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*Beyonce was in Los Angeles over the weekend choosing the members of her all-female touring band as rumors of a possible split with boyfriend Jay-Z began surfacing on the Internet.
After simultaneous nationwide auditions were held in four different cities, Beyonce and her dad/manager Mathew Knowles made their final selections at Sony Studios Saturday. The pair helped to select the nine lucky women who will perform with the singer to promote the Sept. 5 release of her new album, “B-Day.”
"I wanted to get together a group of fierce, talented, hungry, beautiful women and form an all-girl band," she told MTV after the band was picked. "I'm all about female empowerment. I'm all about pushing the envelope. I know it's my responsibility to do something different. I said, 'I want a band, I want something different.' I had worldwide auditions; people flew in from Atlanta, Houston, Israel, all over the world.”
Beyonce said she will announce the name of her band at a later date. For now, the former Destiny’s Child leader is looking forward to gelling with the band after the grueling audition process.
"It was extremely difficult," she said about choosing the winners. "[There are] so many talented women. I wanted only a nine-piece band, but the girls were so amazing, I couldn't decide. I think I'm going to wind up having 12 people so I have two [people playing] certain instruments, because [some of the contenders] were just brilliant. It's a thing called star quality, it's a thing you can't put your finger on, can't describe. When they were playing, I said, 'I want to see y'all battle.' I brought in two of every instrument and that's how I chose. You see the one that really wants it. It was so entertaining, the energy, seeing the girls battle ... God, it was the best. It was magical."
One of the songs the ladies had to know was “Déjà Vu,” the Rodney Jerkins-produced first single currently heating up radio airwaves.
“When I recorded ‘Déjà Vu’ ... I knew that even before I started working on my album, I wanted to add live instruments to all of my songs," she explained. "It's such a balance [of music on the song], it has live congas, live horns, live bass. It's still young, still new and fresh, but it has the old soul groove. The energy is incredible. It's the summer anthem, I pray. I feel it. It's already broken records. Rodney Jerkins is incredible, Jay of course is on it, he blessed the song, I'm happy with it."
Speaking of Jay, a blog is claiming that he and Beyonce are very close to splitting up.
“She wants a man, who supports her, loves her, [to] stand by her side”, a source told SocialRank. “B is sick of him possessively trying to keep things private. She doesn’t feel enough affection or love from him.”
Word is she’s upset over coming in last to his work at Island Def Jam and his obligations to the New Jersey Nets, the NBA team he co-owns.
“Jay is obsessed with keeping basketball game scores” another “close source” tells SocialRank. “Beyonce is looking to the future. Her sister Solange already has a baby. Her own parents have an amazing, fulfilling relationship and she not only wants a steady career, she wants to have a tight family circle around her as well.”
Since blogs are the new tabloids, only time will tell if this holds any water.
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