Beyonce Has An 'Agenda' For New Album, Ne-Yo Says

'She knows exactly what she wants to do,' Ne-Yo says of Bey's Sasha Fierce follow-up.
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Tim Kash

Ne-Yo
Photo: MTV News

Beyoncé may have killed off Sasha Fierce for her next album, but that doesn't mean that whatever she turns out won't be just as, dare we say, fierce as her previous effort. And Ne-Yo, who reveals he is working with the megastar on the follow-up to 2008's I Am ... Sasha Fierce, says that it's easy-peasy working with Bey, mostly because she knows exactly what she wants.

"The thing about working with Beyoncé is that she definitely has her own agenda," the "Irreplaceable" songwriter told MTV News about the hush-hush song (or songs) the pair worked on together. "She's an artist that knows exactly what she wants to do."

So how does it go down when you walk into a studio to find Beyoncé sitting there ready to work? "She's going to give you directions [like] 'Here's where I'm going, so here's where I need you to be,' " Ne-Yo explained. "And, you know, I'm a person that follows direction well. [And she'll be like], 'So this is the sound, this is the vibe; make it happen.' And I write and she likes it or she doesn't. And in this case she did, and there you have it."

Producer Sean Garrett, who wrote Beyoncé hits including "Video Phone" and "Upgrade U," promised Popeater.com that Bey's fourth album is "going to be her biggest album ever. We're going to take it to a whole other level." He told EW.com, "I think we are doing a lot of uptempo records for this one. She's in such a good place right now in life that she is interested in making party music, definitely."

Additionally, producer Jim Jonsin reveals that he has been submitting some tracks and angling to get in the studio to work with Beyoncé on the forthcoming album, noting that he wants to go retro for the record. "I'd like to take it even more Depeche Mode-ish, like '80s electro with just some hard drums," the "Beautiful Nightmare" producer told Rap-Up. "I'd love to go there."

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