Beyonce participated in a Q&A following a screening of the videos from her new visual album at New York’s School of Visual Arts yesterday (December 21), according to rap-up.com

The singer says that becoming a mother affected her outlook on life and impacted the direction of her music. 

“It’s interesting how motherhood changes you and it changes your perspective on life,” Beyonce said, per rap-up.com. “I took all the things that I wanted to change about myself and all the things I wanted to share, and I put it into this record.”

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Some of the questions the singer answered was submitted by a pair of fans via Instagram. One focused on releasing a secret album. 

“I just got off the stage, I had a glass of wine and my cousin Angie was like, ‘Are you alright?’ because I was talking to myself and I was terrified,” Beyonce said. “I was so scared. I had already gone through all the horrible ways it could go in my mind… I saw it live on iTunes and I waited for the first comment. Then I woke up the next morning and… [breaks into dance].”

Released December 13, the collection sold more than 600,000 units its first week, Beyonce’s highest first-week sales tally. This total beats her previous best, which she earned in 2006, when B’day sold approximately 541,000 units in its first week. Beyonce also became the fastest-selling project to debut on iTunes. 

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Beyonce said that she has a specific message she wanted to deliver with her self-titled album. “More than the music, I’m proud of myself as a woman,” she said. “The biggest message is owning your imperfections and all the things that make you interesting because I refuse to allow someone to put me in anybody’s box.”

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