Solo again after Destiny’s Child’s final album, Destiny Fulfilled, Beyoncé’s second album, 2006’s B-Day, was apparently recorded in a frantic burst of creativity. It’s a simple idea executed perfectly, especially when Beyoncé gives herself side-eye, flicks her hair and then watches while one of the other Beyoncé’s dances like a creature possessed. Sassy, fur-drenched DC battle it out with classy, Motown-era DC who then take on Timberland-sporting ‘street’ DC. For Lose My Breath, however, the budget was raised to include some visual effects that made it look like three versions of DC were engaged in some sort of dance battle. Even Survivor looked like it was done on the cheap. Often they’d have to dance in a line in a studio made to look like a hairdressers ( Bills, Bills, Bills), a garish 70s nightclub ( Bootylicious) or a boardroom ( Independent Women). The majority of the Destiny’s Child videos prior to 2004’s Lose My Breath tended to feature Beyoncé, Kelly and whoever was picked to be the other member that year sporting some hideous ensemble knocked together by Beyoncé’s mum, Tina Knowles, usually from some satin curtains. Aware of how much of a statement the song was, the video is a checklist of icon-making visuals, from the locations (backdrops of imposing, powerful-looking skyscrapers mixed with darkened alleyways to seem edgy), the dance moves (that moment where she drops from standing to cross-legged in one fell swoop without looking like she’s fallen over, the finger lick in the final chorus) to the part where she makes bubble blowing look like the sexiest thing a human could do. Obviously Beyoncé didn’t need to panic given she had Crazy In Love up her sleeves – one of the most effortlessly joyous pop songs of the last twenty years. The Neptunes-produced Work It Out – her actual solo debut – hadn’t exactly set the world alight and as Nick Carter will tell you, just because you’re from a globe-straddling pop group doesn’t mean solo success is guaranteed. It’s hard to fathom now, but Beyoncé’s superstar status wasn’t a foregone conclusion prior to 2003’s Crazy In Love.
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