Q&A with Beyonce

Yup, she said it here: "I Want to Be Latina"

Think about it: Although there's a long list of Latino stars who've crossed
over to sing in English (Shakira, Ricky, Paulina...) what non-Latin star has
successfully sung in Spanish? We can't think of anyone, which is why Beyonce's new all-Spanish EP,
Irreemplazable, is such a big deal to us.

We caught up with her recently to find out why she took that risk--and which
Latin stars she thinks are hot:

Latina: So, your name has French roots. And, you know, you could have
pursued singing in French. But you've chosen to sing in Spanish on this album
instead. Why was that?

Beyonce: Well, I did actually sing a song in French at the Oscars. It was
very hard. But that gave me the confidence to sing in Spanish because if I can
do that, then I felt like, well maybe I can sing in Spanish. I've always loved
the way Spanish sounds with music and with melodies. It's just so beautiful and
so passionate. I also grew up in Texas and I remember listening to Selena all the time.

Latina: How did you learn to sing in Spanish?

B: I only took classes for a few years in middle school, when you learn to
say things like, "Where's the bathroom?" But, even that helped me with my
pronunciation when I got in the studio. I still get a little nervous when I have
to do it live, but I'm getting pretty good at it, especially when it has a
melody attached to it. I take a lot of time and focus because I want to do it
right.

I go through everything with Rudy Perez who rewrote my songs in Spanish--he
is so incredible and he completely gets it. So I don't have to correct anything
because he's right on it all the time. Then I learn each line phonetically, how
I would say it. It's hard--my songs are hard enough to sing in English!

Latina.com: We all want to know: What was it like to work with Shakira on
Beautiful Liar?

B: She's amazing. The day we did the shoot, she had been on tour and I was
doing a promotion also, so we only had two hours to rehearse. Usually you have
two or three days to prepare, but we were so busy we hadn't even seen each other
since we recorded the song. We ended up both freestyling some moves and that's
how we came up with the choreography. She taught me some things and I taught her
some things. But, it was so great because she was so easy to work with and so
supportive, such warmth. There was no negativity or competitive energy, just
love and respect.

Latina: What was it like working with Alejandro Fernandez?

B: Oh! I told one of my best friends, she's Cuban, that I was working with
him. And, she was like, "You're lying!" And I'm like, "No, I am!" And she's
like, "You know who that is?" She schooled me so I would know.

When I met him, he sang in the studio and I was like, God! He's incredible.
He has soul and passion and his voice sounds like a man, a very masculine man. I
loved it!

Latina: You've also worked with Alejandro Sanz, I remember, it was
Destiny's Child and him singing "Quisiera Ser" during the Latin
Grammies.

B: That was my first experience singing in Spanish, and that actually was the
reason why I did this project because we got a great response from the fans. It
took a couple years because I was scared. But I'm a little older now and I'm not
as afraid to try uncomfortable things.

Latina: Who would you love to work with?

B: Well, I love Luis Miguel, but I still have to get educated, you know? I
love merengue, but I don't know the names of the artists. I just know that I
love to dance to the music. Good music is good music, you know? It doesn't
matter what type.

Latina: Which Latin artist do you think is cute?

B: I think, Alejandro Sanz and Alejandro Fernandez.

Latina: Have you ever considered touring in Latin America?

B: I have to go. I've never performed there before. But now, I have this
album, so maybe I'll take a month off and visit some places in Latin America at
the end of the year. There are certain trips I've been saving, so I have
something to look forward to--and Brazil is one of those places. I'd love to go
there.

Latina: Do you plan to keep singing in Spanish?

B: I don't know, I'm trying to see how this goes. But do I enjoy singing in
Spanish. I think it's so cool. I want to learn more, but right now I don't have
time. I'm always so busy--I haven't had a real vacation since I was about 13. So
when I finally get a break, the first thing I want to do is learn how to cook,
and the second thing is to learn Spanish.

Latina: What's one thing that you'd like to tell your Latina fans?

B: I would thank them for embracing me. I did radio (promotions) this morning
for hours and hours and I noticed a big difference between speaking to all of
the Latino stations and speaking to the pop stations or the other stations. With
the Latino stations, there was so much love and everyone is so genuine. I'm just
jealous that I wasn't born Latina. I wish I had been because the culture is so
beautiful. I'm very grateful Latinos are embracing me.

—Angie Romero