Beyonce Knowles is in full on 'Yonce mode for her full spread in OUT magazine. You've seen the sexy cover, now check out the even sexier spread inside. Plus, "SNL" star Sasheer Zamata is also sexing it up in lingerie....kinda. Check it inside...
She's boss enough to land a major cover and spread without even needing to do a face-to-face interview (just an email exchange). Chick was majorly busy with her Mrs. Carter Show World Tour, being a mom and likely doing a million other things we'll find out about soon. So OUT writer Aaron Hicklin explained that getting access into Yonce's inner sanctum was a tradeoff one can't turn down:
If you want to get to know someone, it helps to get to know the people around them. In Beyoncé’s case, there was no alternative. The opportunity to write about her materialized with an unusual condition: There would be no face-to-face interview. The musician was in the midst of an intense international tour, dramatically overhauled to accommodate 10 songs from her new, eponymous album. And although I would get to fly to Glasgow to see her perform the revised set, I would have to settle for an email exchange for this story. But—and this was the silver lining—I would have unprecedented access to Parkwood Entertainment, the tight-knit, furiously devoted team at the heart of Brand Beyoncé. This was more than a concession—this was being invited into Bey’s inner sanctum.
Some inside deets on her perfectionist attitude she's become known for:
Although it is technically the 110th date of her eye-popping extravaganza the Mrs. Carter Show, it is only the second night of her dramatically revamped lineup. A few nights earlier she pulled an all-nighter to rehearse her new material before dashing to London for a last-minute appearance at the Brit Awards, only to dash back—still in her ball gown—to finish choreographing the show. This was no minor tweak—10 new songs were added to the lineup; others were abbreviated or turned into medleys to make room. Most artists would spend months working out the kinks. Beyoncé took three days. “She’s completely relentless in her pursuit of perfectionism,” her creative director, Todd Tourso, tells me as we sit backstage. “It sounds cheesy, but that’s why I’m willing to work so hard for her. When you have this type of leadership and muse and mentor, I think the sky’s the limit.”
And why a few songs on Beyonce--The Visual Album sound perfectly imperfect:
Out: On certain songs, like “XO,” your voice is a lot more raw (and beautiful) than fans are used to. Was it a conscious decision to be less polished?
Beyoncé: When I recorded “XO” I was sick with a bad sinus infection. I recorded it in a few minutes just as a demo and decided to keep the vocals. I lived with most of the songs for a year and never rerecorded the demo vocals. I really loved the imperfections, so I kept the original demos. I spent the time I’d normally spend on backgrounds and vocal production on getting the music perfect. There were days I spent solely on getting the perfect mix of sounds for the snare alone. Discipline, patience, control, truth, risk, and effortlessness were all things I thought about while I was putting this album together.
Check out the rest of her pics below:
Check out the full story where key #TeamBeyonce and Parkwood Entertainmentmembers get some speaking time: Cousin Angie Beyince, who is Vice President of Operations, Visual Director Ed Burke, stylist Ty Hunter, publicist Yvette Noel-Schure and more.
By the way, Bey has two free official club remixes for "XO" and "Blow", created by her Euro tour DJ, producer Monsieur Adi. Check them out HERE and HERE.
The newest "SNL" cast member to be added to the roster, Sasheer Zamata, is poking fun at all the sexy shoots out there. In a new Cosmopolitan magazine feature, she and her female cast members are posing it up--cheekily--in lingerie:
Sasheer told the mag about her making waves as the first black female "SNL" cast member in five years:
'I'm just glad to be hired, honestly. I do love being black - it is a part of my life and identity, but as far as work goes, I'm a comedian. They hired me because I'm a comedian.'
'I don't. I also don't know if black women see me and are like, "She's representing all of us." All I'm doing is telling jokes. I'm not making legal decisions for them. I do want little girls to watch the show and think they could do what I'm doing. That'd be awesome.'
Congrats again to Sasheer!
Photos: OUT Photography by Santiago & Mauricio | Styling by Lysa Cooper/Cosmopolitan