Beyoncé's Back

Arguably the world's most famous Houston native, and definitely its most popular female R&B singer, Beyoncé is back in record stores (and on iTunes, of course) with her third solo album, I Am...Sasha Fierce. As the double-length LP reveals, it's been an interesting past couple of years for the superstar and self-admitted workaholic — while she was writing and recording the album, Beyoncé also acted in the forthcoming films Cadillac Records and Obsessed.

Oh, and after weeks of tabloid did-they-or-didn't-they speculation, she indeed got hitched to hip-hop tycoon Jay-Z this past April.

"I am a woman [who] is extremely happy," says the ten-time Grammy Award winner, still only 27 years old. "I'm very fortunate to be grounded and to know who I am and know what I want. I'm still learning. I'm still a young woman.

"But I've had a lot of life experiences," she adds. "I've been traveling for a long time. I'm just very fortunate, and I'm extremely grateful that I'm able to continue to do what I love and I'm passionate about."

Beyoncé famously refuses to answer interviewers' personal questions, but she really doesn't have to. She's translated her recent past into songs like "If I Were a Boy" (now No. 1) from I Am...'s ballad-heavy first disc. After years of singing up-tempo Top 40 and R&B hits both solo and with her multi­platinum group Destiny's Child — back when she was still known as Beyoncé Knowles — she felt it was time to evolve.

"I definitely stepped out of my comfort zone — I didn't want to put myself in a box," Beyoncé says.. "I have a lot of beautiful ballads that are classic songs. It was very important that ten years from now, 20 years from now, I have songs that will still be relevant and I can still sing. I'm making that transition into classics."

Beyoncé is well aware her fans may not embrace this new sound, but she's willing to take that risk. (If she's worried, she probably shouldn't be: "Boy" recently peaked at No. 3 on Billboard's Hot 100, and "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" was last week's greatest airplay gainer on the R&B/Hip-Hop singles chart.)

"Of course, I'll have a little bit of 'I'm anxious, I'm excited, I'm a little nervous,'" she admits. "Not nervous like as in I don't think it's great. I know it's the best work I've done. You wouldn't be human if you didn't get a little anxious. I can't wait for it to come out. I can't wait for everyone to hear it. I can't wait to share my heart and my soul with my fans."

For the first time on record, Beyoncé also recorded several songs from the perspective of her onstage alter ego, Sasha Fierce, who the singer says represents her more fun, sassy, confident side; Sasha shows up throughout the second disc on songs like "Single Ladies." By letting her hair down, as it were, Beyoncé hopes to show the world how well balanced she is.

"I have these two different personalities like most people," the two-time Golden Globe nominee explains. "When I'm working, it's one thing, [and] when I'm relaxing, I'm a love muffin. When I'm working, I'm completely focused."

Still, all work and no play is not something Beyoncé sounds overly concerned with. "There are times to dance and to go out and enjoy yourself," she says. "There are times to be emotional and to feel certain things. I feel like I kind of covered all of life's challenges and celebrations."

No doubt Beyoncé's split-personality concept on I Am... will strike some critics (and even fans) as odd, and they may wonder what's so wrong with remaking "Crazy in Love" over and over. But as a performer since age seven — that's right, for two decades now — she knows petty criticism and high expectations come with being a huge success. Does she feel pressured to top herself?

"Of course," she replies. "Every single album, everything I do, I have the pressure. These [past] few weeks have been, you know, 'Am I making the right decision?' 'Did I pick the right singles?' 'Did I shoot the right videos?' 'Are people going to understand what I'm trying to say with my music and with my videos?'"

Beyoncé's meticulous attention to detail also applies to her personal life — which is about all she'll say about it.

"When I love somebody, I love them. It's either I love them or I don't really spend time with you," she laughs. "I give all. I think that's one of the things that people can identify with and respect, because if I'm going to put an album out, I'm going to give everything I can and everything I have."

The singer's love life has been the subject of intense tabloid and paparazzi focus for years now — everything from her secret wedding to Jay-Z to whether she's pregnant or not. Such intense scrutiny makes it hard for Knowles to be herself in public, but she sounds sincere about allowing her fans to see her vulnerable and personal side through her music.