Beyonce has revealed that she was "terrified" about the reception to her surprise album, saying that the unorthodox release was a "huge risk".
Speaking at a New York City premiere of the 17 music videos which accompany the album, the singer indicated that she feared the worst. "I was so scared", she said. "I already envisioned [...] the worst things that could happen."
The self-titled album was released on 13th November and was previously known about my only a handful of people, including those who worked on the record and a selection of the top brass at Sony. The reason for this? Beyonce was "bored" at the convention album release process after her previous album, 2011's '4'.
Even with no word of mouth, the album quelled any fears by slotting in straight at No. 5 in the UK and No. 1 in the United States.
"I felt like I wanted to follow in the footsteps of Madonna and be a powerhouse and have my own empire", Beyonce said. "And show other women when you get to this point in your career, you don't have to do sign with someone else and share your money and your success, you can do it yourself."
More: Review of Beyonce's self-titled fifth album.
