Development
In a letter addressed to her fans, Knowles revealed that she worked on I Am... Sasha Fierce for nearly one year, taking time to "create her sound ... Something that says who I am at this stage in my life. I have poured my heart and soul into it." It was project on which she spent the longest period of time since her first records at 14 years old as a member of Destiny's Child. She began working on I Am... Sasha Fierce in December 2007; Knowles felt that she had to show artistic growth on the record, "Even though I've been very successful and very fortunate, I want to still be challenged." Knowles was inspired by her husband Jay-Z and Etta James, whom she played in the 2008 musical biopic Cadillac Records; James' boldness inspired Knowles to express herself directly and honestly, and explore musical genres and styles that she had not experimented with previously. Knowles had already started producing material for I Am... Sasha Fierce, but in the middle of recording signed on for Cadillac Records. After studying of the life of James and her work on Cadillac Record, the production of I Am... Sasha Fierce resulted in new dramatic range once Knowles had finished the film; the direction of the album was altered. Knowles was willing to take risks and redefine who she was. She hoped to reach out for a wider audience, including people who buy records by American singers John Mayer and Carrie Underwood. She explained in an interview:
The music I made before and after the movie were very different. I was a lot more bold and fearless after I played Etta James, because of course some of the character stays with you. Some of the music I would have been afraid to make, I wasn’t. I got more guts, more confidence as a human being. I think that’s why I love doing movies so much, because it’s not just an art form. It changes my life and my music and the way I look at things. When you’re a pop star, it’s a little conservative, you always have to stay in a box. You have fans that are 5 and fans that are 65, there are so many people that want so many things. But Etta James was the queen of rock ’n’ roll, soul, R&B, jazz — she did it all, and she always made it her own. After playing her and singing her songs, I thought, it’s time for me to challenge myself and do whatever I’m inspired to do. I know you have to make a transition into being legendary, and I knew that it was time.
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Famous quotes containing the word development:
“On fields all drenched with blood he made his record in war, abstained from lawless violence when left on the plantation, and received his freedom in peace with moderation. But he holds in this Republic the position of an alien race among a people impatient of a rival. And in the eyes of some it seems that no valor redeems him, no social advancement nor individual development wipes off the ban which clings to him.”
—Frances Ellen Watkins Harper (1825–1911)
“The work of adult life is not easy. As in childhood, each step presents not only new tasks of development but requires a letting go of the techniques that worked before. With each passage some magic must be given up, some cherished illusion of safety and comfortably familiar sense of self must be cast off, to allow for the greater expansion of our distinctiveness.”
—Gail Sheehy (20th century)