Beyonce Talks About New Album, Empowering Women Through Music and Starring in a Clint Eastwood Film
— -- International superstar singer Beyonce captivated a crowd of fans this morning in New York City's Central Park when she talked about what her latest album "4" has meant to her.
"My birthday is on the fourth. My mother's birthday is on the fourth. My husband's birthday is on the fourth. I got married on the fourth. It's just a number that keeps coming around and this was my fourth album," Beyonce, who is married to rap mogul Jay-Z, told "Good Morning America" anchor Robin Roberts.
PHOTOS: Beyonce Rocks "Good Morning America" Summer Concert Series
"A lot of the fans out there today named the album. I saw on Twitter and I saw on Facebook, when I ran into some of the fans they were like, 'We're waiting for four" so I said, "All right, y'all, I can name the record, here we go.'"
Decked out in a croqueted dress, the 16-time Grammy winner belted out some of her biggest hits from the past, as well as two new tracks from "4" -- her lead single "Run The World (Girls)" and her second single "Best Thing I Never Had" -- to a crowd of more than 4,000 people as part of the "Good Morning America" Summer Concert Series.
During her hit single "Single Ladies," which won the Grammy for Song of the Year in 2008, the crowd went wild when she asked them, "Ya'll having a good time this morning? I want you to forget about all your drama, all your troubles, and get lost in this music this morning."
Word of her performace spread like wildfire and turned Beyonce's name into a top social media trend within hours this morning. Twitter hashtag, "#GMABeyonce," generated more than 1,000 tweets and trended No. 1 both in the United States and worldwide. "Watching Beyonce" also peaked at No. 7 worldwide on Twitter.
As she was surrounded by an all-female band in go-go suits, Beyonce said her message through her music, ultimately, is about empowering women.
"I try to write songs and sing songs that we as women need to hear," she told Roberts. "I know sometimes it's hard to realize how amazing we are. I'm very happy to be able to do that to women around the world."
Beyonce, who made a surprise appearance at the Harlem Boys and Girls Club yesterday, added that she wants to use her music to do good for others because she remembers what it was like to be young and how the music of Michael Jackson and Diana Ross "kept her positive."
"To know that people watch me and it keeps them off the streets and keeps them focused, and I think that's one of the reasons I'm here and I'm very proud of that," Beyonce said.
The singer said she took some much needed time off recently. Since the launch of Destiny's Child back in the mid-90s, Beyonce said she has been going strong for 15 years.
"I just really took some time to get to know myself and how to appreciate everything I've worked hard for," she said.
At one moment of the interview, Roberts pointed to Beyonce's four-inch sequined heels, and asked her if her feet ever hurt after a performance.
"Sometimes they're numb. Sometimes they'll bleed," Beyonce said, laughing. "It's just like a ballet dancer, but I don't even think about it. I'm just usually so focused on the stage and the connection with the audience that I don't even feel my feet until I leave the stage. Then I'm at home and I'm like, 'Oh, my God.'"
The singer has kept incredibly busy. Aside from touring and cutting a new album, she was also selected for the lead role in Academy-award-winning director Clint Eastwood's remake of the 1954 film "A Star Is Born."
"I'm so so honored that he believes in me. I can't wait to do his film," Beyonce said.
