4

4 is the fourth solo studio album by Beyoncé, released by Columbia Records on June 24, 2011. The twelve-song set marked the first release by Knowles since separating professionally with father and manager, Mathew Knowles, in March 2011.

Upon its release, 4 received mostly positive reviews from critics, who viewed it as a progression from Knowles' previous albums and commended its mid-tempo musical style, understated production, and her vocal performance. The album debuted at number one in approximately 20 countries, including the United States with 310,000 units sold in the first week.

Preceding the album's release, the lead single from the project, Run the World (Girls), was made available worldwide on April 21, 2011. Subsequently, 1+1 was debuted as a promotional single a performance by Beyoncé on the Season 10 finale of American Idol on May 25, 2011. Best Thing I Never Had was released on June 1, 2011, as the album's second single.

Background

Following a career hiatus which reignited her creativity, Beyoncé was inspired to create a record with a basis in traditional rhythm and blues that stood apart from contemporary pop. Her collaborations with songwriters and record producers The-Dream, Tricky Stewart and Shea Taylor produced a mellower tone, developing diverse vocal styles and influences from funk, hip-hop, and soul music.

Severing professional ties with father and manager Mathew Knowles, Beyoncé eschewed the music of her previous releases in favor of an intimate, personal album. Lyrical themes of 4 emphasize monogamy, female empowerment and self-reflection, a result of Beyoncé considering a more mature message to contend artistic credibility. In May 2011, Beyoncé submitted 72 songs to Columbia Records for consideration, 12 of which would appear on the standard edition.

Following the release of her third album I Am... Sasha Fierce (2008) and a lengthy world tour, Beyoncé took a career hiatus in 2010 "to live life [and] to be inspired by things again". During her hiatus, she "killed" Sasha Fierce, the alter-ego used in her previous studio album, as she felt she could now merge her two personalities.

In an interview for Complex, Beyoncé expressed dissatisfaction with contemporary radio. She intended 4 to help change that status, commenting, "Figuring out a way to get R&B back on the radio is challenging ... With 4, I tried to mix R&B from the '70s and the '90s with rock 'n' roll and a lot of horns to create something new and exciting. I wanted musical changes, bridges, vibrata, live instrumentation and classic songwriting." On her website she wrote, "The album is definitely an evolution. It's bolder than the music on my previous albums because I'm bolder. The more mature I become and the more life experiences I have, the more I have to talk about. I really focused on songs being classics, songs that would last, songs that I could sing when I'm 40 and when I'm 60." Beyoncé also sought to make more artistic music, rather than purely commercially oriented songs.

She also found additional influences in Earth, Wind & Fire, The Stylistics, Lauryn Hill, Stevie Wonder, and Michael Jackson. She used hip-hop for a "broader sound" and looked to bring soul singing back, stating, "I used a lot of the brassiness and grittiness in my voice that people hear in my live performances, but not necessarily on my records."

Singles

• Run the World (Girls) was released as the lead single on April 21, 2011.
• 1+1 was released as the lead promotional single on May 25, 2011.
• Best Thing I Never Had was released as the second single on June 1, 2011.
• Party was released as the third single on August 30, 2011.
• Love On Top was released as the fourth single on September 12, 2011.
• Countdown was released as the fifth single on October 4, 2011.
• I Care was released as the sixth single on March 23, 2012.
• End of Time was released as the seventh single on April 23, 2012.

Track listing

No.	Title	Length
1.	"1+1"	4:33
2.	"I Care"	3:59
3.	"I Miss You"	2:59
4.	"Best Thing I Never Had"	4:13
5.	"Party" (featuring André 3000)	4:05
6.	"Rather Die Young"	3:42
7.	"Start Over"	3:19
8.	"Love On Top"	4:27
9.	"Countdown"	3:32
10.	"End of Time"	3:43
11.	"I Was Here"	3:59
12.	"Run the World (Girls)"	3:56

Japanese Edition

No.	Title	Length
13.	"Dreaming"	4:39

Deluxe edition

No.	Title	Length
13.	"Lay Up Under Me"	4:13
14.	"Schoolin' Life"	4:52
15.	"Dance for You"	6:17
16.	"Run the World (Girls) (Kaskade Club Remix)"	5:02
17.	"Run the World (Girls) (Redtop Club Remix)"	6:02
18.	"Run the World (Girls) (Jochen Simms Club Remix)"	6:19

Promotion

Beyoncé made several appearances on television and in live shows to promote 4. She performed "Run the World (Girls)" for the first time on May 17, 2011, on Surprise Oprah! A Farewell Spectacular at the United Center in Chicago. On May 25, "1+1" was made available for download through the iTunes Store in the United States. The same day, "1+1" was performed at the American Idol final; she introduced it as her favorite song.

On June 26, Beyoncé was the closing act at the 2011 Glastonbury Festival in the United Kingdom. She was the first solo female artist to headline the Pyramid stage at the Glastonbury Festival in more than twenty years. A pre-taped performance of "Best Thing I Never Had" and "End of Time" at the Glastonbury Festival was broadcast during the 2011 BET Awards. The following day, Beyoncé's exclusive hour-long interview with Piers Morgan in London was broadcast on Piers Morgan Tonight. She also appeared on the finale of France's The X Factor to perform "Run the World (Girls)" and "Best Thing I Never Had". An MTV television special, Beyoncé: Year of 4, premiered on June 30, documenting Beyoncé's life during 4's production.

From August 16–19, Beyoncé held the 4 Intimate Nights with Beyoncé concerts at the Roseland Ballroom to a standing room only audience. Subsequently, the Live at Roseland: Elements of 4 DVD was released in November. "Love On Top" was sung at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards on August 28, Beyoncé finished the performance by unbuttoning her blazer and rubbing her stomach to confirm her pregnancy with Blue Ivy.

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