Beyonce’s Director Pushed Her ‘Out Of Her Comfort Zone’

Almost one year ago today, Beyoncé shocked the world by quietly dropping her entire 14-track “visual album,” complete with 17 unique music videos to boot. It was one of those moments few will ever forget. In the midnight hour, many were in bed, Demi Lovato was having a heart attack and others were clocked in at a news desk reeling over the surprise collection.

But, there are still more BEYONCÉ surprises in store. On Tuesday (December 2), Bey dropped a new behind-the-scenes look at two of the Jonas Åkerlund-directed clips, “Haunted” and the Frank Ocean-assisted “Superpower.”

The BTS video opens on Åkerlund learning about Queen Bey’s super-secret release plans, to which the famed director replies: “You know, this is the first I’m hearing of this.”

Åkerlund gives a rundown of his notoriety in breaking the mold of traditional music videos and creating a more artistic interpretation of his client’s material.

The out-of-the-box director dives into the ideas behind his two visuals, noting: “These two videos are a little unique, because it was less choreography than [Beyoncé] usually does. It’s a little less performance. It’s like a different tone than what she usually does.”

“Haunted” follows Bey around an eerie house as she peers through doors into myriad freaky scenes, and it features only a single, sensual dance number. “Superpower” set itself in a sort of punk riot scene straight from the streets of Los Angeles.

“Part of my challenge with her is to take her to places that maybe she hasn’t been,” Åkerlund says. “And, maybe take a step out her comfort zone.”

MTV