The music world received an unexpected St. Patty’s day surprise, as Beyonce posted a new song on her website last night, titled “Bow Down/I Been On.”
The song adopts a gritty, brash attitude that is certainly a departure from more saccharine R&B-pop numbers.
On the track, Beyonce addresses a recent criticism that her Mrs. Carter Show world tour is anti-feminist. Queen B shoots back, saying “I took my time to live my life but don’t think I’m just his little wife/ Don’t get it twisted, get it twisted/ This is my shit” proving she has not abandoned girl power, but rather provided us with its mature rendering.
The song also features the refrain, “Bow down, bitches” that some are finding unsettling. One Twitter user claimed she was “disappointed” in Beyonce for adopting an “offensive” new attitude.
However, “Bow down, bitches” has been the thematic bottom line of Beyonce’s career since she was the ringleader of Destiny’s Child. So, the song more comments on an existing attitude rather than creating a new one.
“Bow Down/I Been On” is certainly a departure for Bey in sound, if not theme. Beyonce reportedly enlisted R&B duo Planet VI, the team behind Rihanna’s similarly brash “Pour It Up” for the track as well as Hit Boy.
The sound is trancy and edgy, a departure from both her mainstream pop hits and the mature R&B of her last album, 2011’s 4.
If “Bow Down/I Been On” is any indication, the new album (rumored to be called Mrs. Carter) will be a wholly new sound for Beyonce.
So far, we’ve had a few clues about the record. Producer The Dream, who is working on the album, spilled to “Rap Fix Live” a few weeks ago, confirming a new direction for Beyonce. “There’s no particular sound that I think we’re shooting for, we’re just trying to make music that feels good,” he said. “If you seen the HBO thing, which was great, we had been talking about doing something that showcases who she is and what she wants because we see those figures that are so out of the stratosphere,” Dream said.
A leaked tracklist also revealed collaborations with Azealia Banks, Lady Gaga and Justin Timberlake. Beyonce has yet to announce a release date for the album, but she will be kicking off the Mrs Carter World tour on April 15 in Serbia.
