Beyonce's New Album To Be Simply Entitled "4"

Beyonce has revealed that her upcoming fourth solo album will be aptly titled 4. However, the numeral not only represents her number of solo works, but it also has other significant meanings in her life. "We all have special numbers in our lives, and 4 is that for me," she told Billboard.com while revealing the album title. "It's the day I was born. My mother's birthday, and a lot of my friends' birthdays are on the fourth; April 4 is my wedding date."

Fans already have heard the rhythmic, drum-heavy first single from 4, "Run The World (Girls)," so it's not surprising to learn that Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti inspired much of the songwriting. But Beyonce was listening to a variety of other music as well while she took her time working on the new effort, recording more than 60 songs in the process.