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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