass" Gardner in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
.
Themes
Many of the themes and musical styles of the album were inspired by Knowles' role in Dreamgirls. The plot of the film revolves around The Dreams, a fictional 1960s group of three female singers who attempt success in the mainstream music industry with the help of their manager, Curtis Taylor. Knowles portrays Deena Jones, the lead singer of the group and the wife of Taylor, and is emotionally abused by him. Because of her role, Knowles was inspired to produce an album with an overriding theme of feminism and female empowerment. In the bonus track, "Encore for the Fans", Knowles says, "Because I was so inspired by Deena, I wrote songs that were saying all the things I wish she would have said in the film."Musical style
B'Day was influenced by a variety of American genres, and, like Knowles' previous album, incorporated urban contemporaryUrban contemporary
Urban contemporary is a music radio format. The term was coined by the late New York DJ Frankie Crocker in the mid 1970s. Urban contemporary radio stations feature a playlist made up entirely of hip hop/rap, contemporary R&B, pop, electronica such as dubstep and drum and bass and Caribbean music...
elements including contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B
Contemporary R&B is a music genre that combines elements of hip hop, soul, R&B and funk.Although the abbreviation “R&B” originates from traditional rhythm and blues music, today the term R&B is most often used to describe a style of African American music originating after the demise of disco in...
and hip hop
Hip hop music
Hip hop music, also called hip-hop, rap music or hip-hop music, is a musical genre consisting of a stylized rhythmic music that commonly accompanies rapping, a rhythmic and rhyming speech that is chanted...
. Some songs have 1970s
1970s in music
For music from a year in the 1970s, go to 70 | 71 | 72 | 73 | 74 | 75 | 76 | 77 | 78 | 79This article includes an overview of the major events and trends in popular music in the 1970s....
and 1980s
1980s in music
For music from a year in the 1980s, go to 80 | 81 | 82 | 83 | 84 | 85 | 86 | 87 | 88 | 89For a history of music in all times, see Timeline of musical events....
styles, inspired through record sampling
Sampling (music)
In music, sampling is the act of taking a portion, or sample, of one sound recording and reusing it as an instrument or a different sound recording of a song or piece. Sampling was originally developed by experimental musicians working with musique concrète and electroacoustic music, who physically...
. "Suga Mama
Suga Mama
"Suga Mama" is a song performed by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles for her second studio album, B'Day . It was written by Knowles, Rich Harrison, and Makeba Riddick, and produced by Harrison and Knowles. "Suga Mama" is influenced by 1970s funk and contains limited elements of 1980s go-go...
", which employs blues
Blues
Blues is the name given to both a musical form and a music genre that originated in African-American communities of primarily the "Deep South" of the United States at the end of the 19th century from spirituals, work songs, field hollers, shouts and chants, and rhymed simple narrative ballads...
-guitar samples from Jake Wade and the Soul Searchers
Jake Wade and the Soul Searchers
Jake Wade and the Soul Searchers was an American funk band, signed to Ubiquity Records. They toured with Stoney Murphy and Meat Loaf in the early 1970s. Their song, "Searching for Soul", was sampled in the 2006 Beyoncé song, "Suga Mama"....
' "Searching for Soul", contains a 1970s funk- and 1980s go-go-influenced melody. "Upgrade U" is sampled from the 1968 Betty Wright
Betty Wright
Bessie Regina Norris, better known by her stage name, Betty Wright , is a Grammy winning Miami-based soul and R&B singer-songwriter, who won fame in the 1970s with hits such as "Clean Up Woman" and "Tonight Is the Night"...
song "Girls Can't Do What the Guys Do". "Resentment" used Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Mayfield
Curtis Lee Mayfield was an American soul, R&B, and funk singer, songwriter, and record producer.He is best known for his anthemic music with The Impressions during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's and for composing the soundtrack to the blaxploitation film Super Fly, Mayfield is highly...
's 1972 "Think (Instrumental)", from the Super Fly soundtrack. "Déjà Vu" has '70s influence, "Green Light" is a classic
Classical music
Classical music is the art music produced in, or rooted in, the traditions of Western liturgical and secular music, encompassing a broad period from roughly the 11th century to present times...
groove, and "Get Me Bodied" features twang, a musical style that originated from Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
.
Instrumentation (music)
In music, instrumentation refers to the particular combination of musical instruments employed in a composition, and to the properties of those instruments individually...
and diverse techniques. This is evident on "Déjà Vu", which utilizes bass guitar
Bass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, conga
Conga
The conga, or more properly the tumbadora, is a tall, narrow, single-headed Cuban drum with African antecedents. It is thought to be derived from the Makuta drums or similar drums associated with Afro-Cubans of Central African descent. A person who plays conga is called a conguero...
, hi-hat
Hi-hat
A hi-hat, or hihat, is a type of cymbal and stand used as a typical part of a drum kit by percussionists in R&B, hip-hop, disco, jazz, rock and roll, house, reggae and other forms of contemporary popular music.- Operation :...
, horns
Horn (instrument)
The horn is a brass instrument consisting of about of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. A musician who plays the horn is called a horn player ....
and the 808 drum
Roland TR-808
The Roland TR-808 Rhythm Composer was one of the first programmable drum machines . Introduced by the Roland Corporation in early 1980, it was originally manufactured for use as a tool for studio musicians to create demos. Like earlier Roland drum machines, it does not sound very much like a real...
; it also features rap
Rapping
Rapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
vocals by Jay-Z
Jay-Z
Shawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
. In an interview with MTV, Knowles said, "When I recorded 'Déjà Vu' [...] I knew that even before I started working on my album, I wanted to add live instruments to all of my songs..." The album's second single "Ring the Alarm
Ring the Alarm
"Ring the Alarm" is a song recorded by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles for her second studio album, B'Day . It was composed by Knowles, Kasseem "Swizz Beatz" Dean, and Sean Garrett...
" is noted for the use of a siren
Siren
In Greek mythology, the Sirens were three dangerous mermaid like creatures, portrayed as seductresses who lured nearby sailors with their enchanting music and voices to shipwreck on the rocky coast of their island. Roman poets placed them on an island called Sirenum scopuli...
in its melody. It was called a song that "shows a harder edge to Beyoncé's sound". "Freakum Dress
Freakum Dress
"Freakum Dress" is a song recorded by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles for her second studio album, B'Day . It was composed by Knowles, Rich Harrison, and Makeba Riddick. "Freakum Dress" is similar to songs that Destiny's Child used to record in the 1990s. The song draws from the genres from...
" is a crescendo
Dynamics (music)
In music, dynamics normally refers to the volume of a sound or note, but can also refer to every aspect of the execution of a given piece, either stylistic or functional . The term is also applied to the written or printed musical notation used to indicate dynamics...
that uses a two-note
Note
In music, the term note has two primary meanings:#A sign used in musical notation to represent the relative duration and pitch of a sound;#A pitched sound itself....
riff
Ostinato
In music, an ostinato is a motif or phrase, which is persistently repeated in the same musical voice. An ostinato is always a succession of equal sounds, wherein each note always has the same weight or stress. The repeating idea may be a rhythmic pattern, part of a tune, or a complete melody in...
and galloping beats. The song "advises women who have partners with straying eyes to put on sexy dresses and grind on other guys in the club to regain their affections." Meanwhile, the use of the "uh-huh huh huh" vocals and brassy stabs in the song "Green Light" is a direct echo to "Crazy in Love", according to Peter Robinson of The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
.
Release and promotion
In collaboration with Sony Urban MusicSony Urban Music
Sony Urban Music was a division of Sony BMG, active from 2004 to 2006, The division handled R&B, soul, and hip hop releases by artists nominally signed to Sony's Columbia and Epic labels...
and Music World Music, B'Day was first released outside of North America through Columbia Records
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label, owned by Japan's Sony Music Entertainment, operating under the Columbia Music Group with Aware Records. It was founded in 1888, evolving from an earlier enterprise, the American Graphophone Company — successor to the Volta Graphophone Company...
on September 4, 2006 to coincide with Knowles' 25th birthday. The following day, it was released in North America. Seven months after the release of the original version, an expanded double-disc deluxe edition of the album was released on April 3, 2007. In addition to the original track listing, the deluxe edition features five new songs, including "Beautiful Liar
Beautiful Liar
"Beautiful Liar" is a song recorded by American R&B singer Beyoncé and Colombian Latin pop singer Shakira. The song was written by Knowles, Amanda Ghost, Ian Dench, and Stargate members Mikkel S. Eriksen and Tor Erik Hermansen, and produced by Stargate and Knowles for the re-release of Knowles'...
", a duet with Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
n singer Shakira
Shakira
Shakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll , known professionally as Shakira , is a Colombian singer who emerged in the music scene of Colombia and Latin America in the early 1990s...
. The single made Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
history when it moved ninety-one positions—from number ninety-four to number three—on April 7, 2007. "Amor Gitano
Amor Gitano
"Amor gitano" is a latin pop duet song by Mexican singer Alejandro Fernández and American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles. The song contains a mixture of cultures, mostly influenced by the exotic language of Fernández, that is Spanish, and Knowles' pop and R&B influences...
" ("Gypsy Love"), a Spanish-language flamenco
Flamenco
Flamenco is a genre of music and dance which has its foundation in Andalusian music and dance and in whose evolution Andalusian Gypsies played an important part....
-pop
Pop music
Pop music is usually understood to be commercially recorded music, often oriented toward a youth market, usually consisting of relatively short, simple songs utilizing technological innovations to produce new variations on existing themes.- Definitions :David Hatch and Stephen Millward define pop...
duet with Mexican singer Alejandro Fernández
Alejandro Fernández
Alejandro Fernández is a Mexican singer. Nicknamed as "El Potrillo" by the media and his fans, he has sold over 20 million albums worldwide. Alejandro is the son of the ranchera singer Vicente Fernández. He originally specialized in traditional, earthy forms of Mexican folk music, such as...
served as a soundtrack for Telemundo
Telemundo
Telemundo is an American television network that broadcasts in Spanish. The network is the second-largest Spanish-language content producer in the world, and the second-largest Spanish-language network in the United States, behind Univision....
's "El Zorro" telenovela, was included in the deluxe edition, alongside Spanish re-recordings of "Listen" ("Oye"), "Irreplaceable" ("Irreemplazable") and "Beautiful Liar" ("Bello Embustero"). The idea of recording songs in a foreign language emanated from her experience when Destiny's Child collaborated with Alejandro Sanz for "Quisiera Ser" (2000). Knowles worked with producer Rudy Perez for these recordings. The Spanish language EP on the deluxe edition was later released independently under the title Irreemplazable
Irreemplazable
Irreemplazable is the first extended play by American recording artist Beyoncé Knowles. Featuring Spanish, English and Spanglish re-recordings of songs from her second studio album B'Day, it featured as a bonus disc for the deluxe edition of B'Day, before being released separately on August 28,...
.
B'Day Anthology Video Album
B'Day Anthology Video Album
B'Day Anthology Video Album is the first video album by American recording artist Beyoncé Knowles. It features thirteen music videos for songs from her second studio album, B'Day and its deluxe re-release . It was released by Columbia Records exclusively through Wal-Mart stores on April 3, 2007...
was released simultaneously with the deluxe edition; the anthology features thirteen videos including the director's cut of "Listen" and the extended mix of "Get Me Bodied". Most of the videos were accompaniments for the up-tempo tracks on B'Day; which featured retro stylisation, use of color and black hair styles, as Knowles thought it would create a resemblance between herself and the character she played in Dreamgirls, Deena Jones. The shooting of the videos was completed in two weeks; they were directed by Jake Nava
Jake Nava
Jake Nava was born on 17 August and grew up in northern London. He currently lives in eastern London.He graduated from the University of WestministerJake Nava is an English-born music video and film director.-Filmography:MUSIC VIDEOS...
, Anthony Mandler
Anthony Mandler
Anthony Mandler is a commercial and music video director, who has written and directed music videos for several artists. His most notable and frequent collaborator is Rihanna...
, Melina Matsoukas
Melina Matsoukas
Melina Matsoukas is an American music video director.-Life and career:Matsoukas is of Greek, Jewish, Jamaican and Cuban descent. Both her name and surname are Greek: Μελίνα Ματσούκα. She is a graduate of the American Film Institute and New York University...
, Cliff Watts, Ray Kay
Ray Kay
Ray Kay is a Norwegian director and photographer, based in Los Angeles.He is one of the most sought-after music video & commercial directors in the world now, and has directed the most watched video on YouTube, Justin Bieber's "Baby" . All in all, his videos have been viewed more than 1 billion...
, Sophie Muller
Sophie Muller
Sophie Muller is a British music video director, noted for her long-time collaborations with artists like Sophie Ellis-Bextor, No Doubt, Sade, Shakira, Shakespears Sister, Garbage, Blur, Annie Lennox and Eurythmics.-Background:...
, Diane Martel
Diane Martel
Diane Martel is a music video director and choreographer.-Choreographer:1989*Bloodhounds of Broadway 1991*"Shiny Happy People" - R.E.M...
and Knowles. Initially the DVD was available exclusively in Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart
Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. , branded as Walmart since 2008 and Wal-Mart before then, is an American public multinational corporation that runs chains of large discount department stores and warehouse stores. The company is the world's 18th largest public corporation, according to the Forbes Global 2000...
, but was later released to other markets. The Spanish songs were not included on international releases of the deluxe edition, but instead feature the thirteen music videos from the anthology DVD.
Singles
"Déjà Vu", featuring Jay-Z, was released on July 31, 2006, as the album's lead singleLead single
A lead single is usually the first single released by a musician or a band before the release of its home album.During the era of the grammophone record, all music arrived in the marketplace as what is now termed a single, one potential hit song backed by an additional song of generally less...
. "Green Light" was planned to be released as the second single for the international market, but the management opted for "Ring the Alarm
Ring the Alarm
"Ring the Alarm" is a song recorded by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles for her second studio album, B'Day . It was composed by Knowles, Kasseem "Swizz Beatz" Dean, and Sean Garrett...
" instead, which was released in the United States only. "Irreplaceable
Irreplaceable
"Irreplaceable" is a song recorded by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles for her second studio album, B'Day . The song was written by Knowles, Shaffer "Ne-Yo" Smith, Tor Erik Hermansen, Mikkel S. Eriksen, Espen Lind, Amund Bjørklund, and produced by Stargate and Knowles...
" was serviced to international markets as the second international and third overall single from B'Day. "Ring the Alarm" was released on October 3, and became her highest-charting single debut, opening at number twelve on the Billboard Hot 100
Billboard Hot 100
The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday...
. "Upgrade U
Upgrade U
"Upgrade U" is a song recorded by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles for her second studio album, B'Day . The song features additional vocals from Knowles' then-boyfriend and now-husband, hip hop artist Jay-Z. It was composed by Swizz Beatz, Cameron Wallace, Knowles, MK, Makeba, Sean Garrett,...
", also featuring Jay-Z, was released as a promotional single
Promotional recording
A promotional recording, or promo, is an audio or video recording distributed for free, usually in order to promote a recording that is or soon will be commercially available...
in November 2006, and reached number fifty-nine on the Hot 100.
The album's third single "Irreplaceable" became the best-selling single in the U.S. in 2007 and the 25th most successful song of the 2000s, according to the Billboard Hot 100 Songs of the Decade. Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
ranked it number sixty on their list of 100 Best Songs of the 2000s decade. "Irreplaceable" became the most successful single to be released from the album and received positive critical acclaim, and spent ten consecutive weeks atop the Billboard Hot 100. The single's music video features the debut performance of her all-female band, Suga Mama.
"Get Me Bodied
Get Me Bodied
"Get Me Bodied" is a song recorded by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles. The song was written by Beyoncé Knowles, Sean Garrett, Solange Knowles, Angela Beyince, Makeba Riddick, and Kasseem "Swizz Beatz" Dean, and produced by Swizz Beatz, Beyoncé and Sean Garrett, for Knowles' second solo studio...
" was released on July 10, 2007 as the fifth single. "Get Me Bodied" peaked at number sixty-eight on the Hot 100. The single's accompanying music video features sister Solange Knowles
Solange Knowles
Solange Piaget Knowles , who performs under the mononym Solange, is an American singer-songwriter, actress, model, dancer, and DJ. Knowles was born and raised in Houston, Texas along with her older sister singer Beyoncé, a former member of R&B group Destiny's Child...
and former Destiny's Child band-mates Kelly Rowland
Kelly Rowland
Kelendria Trene "Kelly" Rowland is an American singer, songwriter, actress, dancer, and television personality. She rose to fame as one of the founding members of the American girl group Destiny's Child...
and Michelle Williams
Michelle Williams (singer)
Tenitra Michelle Williams , commonly known as Michelle Williams, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer and actress...
in its 1960s-influenced instructional music video. "Green Light" was released in the United Kingdom on July 30, 2007. Along with the release of the single, the remix EP Green Light: Freemasons EP was released on July 27, 2007 as a digital download.
Tour
In mid-2006, Knowles looked for an all-female band for her 2007 tour, The Beyoncé Experience
The Beyoncé Experience
The Beyoncé Experience was the second worldwide concert tour by American singer-songwriter Beyoncé in support to her second solo album B'Day. According to Vibe, the tour grossed over $18.1 million.-Background:...
, to promote the album. She held an audition for keyboard
Keyboard instrument
A keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
players, bassist
Bassist
A bass player, or bassist is a musician who plays a bass instrument such as a double bass, bass guitar, keyboard bass or a low brass instrument such as a tuba or sousaphone. Different musical genres tend to be associated with one or more of these instruments...
s, guitarist
Guitarist
A guitarist is a musician who plays the guitar. Guitarists may play a variety of instruments such as classical guitars, acoustic guitars, electric guitars, and bass guitars. Some guitarists accompany themselves on the guitar while singing.- Versatility :The guitarist controls an extremely...
s, horn
Horn (instrument)
The horn is a brass instrument consisting of about of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. A musician who plays the horn is called a horn player ....
players, percussionists
Percussion instrument
A percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
and drummer
Drummer
A drummer is a musician who is capable of playing drums, which includes but is not limited to a drum kit and accessory based hardware which includes an assortment of pedals and standing support mechanisms, marching percussion and/or any musical instrument that is struck within the context of a...
s around the world. Knowles named the band Suga Mama. Although the band only consisted of women, both male and female backup dancer
Backup dancer
A backup dancer is a performer who dances with or behind the lead performers in a live musical act or in a music video. Their movements provide a visual symmetry and rhythm to accompany the music....
s performed onstage. As well as singing songs from B'Day, Knowles also performed songs from Dangerously in Love and gave a medley
Medley (music)
In music, a medley is a piece composed from parts of existing pieces, usually three, played one after another, sometimes overlapping. They are common in popular music, and most medleys are songs rather than instrumental. A medley which is a remixed series is called a megamix, often done with tracks...
of Destiny's Child songs. She embarked on the tour in Japan on April 10, 2007 and concluded it in Tapei, Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
on November 12, 2007. At the Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
show Jay-Z and Destiny's Child bandmates Rowland and Williams made guest appearances. Footage from this show was filmed and released on November 20, 2007 as a live album titled The Beyoncé Experience Live.
Commercial performance
Despite an average commercial performance of the album's first two singles, "Déjà Vu" and "Ring the Alarm", B'Day peaked at number one on the Billboard 200Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
, the official albums chart in the United States, on September 23, 2006. The album sold 541,000 units in its first week of release, Knowles' highest debut week album sales. The album gave Knowles her second number-one album following Dangerously in Love, which also topped the chart on its debut. This feat was noted by Keith Caulfield of Billboard magazine, surmising that perhaps "its handsome debut was generated by goodwill earned from the performance of her smash first album Dangerously in Love". By the end of 2006, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America
Recording Industry Association of America
The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States...
(RIAA), and became the thirty-eighth best-selling album of that year in the US.
The album's commercial performance was reinforced by the subsequent release of its editions. The release of the deluxe edition helped B'Day re-enter the top ten, gaining 903 percent in sales. On April 16, 2007, the RIAA re-certified B'Day as triple platinum, combining the sales from the original edition of album with those of the deluxe edition. However, B'Days extended life in the music market has been attributed to the release and eventual success of "Irreplaceable", which is the album's certifiable smash hit. The single, which was released by the end of 2006, helped the album in regaining its strength, having re-entered into the top ten of Billboard 200. According to Billboard magazine, it propelled the album in to a cumulative 3.3 million albums sold.
In the United Kingdom, B'Day debuted at number three on September 11, 2007 selling 35,012 copies in its first week. The British Phonographic Industry (BPI) certified B'Day platinum for shipping 300,000 units, and the deluxe edition gold for shipping 100,000 units. As of July 3, 2011, B'Day has sold 385,078 copies in the UK. The album peaked at number three on the European Top 100 Albums
European Top 100 Albums
The European Top 100 Albums chart is the European adaptation of the Billboard 200 albums chart. It was created in March 1984.The European Top 100 Albums, commonly referred to as Eurochart Top 100 Albums shows the sales of an act in 19 European countries based on IFPI data.The European Top 100...
, while reaching the top ten in the albums charts of Denmark
IFPI Denmark
IFPI Denmark is the Danish branch of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry and is the official charts provider and recording sales certification body for Denmark.-Gold and platinum awards:...
, Flanders
Ultratop
Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts...
, Germany
Media Control Charts
The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie...
, Ireland
Irish Albums Chart
The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically...
, Italy
Federation of the Italian Music Industry
The Federation of the Italian Music Industry is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy....
, the Netherlands
MegaCharts
MegaCharts is responsible for the composition and exploitation of a broad collection of official charts in the Netherlands, of which the Mega Top 50 and the Mega Album Top 100 are the most known ones. Mega Charts also provides information to the Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, of which the Dutch Top...
, Portugal
Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa
The Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa is currently the only recording industry association in Portugal. Created in 1989, it succeeded GPPFV and UNEVA ....
, Spain and Switzerland
Swiss Music Charts
The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75...
. The album reached number two on the Canadian Albums Chart
Canadian Albums Chart
The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS...
, where it stayed for two weeks and receiving a platinum certification from the Canadian Recording Industry Association
Canadian Recording Industry Association
Music Canada is a Toronto-based, non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, artists, manufacture, production, promotion and distribution of music in Canada...
(CRIA). Across Oceania, it had the same reception debuting on Australian Albums Chart and New Zealand Albums Chart both at number eight on the same week, September 11, 2006. B'Day remained on the charts for twenty and twenty-five weeks respectively, and was certified platinum by both the Australian Recording Industry Association
Australian Recording Industry Association
The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956...
(ARIA) and the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
Recording Industry Association of New Zealand
The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand...
(RIANZ). As of February 2008, B'Day had sold over 7 million copies worldwide.
Critical response
B'Day received generally positive reviews from music critics. At MetacriticMetacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
, which assigns a normalized
Standard score
In statistics, a standard score indicates how many standard deviations an observation or datum is above or below the mean. It is a dimensionless quantity derived by subtracting the population mean from an individual raw score and then dividing the difference by the population standard deviation...
rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream critics, the album received an average
Weighted mean
The weighted mean is similar to an arithmetic mean , where instead of each of the data points contributing equally to the final average, some data points contribute more than others...
score of 70, based on 23 reviews, which indicates "generally favorable reviews". Bill Lamb of About.com
About.com
About.com is an online source for original information and advice. It is written in English, and is aimed primarily at North Americans. It is owned by The New York Times Company....
complimented it for exuding the "work of a woman with focus, energy, empathy, and vocal firepower to spare", giving it four and a half stars out of five. Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly
Entertainment Weekly is an American magazine, published by the Time division of Time Warner, that covers film, television, music, broadway theatre, books and popular culture...
s Jody Rosen commented that "the songs [in the album] arrive in huge gusts of rhythm and emotion, with Beyoncé's voice rippling over clattery beats". Jonah Weiner of Blender
Blender (magazine)
Blender was an American music magazine that billed itself as "the ultimate guide to music and more". It was also known for sometimes steamy pictorials of celebrities....
gave the album four out of five stars and commented that "sweaty up-tempo numbers prove the best platform for Beyonce's rapperly phrasing and pipe-flaunting fireballs". The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe
The Boston Globe is an American daily newspaper based in Boston, Massachusetts. The Boston Globe has been owned by The New York Times Company since 1993...
s Sarah Rodman commented that the production team helped Knowles "focus on edgier, up-tempo tracks that take her sweet soprano to new places". Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Gail Mitchell wrote that "throughout [the album], she romps with creative abandon, thankfully unafraid of stretching the boundaries lyrically and musically". Sal Cinquemani of Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine
Slant Magazine is an online publication that features reviews of movies, music, TV, DVDs, theater, and video games, as well as interviews with actors, directors, and musicians. The site covers various film festivals like the New York Film Festival.- History :...
compared the album to the work of Destiny's Child and wrote," B'Day is reminiscent of Knowles' former group at their commercial peak". In his consumer guide for MSN Music
MSN Music
MSN Music was a part of the MSN web services. It delivered music news, music videos, spotlights on new music, artist information, and live performances of artists. In 2004, Microsoft created an MSN Music download store to compete with Apple's iTunes Music Store, though its sales in comparison were...
, critic Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau
Robert Christgau is an American essayist, music journalist, and self-proclaimed "Dean of American Rock Critics".One of the earliest professional rock critics, Christgau is known for his terse capsule reviews, published since 1969 in his Consumer Guide columns...
gave B'Day an A- rating and wrote favorably for it themes concerning wealth and empowerment: "On most of them she's wronged yet still in control because she's got so much money".
However, some critics deemed the album's production weak. Roger Friedman of Fox News
Fox News Channel
Fox News Channel , often called Fox News, is a cable and satellite television news channel owned by the Fox Entertainment Group, a subsidiary of News Corporation...
reviewed the album negatively and stated that "the result of so many cooks in the kitchen ... is that ... Beyoncé serves up a [mix of] ... shrill singing and invariably tuneless songs". Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone
Rolling Stone is a US-based magazine devoted to music, liberal politics, and popular culture that is published every two weeks. Rolling Stone was founded in San Francisco in 1967 by Jann Wenner and music critic Ralph J...
magazine's Brian Hiatt averred that "while the mostly up-tempo disc never lacks for energy, some of the more beat-driven tracks feel harmonically and melodically undercooked, with hooks that don't live up to 'Crazy in Love' or the best Destiny's Child hits". Mike Joseph of PopMatters
PopMatters
PopMatters is an international webzine of cultural criticism that covers many aspects of popular culture. PopMatters publishes reviews, interviews, and detailed essays on most cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, films, books, video games, comics, sports, theater,...
stated that "the album is solid", but because of its rushed production, he counter-argued that "aside from its relatively short running time, its sound suspiciously under produced". Los Angeles Times
Los Angeles Times
The Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
writer Richard Cromelin gave the album three out of four stars and commented that "Some of the experiments don't click, but by reconfiguring and repurposing century-spanning components of black music [...] she's gained an artistic high ground". Andy Kellman of Allmusic stated that Knowles' "hurryness" in the album produced "no songs with the smooth elegance" of "Me, Myself and I" or "Be with You"; he however added, "there is nothing desperate or weak about this album". The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
s Caroline Sullivan wrote favorably of the album's female-oriented themes and stated "Apart from a few pop-R&B space-fillers, there's not much to dislike about B'Day".
The album was nominated for five Grammy Award
Grammy Award
A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry...
s, including "Best Contemporary R&B Album
Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album
The Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality works on albums in the contemporary R&B music genre...
", "Best Female R&B Vocal Performance
Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to female recording artists for quality R&B songs...
" for "Ring the Alarm" and "Best R&B Song
Grammy Award for Best R&B Song
The Grammy Award for Best R&B Song has been awarded since 1959. From 1969 to 2000 it was known as the Grammy Award for Best Rhythm & Blues Song, from 1962 to 1968 it was known as Best Rhythm & Blues Recording, and from 1959-1961 as Best Rhythm & Blues Performance...
" and "Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration
The Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality songs on which rappers and singers collaborate...
" for "Déjà Vu". The Freemasons club mix of "Déjà Vu" without the rap was put forward in the "Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical
Grammy Award for Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical
The Grammy Award for Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical is an honor presented to producers for quality remixed recordings at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards...
" category. B'Day won the award for "Best Contemporary R&B Album" at the 49th Grammy Awards. The following year
50th Grammy Awards
The 50th Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, on February 10, 2008. Kanye West received the most nominations, with eight. Amy Winehouse was the big winner, winning a total of five awards. Herbie Hancock's River: The Joni Letters won Album of the Year,...
, B'Day received two Grammy nominations for Record of the Year
Grammy Award for Record of the Year
The Record of the Year is one of the four most prestigious Grammy Awards presented annually. It has been awarded since 1959.-History:The honorees through its history have been:*1959-1965: Artist only.*1966-1998: Artist and producer....
for "Irreplaceable
Irreplaceable
"Irreplaceable" is a song recorded by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles for her second studio album, B'Day . The song was written by Knowles, Shaffer "Ne-Yo" Smith, Tor Erik Hermansen, Mikkel S. Eriksen, Espen Lind, Amund Bjørklund, and produced by Stargate and Knowles...
" and Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals
Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals
The Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality pop songs on which singers collaborate...
for "Beautiful Liar
Beautiful Liar
"Beautiful Liar" is a song recorded by American R&B singer Beyoncé and Colombian Latin pop singer Shakira. The song was written by Knowles, Amanda Ghost, Ian Dench, and Stargate members Mikkel S. Eriksen and Tor Erik Hermansen, and produced by Stargate and Knowles for the re-release of Knowles'...
". In the same year, she also received a Grammy nomination for her work on Dreamgirls
Dreamgirls (film)
Dreamgirls is a 2006 musical drama film, directed by Bill Condon and jointly produced and released by DreamWorks and Paramount Pictures. The film debuted in three special road show engagements beginning December 15, 2006 before its nationwide release on December 25, 2006...
.
Controversies
The cover artCover art
Cover art is the illustration or photograph on the outside of a published product such as a book , magazine, comic book, video game , DVD, CD, videotape, or music album. The art has a primarily commercial function, i.e...
for the single "Ring the Alarm
Ring the Alarm
"Ring the Alarm" is a song recorded by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles for her second studio album, B'Day . It was composed by Knowles, Kasseem "Swizz Beatz" Dean, and Sean Garrett...
" fueled controversy after Knowles used alligators during the photo shoot. Knowles revealed that using the animal and taping their mouths shut was her idea. PETA
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals is an American animal rights organization based in Norfolk, Virginia, and led by Ingrid Newkirk, its international president. A non-profit corporation with 300 employees and two million members and supporters, it claims to be the largest animal rights...
, an animal rights organization which had previously confronted her after she had used furs for her fashion line's clothing design, contacted a biologist
Biologist
A biologist is a scientist devoted to and producing results in biology through the study of life. Typically biologists study organisms and their relationship to their environment. Biologists involved in basic research attempt to discover underlying mechanisms that govern how organisms work...
who later wrote a letter to her, stating "As a specialist in reptile biology and welfare, I'm concerned about your posing with a terrified baby alligator for your new album cover. Humans and alligators are not natural bedfellows, and the two should not mix at events such as photo shoots. In my view, doing so is arguably abusive to an animal."
In 2007, Knowles appeared on billboards and newspapers across Australia showing her holding an antiquated cigarette holder. Taken from the back cover of B'Day, the image provoked response from an anti-smoking group, stating that she did not need to add the cigarette holder "to make herself appear more sophisticated".
In the same year, three weeks after their release, the deluxe edition and the video anthology DVD were temporarily ceased for retail in stores. A lawsuit was filed for breach of contract of using "Still in Love (Kissing You)", a version of British singer Des'ree
Des'ree
Des'ree is an English pop/soul singer who was popular during the 1990s. She is well known for her hits: "Feel So High", "You Gotta Be", "Life", and "Kissing You"...
's original song "Kissing You
Kissing You (Des'ree song)
"Kissing You" is a song by British singer Des'ree. It was written by the singer with Timothy Atack for Baz Luhrmann's 1996 film Romeo + Juliet. The song was included on the film's soundtrack album and Des'ree's third studio album, Supernatural...
". Not intended for the album's inclusion, Des'ree's deal also stipulated that the title of the song was not to be altered, and a video was not to be made. After the infringement case, the re-issued version of the album does not include the track, and instead includes "If" as a replacement. The lawsuit was dismissed with prejudice in October 2007.
Track listing
Deluxe Edition
North American deluxe editionOn digital copies "World Wide Woman" is a non-hidden track placed at track 8, and other songs are pushed down the track order.
International deluxe edition
Notes
- "Suga Mama" samples "Searching for Soul" by Jake Wade and the Soul SearchersJake Wade and the Soul SearchersJake Wade and the Soul Searchers was an American funk band, signed to Ubiquity Records. They toured with Stoney Murphy and Meat Loaf in the early 1970s. Their song, "Searching for Soul", was sampled in the 2006 Beyoncé song, "Suga Mama"....
. - "Upgrade U" samples "Girls Can't Do What the Guys Do (And Still Be a Lady)" by Betty WrightBetty WrightBessie Regina Norris, better known by her stage name, Betty Wright , is a Grammy winning Miami-based soul and R&B singer-songwriter, who won fame in the 1970s with hits such as "Clean Up Woman" and "Tonight Is the Night"...
. - "Resentment" samples "Think (Instrumental)" by Curtis MayfieldCurtis MayfieldCurtis Lee Mayfield was an American soul, R&B, and funk singer, songwriter, and record producer.He is best known for his anthemic music with The Impressions during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's and for composing the soundtrack to the blaxploitation film Super Fly, Mayfield is highly...
. - "Encore for the Fans" contains "Encore for the Fans (Interlude)", "Listen" and "Get Me Bodied (Extended Mix)".
Personnel
Credits for B'Day are adapted from album liner notes.- Jason Agel – assistant recording
- Omar Al-Musfi – Arabic percussion
- Roberto Almodovar – recording engineeringAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
- Allen "Al Geez" Arthur – hornsHorn (instrument)The horn is a brass instrument consisting of about of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. A musician who plays the horn is called a horn player ....
- Aplril Baldwin – artists and repertoire administration
- Aureo Baqueiro – vocal direction for Alejandro Fernández
- Reyli Barba – writingSongwriterA songwriter is an individual who writes both the lyrics and music to a song. Someone who solely writes lyrics may be called a lyricist, and someone who only writes music may be called a composer...
- Robert Becker – violaViolaThe viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average...
- Andres Bermudez – recording
- Angela Beyincé – writing
- Amund Bjorklund – writing
- Tim Blacksmith – Stargate management
- Aaron Brougher – artists and repertoire coordinator
- Denyse Buffum – viola
- Bun BBun BBernard Freeman better known by his stage name Bun B, is an American rapper and was one half of the southern hip hop duo UGK . He is also a guest lecturer at Rice University located in Houston, Texas...
– vocalsRappingRapping refers to "spoken or chanted rhyming lyrics". The art form can be broken down into different components, as in the book How to Rap where it is separated into “content”, “flow” , and “delivery”...
(Rap-a-LotRap-A-Lot RecordsRap-a-Lot Records is a Houston hip hop record label. Rap-a-Lot was created in 1986. Sublabels include Smoke-a-Lot Records. The label was founded by James Prince in the mid-1980s and, with its most famous act the Geto Boys, put the South on the hip hop map. Since then, it has maintained its success...
) - David Campbell – stringString instrumentA string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones...
arrangementArrangementThe American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
and conductingConductingConducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble... - Roberto Cani – violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
- Tim Carmon – keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
- Sean Carrington – guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
- Jim Caruana – recording engineeringAudio engineeringAn audio engineer, also called audio technician, audio technologist or sound technician, is a specialist in a skilled trade that deals with the use of machinery and equipment for the recording, mixing and reproduction of sounds. The field draws on many artistic and vocational areas, including...
- Gustavo CelisGustavo CelisGustavo Celis is an award-winning music engineer, mixer and producer. He has worked with many prominent names in music including Shakira Gustavo Celis is an award-winning music engineer, mixer and producer. He has worked with many prominent names in music including Shakira Gustavo Celis is an...
– recording engineering - Olgui Chirino – vocal production
- Fusako Chubachi – art direction, design
- Willie Clarke – writing
- Andrew Coleman – assistant recording
- Larry Corbett – celloCelloThe cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
- Tom Coyne – masteringAudio masteringMastering, a form of audio post-production, is the process of preparing and transferring recorded audio from a source containing the final mix to a data storage device ; the source from which all copies will be produced...
- Jasmin Cruz – background vocals
- Scott CutlerScott CutlerScott M. Cutler is an American musician and music producer.-Personal life:He recently had his 1st son "Lane" and his 2nd son "Duke" with his wife Meredith Morton.-Career:...
– writing - Danny D. – Stargate management
- Lawshawn Daniels – writing
- Mario Deleon – violin
- Ian DenchIan DenchIan Dench is a British songwriter and musician. Dench was the guitarist and principal songwriter for EMF, who scored a major international hit reaching number 1 in the United States with "Unbelievable" in 1991....
– writing - Robert "LB" Dorsey – recording
- Andrew Duckles – viola
- Bruce Dukov – violin (concertmasterConcertmasterThe concertmaster/mistress is the spalla or leader, of the first violin section of an orchestra. In the UK, the term commonly used is leader...
) - Nathan East – bass
- Paco "El Sevillano" – gypsy chant
- Mikkel S. Eriksen – writing, instrumentsMulti-instrumentalistA multi-instrumentalist is a musician who plays a number of different instruments.The Bachelor of Music degree usually requires a second instrument to be learned , but people who double on another instrument are not usually seen as multi-instrumentalists.-Classical music:Music written for Symphony...
- Alejandro FernándezAlejandro FernándezAlejandro Fernández is a Mexican singer. Nicknamed as "El Potrillo" by the media and his fans, he has sold over 20 million albums worldwide. Alejandro is the son of the ranchera singer Vicente Fernández. He originally specialized in traditional, earthy forms of Mexican folk music, such as...
– vocals (Sony BMG Mexico) - Jaime Flores – writing
- Paul Forat – artists and repertoire
- Sean GarrettSean GarrettGarrett Hamler, better known by his stage name Sean Garrett is an American singer-songwriter, rapper, and record producer. He has produced fifteen number one singles in only seven years of producing music. That number puts him in fifth place on the Billboard list of producers with the most number...
– writing, production - Amanda GhostAmanda GhostAmanda Ghost is a singer and songwriter from Enfield, North London, England. After an initial period in which she performed as a solo artist, she formed a band which performed under her name, and of which she was the lead singer...
– writing - Jason Goldstein – mixing
- Aaron "Goody" Goode – hornsHorn (instrument)The horn is a brass instrument consisting of about of tubing wrapped into a coil with a flared bell. A musician who plays the horn is called a horn player ....
- Erwin Gorosita – art direction
- Max Gousse – artists and repertoire
- Alan Grunfeld – violin
- Rich Harrison – writing, production, mixing
- Tor Erik Hermansen – writing, instruments
- Geraldo Hilera – violin
- Jean-Marie Horvat – mixingAudio mixing (recorded music)In audio recording, audio mixing is the process by which multiple recorded sounds are combined into one or more channels, most commonly two-channel stereo. In the process, the source signals' level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated and effects such as reverb may...
- Dabling "Hobby Boy" Howard – recording
- Ty Hunter – styling
- ILoveDust – logo design
- Jun Ishizeki – recording
- Eric Jackson – guitars
- Quincy S. Jackson – marketing
- Jay-ZJay-ZShawn Corey Carter , better known by his stage name Jay-Z, is an American rapper, record producer, entrepreneur, and occasional actor. He is one of the most financially successful hip hop artists and entrepreneurs in America, having a net worth of over $450 million as of 2010...
– writing, vocals (Roc-A-FellaRoc-A-Fella RecordsRoc-A-Fella Records is a record label founded by Shawn "Jay-Z" Carter, Damon "Dame" Dash, and Kareem "Biggs" Burke. Today it operates as a subsidiary of Universal Music Group, and is distributed by Island Def Jam Motown Music Group.-Formation and Early Years:...
/Def JamDef Jam RecordingsDef Jam Recordings is an American record label, focused primarily on hip hop and urban music, owned by Universal Music Group, and operates as a part of The Island Def Jam Motown Music Group...
) - Rodney JerkinsRodney JerkinsRodney "Darkchild" Jerkins is an American songwriter, record producer, and musician. Jerkins received two Grammy nominations in 2011.-Biography:...
– writing, production, mixing, music, horn arrangement - James Johnson – bass
- Jon Jon – assistant production, bassBass (instrument)Bass describes musical instruments that produce tones in the low-pitched range. They belong to different families of instruments and can cover a wide range of musical roles...
- Ronald Judge – horns
- Suzie Katayama – cello
- Gimel "Young Guru" Keaton – recording
- Hannah Khoury – violinViolinThe violin is a string instrument, usually with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is the smallest, highest-pitched member of the violin family of string instruments, which includes the viola and cello....
, violaViolaThe viola is a bowed string instrument. It is the middle voice of the violin family, between the violin and the cello.- Form :The viola is similar in material and construction to the violin. A full-size viola's body is between and longer than the body of a full-size violin , with an average... - Kimberly Kimble – hair
- Rob Kinelski – assistant recording, assistant recording engineering
- Beyoncé KnowlesBeyoncé KnowlesBeyoncé Giselle Knowles , often known simply as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child...
– writing, vocalsSingingSinging is the act of producing musical sounds with the voice, and augments regular speech by the use of both tonality and rhythm. One who sings is called a singer or vocalist. Singers perform music known as songs that can be sung either with or without accompaniment by musical instruments...
, production, vocal production, executive production
- Mathew KnowlesMathew KnowlesMathew Knowles is an American music executive and manager. He is the father and former manager of R&B singer Beyoncé , Knowles also managed Kelly Rowland as well as girl group Destiny's Child . He was also the manager of Solange Knowles.-Manager and producer:Knowles is an alumnus of Fisk...
– artists and repertoire, executive production, management - Solange KnowlesSolange KnowlesSolange Piaget Knowles , who performs under the mononym Solange, is an American singer-songwriter, actress, model, dancer, and DJ. Knowles was born and raised in Houston, Texas along with her older sister singer Beyoncé, a former member of R&B group Destiny's Child...
– writing - Tina KnowlesTina KnowlesCélestine Ann "Tina" Knowles is an American fashion designer known for her House of Deréon brand. She is perhaps best known as the mother of singers Beyoncé Knowles and Solange Knowles, and was the wife of Mathew Knowles, who managed Destiny's Child and then Beyoncé and Kelly Rowland until...
– styling - Henry KriegerHenry KriegerHenry Krieger is an American composer.Krieger wrote the music for the Broadway shows Dreamgirls , The Tap Dance Kid , and Side Show , as well as other works of musical theatre.He was nominated for the Tony Awards for Best Score for both Dreamgirls and Side Show, won a Grammy...
– writing - Ricky Lawson – drumDrumThe drum is a member of the percussion group of musical instruments, which is technically classified as the membranophones. Drums consist of at least one membrane, called a drumhead or drum skin, that is stretched over a shell and struck, either directly with the player's hands, or with a...
s - Jolie Levine – music contracting
- Espen LindEspen LindEspen Lind, , is a Norwegian songwriter, producer, singer, and multi-instrumentalist. He is one half of the production team Espionage.- Solo records :...
– writing, guitarGuitarThe guitar is a plucked string instrument, usually played with fingers or a pick. The guitar consists of a body with a rigid neck to which the strings, generally six in number, are attached. Guitars are traditionally constructed of various woods and strung with animal gut or, more recently, with...
s - Dave Lopez – assistant recording, Pro ToolsPro ToolsPro Tools is a digital audio workstation platform for Microsoft Windows and Mac OS X operating systems, developed and manufactured by Avid Technology. It is widely used by professionals throughout the audio industries for recording and editing in music production, film scoring, film, and television...
editing - Nathan Jenkins – recording
- Julia Knapp – artists and repertoire operation
- MK – writing
- Riley Mackin – assistant recording
- Miriam MakebaMiriam MakebaMiriam Makeba , nicknamed Mama Africa, was a Grammy Award winning South African singer and civil rights activist....
– writing - Manny Maroquin – mixing
- Harvey Mason – percussionPercussion instrumentA percussion instrument is any object which produces a sound when hit with an implement or when it is shaken, rubbed, scraped, or otherwise acted upon in a way that sets the object into vibration...
- Curtis MayfieldCurtis MayfieldCurtis Lee Mayfield was an American soul, R&B, and funk singer, songwriter, and record producer.He is best known for his anthemic music with The Impressions during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960's and for composing the soundtrack to the blaxploitation film Super Fly, Mayfield is highly...
– writing - Vlado Meller – mastering
- Chuck Middleton – writing
- Colin Miller – assistant mixing, digital prep engineering, Pro Tools prep
- Walter W. Millsap III – writing, production, music, Pro Tools editing
- Mo Horns – horns
- Naser Musa – oudOudThe oud is a pear-shaped stringed instrument commonly used in North African and Middle Eastern music. The modern oud and the European lute both descend from a common ancestor via diverging paths...
- Candice C. Nelson – writing, co-production, music
- The NeptunesThe NeptunesThe Neptunes are a record production duo consisting of Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo, who are credited with contributing the sound for many successful hip hop, R&B and pop artists in the late-1990s and 2000s...
– production - Ne-YoNe-YoShaffer Chimere Smith, Jr. , better known by his stage name Ne-Yo, is an American pop and R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, dancer and actor. Beginning his career as a songwriter, Ne-Yo penned the hit "Let Me Love You" for singer Mario...
– writing, co-production - Sara Parkins – violin
- Dave "Hard Drive" Pensado – mixing
- Rudy PerezRudy PérezRudy Pérez is a Cuban American composer, producer and Sound engineer specialized in Latin Ballad whose songs have been very successful. He is considered one of the most outstanding creators in the field of international pop music...
– production, vocal production, arrangement, keyboards, programmingProgramming (music)Programming is a form of music production and performance using electronic devices, often sequencers or computer programs, to generate music. Programming is used in nearly all forms of electronic music and in most hip hop music since the 1990s. It is also frequently used in modern pop and rock...
, Spanish guitar, background vocals, vocal direction for Fernández - Clay PerryJustin Clay PerryJustin Clay Perry is an American jazz, pop, and Latin pianist best known for his arrangements heard behind numerous recording artists. He is a graduate of the Pinellas County Center for the Arts at Gibbs High School in Tampa Bay where he studied classical and jazz piano and composition...
– keyboards, programming, Pro Tools editing - Denaun Porter – programming
- Anne PrevenAnne PrevenAnne Preven is an American songwriter and musician, originally from New York. She has co-written songs for Beyoncé , Katy Perry, Madonna, Natalie Imbruglia, Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato, Sinéad O'Connor, Charice, The Hush Sound, Jordin Sparks, Miranda Cosgrove, Black Veil Brides, Pnau, Pixie Lott,...
– writing - Keli Nicole Price – writing
- Boujemaa Razgui – neyNeyThe ney is an end-blown flute that figures prominently in Middle Eastern music. In some of these musical traditions, it is the only wind instrument used. It is a very ancient instrument, with depictions of ney players appearing in wall paintings in the Egyptian pyramids and actual neys being found...
- Clarence Reid – writing
- Aaron Renner – recording
- Geoff Rice – recording
- Michele Richards – violin
- Jared Robbins – assistant recording
- Jamie Rosenberg – assistant recording
- Kareem Roustom – violin arrangement, additional string arrangements
- ShakiraShakiraShakira Isabel Mebarak Ripoll , known professionally as Shakira , is a Colombian singer who emerged in the music scene of Colombia and Latin America in the early 1990s...
– vocals (Epic RecordsEpic RecordsEpic Records is an American record label, owned by Sony Music Entertainment. Though it was originally conceived as a jazz imprint, it has since expanded to represent various genres. L.A...
), additional production, arrangementArrangementThe American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
, vocal production, violin arrangement, remixing - Haim Shtrum – violin
- Dexter Simmons – mixing
- Slim ThugSlim ThugStayve Jerome Thomas , better known as Slim Thug, Boss Hogg or Thug Boss, is an American rapper. He gained mainstream attention for his contribution to the popular single from rapper Mike Jones, "Still Tippin'"....
– vocals (Star TrakStar Trak EntertainmentStar Trak Entertainment is a record label, founded by record producers Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams in 2001. Today it operates as a subsidiary of Universal Music Group, and is distributed by Interscope Records.-Beginnings:...
/Geffen RecordsGeffen RecordsGeffen Records is an American record label, owned by Universal Music Group, and operated as one third of UMG's Interscope-Geffen-A&M label group.-Beginnings:...
) - Daniel Smith – cello
- Chris Spilfogel – recording
- StargateStargate (production team)This is a list of songs written and produced by the Norwegian production team Stargate.-Produced singles:-1999:5ive - Invincible*05. "Two Sides to Every Story"*06. "You Make Me a Better Man"Noora Noor - Curious*01. "Curious"...
– productionRecord producerA record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
, arrangement, recording engineering, programming - David Stearns – assistant recording engineering
- Swizz BeatzSwizz BeatzKasseem Dean , better known by his stage name, Swizz Beatz, is an American record producer, DJ, rapper and painter. At the age of 17, he gained attention in the hip-hop world through his friendship with rapper DMX. Grady Spivey and rapper Cassidy helped launch his label Full Surface Records...
– writing, production, additional production, mixing - SyienceSyienceReggie Syience Perry is a Grammy Award-winning American songwriter, record producer and musician. He has worked with a number of recognizable and respected artists, including Beyoncé, Cheryl Cole, Jay-Z, John Legend, Mary J Blige, Ne-Yo, and Nelly. Syience won two Grammys for his work on Mary J...
– writing, production - Shea Taylor – writing, production
- Delisha Thomas – writing
- Stayve Thomas – writing
- Michael Tocci – recording
- Rene Luis Toledo – Spanish guitar
- Steve Tolle – assistant mixing
- Francesca Tolot – makeup
- The UnderdogsThe Underdogs (duo)The Underdogs is an R&B/pop production duo composed of Harvey Mason, Jr. and Damon Thomas.-Biography:Harvey Mason, Jr. is the son of Harvey Mason, Sr., a noted session drummer...
– production - Max VadukulMax VadukulMax Vadukul is a photographer who has worked mostly in America. He is noted for his fashion photography, portraits published in The New Yorker and many covers for Rolling Stone magazine.-Early life and career:...
– photographyPhotographyPhotography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film... - Jeff Villanueva – recording
- Rommel Nino Villanueva – recording
- Visitante – programming
- Cameron Wallace – production
- John Weston – recording engineering, digital editing (strings)
- Pharrell WilliamsPharrell WilliamsPharrell Williams , commonly known simply as Pharrell, is an American rapper, singer, record producer, composer, and fashion designer. Williams and Chad Hugo make up the record production duo The Neptunes, producing hip hop and R&B music...
– writing - John Wittenburg – violin
- Shane Woodley – recording, assistant recording
- Kenneth Yerke – violin
Charts
| Chart (2006) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Australian Albums Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
8 |
| Austrian Albums Chart | 13 |
| Belgian Albums Chart Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... (Flanders) |
7 |
| Belgian Albums Chart Ultratop Ultratop is an organization which generates and publishes the official record charts in Belgium, and it is also the name of most of those charts... (Wallonia) |
12 |
| Canadian Albums Chart Canadian Albums Chart The Canadian Albums Chart is the official album sales chart in Canada. It is compiled every Wednesday by U.S.-based music sales tracking company Nielsen Soundscan, and published every Thursday by Jam! Canoe and Billboard, along with its sister charts the Canadian Singles Chart and the Canadian BDS... |
3 |
| Danish Albums Chart IFPI Denmark IFPI Denmark is the Danish branch of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry and is the official charts provider and recording sales certification body for Denmark.-Gold and platinum awards:... |
8 |
| Dutch Albums Chart MegaCharts MegaCharts is responsible for the composition and exploitation of a broad collection of official charts in the Netherlands, of which the Mega Top 50 and the Mega Album Top 100 are the most known ones. Mega Charts also provides information to the Stichting Nederlandse Top 40, of which the Dutch Top... |
5 |
| European Top 100 Albums European Top 100 Albums The European Top 100 Albums chart is the European adaptation of the Billboard 200 albums chart. It was created in March 1984.The European Top 100 Albums, commonly referred to as Eurochart Top 100 Albums shows the sales of an act in 19 European countries based on IFPI data.The European Top 100... |
3 |
| Finnish Albums Chart | 23 |
| French Albums Chart Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
12 |
| German Albums Chart Media Control Charts The official music charts in Germany are gathered and published by the company Media Control GfK International on behalf of Bundesverband Musikindustrie... |
5 |
| Greek Albums Chart IFPI Greece International Federation of the Phonographic Industry Greece or IFPI Greece is the Greek branch of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry and is the official charts provider and recording sales certification body for Greece. Currently two charts are compiled, one for sales of... |
3 |
| Hungarian Albums Chart Mahasz Mahasz is the Hungarian music industry association, founded in 1992. Mahasz hands out the Hungarian Music Awards and maintains the music charts for Hungary.... |
22 |
| Irish Albums Chart Irish Albums Chart The Irish Albums Chart is the Irish music industry standard albums popularity chart issued weekly by the Irish Recorded Music Association and compiled on its behalf by Chart-Track. Chart rankings are based on sales, which are compiled through over-the-counter retail data captured electronically... |
3 |
| Italian Albums Chart Federation of the Italian Music Industry The Federation of the Italian Music Industry is an umbrella organization that keeps track of virtually all aspects of the music recording industry in Italy.... |
10 |
| Japanese Albums Chart Oricon , established in 1999, is the holding company at the head of a Japanese corporate group that supplies statistics and information on music and the music industry in Japan. It started as , which was founded by Sōkō Koike in November 1967 and became known for its music charts. Oricon Inc... |
4 |
| Mexican Albums Chart | 9 |
| New Zealand Albums Chart Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
8 |
| Norwegian Albums Chart VG-lista VG-listen is a Norwegian record chart. It is weekly presented in the newspaper VG and the Norwegian Broadcasting Corporation program Topp 20. It is considered the primary Norwegian record chart, charting albums and singles from countries and continent around the world. The data is collected by... |
6 |
| Polish Albums Chart Polish Music Charts The Polish Music Charts are two official album charts and seven singles charts in Poland, provided by ZPAV, the Polish Society of the Phonographic Industry . The first, the Top 100, is a monthly chart based on data received from the album companies... |
33 |
| Portuguese Albums Chart Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa The Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa is currently the only recording industry association in Portugal. Created in 1989, it succeeded GPPFV and UNEVA .... |
8 |
| Spanish Albums Chart | 5 |
| Swedish Albums Chart Sverigetopplistan Sverigetopplistan, earlier known as Topplistan and Hitlistan and other names, is since October 2007 the Swedish national record chart, based on sales data from Swedish Recording Industry Association .... |
15 |
| Swiss Albums Chart Swiss Music Charts The Swiss Music Charts are Switzerland's main music sales charts. The charts are a record of the highest-selling singles and albums in various genres in Switzerland.The Swiss Charts include:* Singles Top 75... |
2 |
| UK Albums Chart UK Albums Chart The UK Albums Chart is a list of albums ranked by physical and digital sales in the United Kingdom. It is compiled every week by The Official Charts Company and broadcast on a Sunday on BBC Radio 1 , and published in Music Week magazine and on the OCC website .To qualify for the UK albums chart... |
3 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
1 |
| U.S. Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
1 |
Year-end charts
| Chart (2006) | Rank |
|---|---|
| Australian Urban Albums Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
13 |
| Japanese Albums Chart | 55 |
| Swiss Albums Chart | 96 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
38 |
| U.S. Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
8 |
| Worldwide Charts | 6 |
| Chart (2007) | Rank |
|---|---|
| Australian Urban Albums Chart ARIA Charts The ARIA charts are the main Australian music sales charts, issued weekly by the Australian Recording Industry Association. The charts are a record of the highest selling singles and albums in various genres in Australia. ARIA commenced compiling its own charts in-house from the week ending 26 June... |
13 |
| Swiss Albums Chart | 82 |
| U.S. Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
11 |
| U.S. Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
6 |
| Worldwide Charts | 38 |
| Chart (2008) | Rank |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard 200 Billboard 200 The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists... |
170 |
| U.S. Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums is a chart published by Billboard magazine that ranks R&B and hip hop albums based on sales compiled by Nielsen SoundScan. The name of the chart was changed from Top R&B Albums in 1999... |
85 |
Certifications
| Country | Certification |
|---|---|
| Australia Australian Recording Industry Association The Australian Recording Industry Association is a trade group representing the Australian recording industry which was established in 1983 by six major record companies, EMI, Festival, CBS, RCA, WEA and Universal replacing the Association of Australian Record Manufacturers which was formed in 1956... |
Platinum |
| Belgium | Gold |
| Canada Canadian Recording Industry Association Music Canada is a Toronto-based, non-profit trade organization that was founded 9 April 1963 to represent the interests of companies that record, artists, manufacture, production, promotion and distribution of music in Canada... |
Platinum |
| Denmark | Gold |
| Europe IFPI The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry is the organisation that represents the interests of the recording industry worldwide. It is a not-for-profit members' organisation registered in Switzerland... |
Platinum |
| France Syndicat National de l'Edition Phonographique The Syndicat national de l'édition phonographique is the inter-professional organization which protects the interests of the French record industry... |
Gold |
| Germany | Gold |
| Greece IFPI Greece International Federation of the Phonographic Industry Greece or IFPI Greece is the Greek branch of the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry and is the official charts provider and recording sales certification body for Greece. Currently two charts are compiled, one for sales of... |
Gold |
| Hungary Mahasz Mahasz is the Hungarian music industry association, founded in 1992. Mahasz hands out the Hungarian Music Awards and maintains the music charts for Hungary.... |
Gold |
| Ireland Irish Recorded Music Association Irish Recorded Music Association is the Irish record industry association. IRMA is a non-profit association set up to manage and control the music industry in the Republic of Ireland.-Goals and activities:... |
3× Platinum |
| Japan Recording Industry Association of Japan The Recording Industry Association of Japan is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved the music industry... |
Platinum (standard) |
| Gold (deluxe) | |
| Mexico | Gold |
| New Zealand Recording Industry Association of New Zealand The Recording Industry Association of New Zealand is a non-profit trade association of record producers, distributors and recording artists who sell music in New Zealand... |
Platinum |
| Portugal Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa The Associação Fonográfica Portuguesa is currently the only recording industry association in Portugal. Created in 1989, it succeeded GPPFV and UNEVA .... |
Gold |
| Romania | Gold |
| Russia | 3× Platinum |
| Spain | Gold |
| Switzerland | Gold |
| United Kingdom British Phonographic Industry The British Phonographic Industry is the British record industry's trade association.-Structure:Its membership comprises hundreds of music companies including all four "major" record companies , associate members such as manufacturers and distributors, and hundreds of independent music companies... |
Platinum (standard) |
| Gold (deluxe) | |
| United States Recording Industry Association of America The Recording Industry Association of America is a trade organization that represents the recording industry distributors in the United States... |
3× Platinum |
Awards
| Awards ceremony | Year | Nominated work | Award | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Music Awards American Music Awards -Conception:The AMAs were created by Dick Clark in 1973 to compete with the Grammys after the move of that year's show to Nashville, Tennessee led to CBS picking up the Grammy telecasts after its first two in 1971 and 1972 were broadcast on ABC... |
2007 | B'Day | Favorite Album for Soul/R&B | |
| BET Awards BET Awards The BET Awards were established in 2001 by the Black Entertainment Television network to celebrate African Americans and other minorities in music, acting, sports, and other fields of entertainment over the past year. The awards are presented annually and broadcast live on BET... |
2006 | "Check on It Check on It "Check on It" is a song performed by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles, featuring American rapper Slim Thug. It was composed by Knowles, Kasseem "Swizz Beatz" Dean, Sean Garrett, Angela Beyincé and Stayve Thomas. The song was supposed to be featured on the soundtrack album for 2006 film The Pink... " |
Best Duet/Collaboration BET Award for Best Collaboration The BET Award for Best Collaboration honors rap collaborations, R&B collaborations or Rap/Sung collaborations.The Award was first introduce in the 2003 ceremony. This category has produced many Grammy-winning/nominated collaborations. Below are a those collaboration that earned a Grammy win or... |
|
| Video of the Year BET Award for Video of the Year The BET Award for Video of the Year is given to the most popular music video released the same or previous year of the year the awards are handed out. The award is only given to the performing artist or group in the video. The award is not handed out to the video directors and producers... |
||||
| 2007 | "Irreplaceable Irreplaceable "Irreplaceable" is a song recorded by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles for her second studio album, B'Day . The song was written by Knowles, Shaffer "Ne-Yo" Smith, Tor Erik Hermansen, Mikkel S. Eriksen, Espen Lind, Amund Bjørklund, and produced by Stargate and Knowles... " |
Viewers Choice Award BET Award for Viewer's Choice The Viewer's Choice Award is determined by the fans. Since the 1st Annual BET Awards, no female Artist has won this category except for Rihanna. As of 2010, B2K, Chris Brown and Lil Wayne have won 2 awards each, the most any artist has won in this category.... |
||
| Video of The Year BET Award for Video of the Year The BET Award for Video of the Year is given to the most popular music video released the same or previous year of the year the awards are handed out. The award is only given to the performing artist or group in the video. The award is not handed out to the video directors and producers... |
||||
| "Beautiful Liar Beautiful Liar "Beautiful Liar" is a song recorded by American R&B singer Beyoncé and Colombian Latin pop singer Shakira. The song was written by Knowles, Amanda Ghost, Ian Dench, and Stargate members Mikkel S. Eriksen and Tor Erik Hermansen, and produced by Stargate and Knowles for the re-release of Knowles'... " |
||||
| "Déjà Vu" | Best Collaboration BET Award for Best Collaboration The BET Award for Best Collaboration honors rap collaborations, R&B collaborations or Rap/Sung collaborations.The Award was first introduce in the 2003 ceremony. This category has produced many Grammy-winning/nominated collaborations. Below are a those collaboration that earned a Grammy win or... |
|||
| "Upgrade U Upgrade U "Upgrade U" is a song recorded by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles for her second studio album, B'Day . The song features additional vocals from Knowles' then-boyfriend and now-husband, hip hop artist Jay-Z. It was composed by Swizz Beatz, Cameron Wallace, Knowles, MK, Makeba, Sean Garrett,... " |
||||
| Grammy Award Grammy Award A Grammy Award — or Grammy — is an accolade by the National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences of the United States to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry... s |
2007 | B'Day | Best Contemporary R&B Album Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album The Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality works on albums in the contemporary R&B music genre... |
|
| "Ring the Alarm Ring the Alarm "Ring the Alarm" is a song recorded by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles for her second studio album, B'Day . It was composed by Knowles, Kasseem "Swizz Beatz" Dean, and Sean Garrett... " |
Best Female R&B Vocal Performance Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance The Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to female recording artists for quality R&B songs... |
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| "Déjà Vu" | Best R&B Song Grammy Award for Best R&B Song The Grammy Award for Best R&B Song has been awarded since 1959. From 1969 to 2000 it was known as the Grammy Award for Best Rhythm & Blues Song, from 1962 to 1968 it was known as Best Rhythm & Blues Recording, and from 1959-1961 as Best Rhythm & Blues Performance... |
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| Best Rap/Sung Collaboration Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration The Grammy Award for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration is an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality songs on which rappers and singers collaborate... |
||||
| 2008 50th Grammy Awards The 50th Annual Grammy Awards took place at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, California, on February 10, 2008. Kanye West received the most nominations, with eight. Amy Winehouse was the big winner, winning a total of five awards. Herbie Hancock's River: The Joni Letters won Album of the Year,... |
"Irreplaceable" | Record of the Year Grammy Award for Record of the Year The Record of the Year is one of the four most prestigious Grammy Awards presented annually. It has been awarded since 1959.-History:The honorees through its history have been:*1959-1965: Artist only.*1966-1998: Artist and producer.... |
||
| "Beautiful Liar" | Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals The Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for quality pop songs on which singers collaborate... |
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| International Dance Music Awards | 2007 | "Déjà Vu" | Best R&B/Urban Dance Track | |
| Best Pop Dance Track | ||||
| Ivor Novello Awards Ivor Novello Awards The Ivor Novello Awards, named after the Cardiff born entertainer Ivor Novello, are awards for songwriting and composing. They are presented annually in London by the British Academy of Songwriters, Composers and Authors and were first introduced in 1955.Nicknamed The Ivors, the awards take place... |
2008 | "Beautiful Liar" | Best-Selling British Single | |
| Latin Grammy Awards Latin Grammy Awards A Latin Grammy Award is an accolade by the Latin Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences to recognize outstanding achievement in the music industry. Unlike the regular Grammy Award which primarily honors music produced in the United States, the Latin Grammy honors works produced anywhere around the... |
2007 Latin Grammy Awards of 2007 The 8th Annual Latin Grammy Awards took place on November 8, 2007 at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas, Nevada.The show aired on Univision. Juan Luis Guerra was the nights big winner winning 5 awards including Album of the Year... |
"Bello Embustero" | Record of the Year Latin Grammy Award for Record of the Year The Latin Grammy Award for Record of the Year is an honor presented annually at the Latin Grammy Awards, a ceremony that recognizes excellence and creates a wider awareness of cultural diversity and contributions of Latin recording artists in the United States and internationally... |
|
| Music of Black Origin Awards | 2006 | "Déjà Vu" | Best Song | |
| Best Video | ||||
| MTV Europe Music Awards MTV Europe Music Awards The MTV Europe Music Awards were established in 1994 by MTV Networks Europe to celebrate the most popular music videos in Europe. Originally beginning as an alternative to the American MTV Video Music Awards, the MTV Europe Music Awards is today a popular celebration of what MTV viewers consider... |
2007 | "Beautiful Liar" | Most Addictive Track MTV Europe Music Award for Best Song The MTV Europe Music Award for Best Song is the main award of the EMA's. It was first awarded in 1994, when "7 Seconds" won it, and has been given out since. Lady Gaga,Pink and Beyoncé have been the big winners with two awards. In 2007 and 2008 the category was named Most Addictive Track, but in... |
|
| MTV Music Video Awards | 2006 2006 MTV Video Music Awards The 2006 MTV Video Music Awards aired live on August 31, 2006, honoring the best music videos from the previous year. The show was hosted by Jack Black at Radio City Music Hall in New York City.... |
"Check on It" | Best R&B Video MTV Video Music Award for Best R&B Video The MTV Video Music Award for Best R&B Video was first awarded in 1993, and was given every year until 2006, as the following year MTV revammped the VMAs and eliminated all of the genre categories. The following year, though, when MTV returned the VIdeo Music Awards to their previous format, Best... |
|
| 2007 2007 MTV Video Music Awards The 2007 MTV Video Music Awards, honoring the best music videos from the previous year, took place on September 9, in Las Vegas at The Palms. The 2007 VMAs were the smallest VMAs ever held in MTV history, eliminating 13 awards, re-naming many of the remaining awards, and having only four... |
"Irreplaceable" | Video of the Year MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year The MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year is the main award handed out at the yearly MTV Video Music Awards. It was first awarded in , when The Cars won it, and has been given out since. Eminem has been the most nominated solo artist, male solo artist, and act in this category, having been... |
||
| Best Female Video MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video The MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video is one of the original general awards that has been handed out every year since the first annual MTV Video Music Awards in 1984. In 2007, however, the award was briefly renamed Female Artist of the Year, and it awarded the artist's whole body of work... |
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| "Beautiful Liar" | ||||
| Most Earthshattering Collaboration | ||||
| Best Direction MTV Video Music Award for Best Direction The following is a list of MTV Video Music Awards winners for Best Direction in a Video. In 2007, the award was briefly renamed Best Director, but it returned to its original name for the 2008 awards.... |
||||
| Best Editing MTV Video Music Award for Best Editing The following is a list of MTV Video Music Awards winners for Best Editing in a Video. Five artists are tied for the record of biggest winner in this category, each having won the award twice: Peter Gabriel, R.E.M., Madonna, The White Stripes, and Gnarls Barkley. The latter two, in fact, won... |
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| Best Choreography MTV Video Music Award for Best Choreography The following is a list of MTV Video Music Awards winners for Best Choreography in a Video.... |
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| MTV Video Music Awards Japan MTV Video Music Awards Japan The MTV Video Music Awards Japan are the Japanese version of the MTV Video Music Awards.Like the MTV Video Music Awards in the United States, in this event artists are awarded for their songs and videos through online voting from the same channel viewers... |
2008 | "Beautiful Liar" | Best Collaboration MTV Video Music Award Japan for Best Collaboration -Results:The following table displays the nominees and the winners in bold print with a yellow background.... |
|
| NAACP Image Awards | 2007 | B'Day | Outstanding Album | |
| "Irreplaceable" | Outstanding Song | |||
| Outstanding Music Video | ||||
| 2008 | "Beautiful Liar" | |||
| Nickelodeon Kids' Choice Awards 2009 Kids' Choice Awards Nickelodeon's 22nd Annual Kids' Choice Awards were held on March 28, 2009 at 8 p.m. on the Nell and John Wooden Court of Pauley Pavilion. Dwayne Johnson hosted this awards show which lasted for more than one and half hours. Voting commenced on March 2, 2009. Performers and presenters have been... |
2007 | "Irreplaceable" | Favorite Song | |
| OVMA | "Beautiful Liar" | Best Choreography in a Video | ||
| People's Choice Awards People's Choice Awards The People's Choice Awards is an American awards show recognizing the people and the work of popular culture. The show has been held annually since 1975 and is voted on by the general public. The People's Choice Awards air on CBS and are produced by Procter & Gamble and Survivor magnate Mark Burnett... |
2008 | "Irreplaceable" | Favorite Pop Song | |
| "Beautiful Liar" | Favorite R&B Song | |||
| Soul Train Music Awards Soul Train Music Awards The Soul Train Music Awards is an annual award show which previously aired in national television syndication, and honors the best in Black music and entertainment... |
2007 | B'Day | Best Female R&B/Soul Album Soul Train Music Award for Best R&B/Soul Album, Female The Soul Train Music Award winners for Best R&B/Soul Album - Female... |
|
| "Irreplaceable" | Best R&B/Soul Single, Female Soul Train Music Award for Best R&B/Soul Single, Female The Soul Train Music Award for Best R&B/Soul Single, Female was given out every year since the first annual Soul Train Music Awards in 1987. From 1989-1992 the award was known as the R&B/Urban Contemporary Single - Female.... |
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| Best R&B/Soul or Rap Music Video Soul Train Music Award for Best R&B/Soul or Rap Music Video The Soul Train Music Award winners for Best R&B/Soul or Rap Music Video :... |
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| The Record of the Year The Record of the Year The Record of the Year is an award voted by the UK public. For many years it was given in conjunction with television programmes of the same name... |
"Beautiful Liar" | Record of the Year | ||
| VH1 Soul VH1 Soul VH1 Soul is a digital cable and satellite television channel and is the sister network to VH1. It showcases R&B, funk, soul, and Motown music from various periods.... Vibe Awards |
"Irreplaceable" | Song of the Year | ||
| "Get Me Bodied Get Me Bodied "Get Me Bodied" is a song recorded by American R&B singer Beyoncé Knowles. The song was written by Beyoncé Knowles, Sean Garrett, Solange Knowles, Angela Beyince, Makeba Riddick, and Kasseem "Swizz Beatz" Dean, and produced by Swizz Beatz, Beyoncé and Sean Garrett, for Knowles' second solo studio... " |
Video of the Year | |||
| World Music Awards World Music Awards The World Music Awards is an international awards show founded in 1989 that annually honors recording artists based on worldwide sales figures provided by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry . John Martinotti is an executive producer and co-founder of the show... |
2006 | B'Day | World's Best-Selling R&B Artist |
External links
- B'Day at DiscogsDiscogsDiscogs, short for discographies, is a website and database of information about audio recordings, including commercial releases, promotional releases, and bootleg or off-label releases. The Discogs servers, currently hosted under the domain name discogs.com, are owned by Zink Media, Inc., and are...
- B'Day at MetacriticMetacriticMetacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
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