Beyonce fifth album set to be released in 2013

Beyonce fifth album set to be released in 2013, Have you ever been trolled by a pop star? I only ask because as a fan of Beyoncé it feels like me and millions of others are currently pawns in a game of see-who-can-break-first when it comes to the campaign for her seemingly mythical fifth solo album (current release date: the twelfth of never). Starting in October 2012 with the announcement that she'd landed the Super Bowl halftime slot, to last week when she unveiled a clip of a new song buried inside an advert for Pepsi (we'll suspend disbelief and accept the Cuban trip was only a holiday), it's been a journey littered with false starts, double bluffs and more hopes raised and dashed than a wrong number message from Beyoncé on Michelle Williams' answering machine. Almost six months after the campaign began there is still no single, album title or even a release date.

Admittedly pop in 2013 is all about hinting and waiting and drip-feeding and waiting some more: videos are teased using 30-second trailers that are counted down via social media outlets to the point where if you're good enough with an editing suite you could probably knock together a decent approximation of the video by the time it actually airs. Also, albums aren't as important as they used to be – with tours now creating the most revenue and albums almost being a bi-product, rather than vice versa. But still, Beyoncé is not a heritage act, or at least she shouldn't be, which makes the fact that there's no new material to promote on her imminent world tour even more baffling. Something seems to have gone wrong somewhere.

Below is a timeline mapping the various stages of this never-ending album campaign and an incredibly scientific look at how my excitement levels have fluctuated.

17 October 2012
It's announced that Beyoncé will be performing at the Super Bowl halftime show in February.
Excitement levels: 68%. "Following 2011's good but under-performing 4 album it will be nice to see what she does next."

27 November 2012
It's announced that Beyoncé will be directing a HBO documentary about herself to air in February.
Excitement levels: 72%. "Same month as the Super Bowl, this is all very good promotion for her imminent return. Well done, Beyoncé."

4 December 2012
Producer the-Dream, who is apparently working on the new album, tells the world she'll have a couple of new songs out before the Super Bowl.
Excitement levels: 89%. "Well, he'd know as he's apparently working on the album!"

9 December 2012
Beyoncé signs a deal with Pepsi.
Excitement levels: 81%. "This means there will be a tour, which is good news. The advert will need to be better than this one though."

10 December 2012
Ne-Yo confirms he's been working on the new album.
Excitement levels: 83%. "Irreplaceable is a good song, so a couple more of those would be good."

9 January 2013
It's announced that Beyoncé will perform the national anthem at Obama's inauguration.
Excitement levels: 78%. "Shame she's not doing Crazy in Love, but what can you do?"

11 January 2013
Destiny's Child regroup briefly to unveil the previously unreleased Nuclear from their album Love Songs.
Excitement levels: 89% at the announcement of the song and 57% upon hearing it. "That's just an old song that didn't make it on to their last album, isn't it?"

11 January 2013
Beyoncé tells GQ magazine that she struggles to comprehend her own brilliance. She also talks about the new album, which includes production from Pharrell, Timbaland, Justin Timberlake and the-Dream.
Excitement levels: 90%. "We're with her on the brilliance thing and that lineup of collaborators is pretty good even if Timbaland and Pharrell are a bit past it now."

17 January 2013
Rumours circulate that she's performing at the Brits.
Excitement levels: 92%. "She is really quite good at singing songs on a stage and this must mean there's a new single ready to go."

31 January 2013
Shares rehearsal footage from the Super Bowl performance.
Excitement levels: 87%. "No new songs shown in the clips, but she probably doesn't want to ruin the surprise."

3 February 2013
Performs at the Super Bowl causing a power cut in the stadium. No new material is played.
Excitement levels: 83%. "It's weird that she didn't play any new songs but surely an announcement about a single is imminent."

4 February 2013
Announces dates for the Mrs Carter world tour the morning after the Super Bowl.
Excitement levels: 81%. "OK, well that's exciting especially as it starts in April. Not much time to get the single and album out before then though!"

7 February 2013
It's announced that Beyoncé won't be performing at the Brits after all. She'll be replaced by Taylor Swift.
Excitement levels: 41%. "That's a real shame. The single's obviously been delayed."

12 February 2013
Appears on the cover of the Gentlewoman and US Vogue.
Excitement levels: 83%. "Right, here we go, magazine covers must mean new material is on its way any day now."

26 February 2013
It is announced Beyoncé will be one of the headliners of V festival in August.
Excitement levels: 54%. "Please don't make me go to V festival, Beyoncé."

27 February 2013
Starts posting pictures of her sitting in various forms of automobile on social media networks. One involves her wearing a hard hat.
Excitement levels: 48%. "What does this all mean? Has she quit pop for a career on a building site?"

6 March 2013
A fake tracklisting for the new album appears online.
Excitement levels: 88%. "Even though it's quite clearly fake, it's still exciting because some of it might be true. Please. Can some of it be true?"

17 March 2013
Out of nowhere a new "song" called Bow Down/I Been On is plonked on Beyoncé's SoundCloud.
Excitement levels: 97%. "It's obviously just two interludes mashed together but at least it proves she has actually been near a studio."

20 March 2013
Songwriter and producer Ryan Tedder claims the album is still not finished.
Excitement levels: 21%. "Seriously, how hard is it to knock together a few songs? Even if she just gave us a hint as to when we might hear it would be something."

21 March 2013
It's announced that Beyoncé is the new face of the H&M summer range and that her advert will feature a new song, Standing on the Sun.
Excitement levels: 29%. "That song's probably been recorded to order, hasn't it?"

2 April 2013
It's announced that Beyoncé and André 3000 have covered Back to Black for The Great Gatsby soundtrack.
Excitement levels: 42%. "Hmm, a cover isn't quite what's needed at the moment, but still."

3 April 2013
Beyoncé's 2011 album 4 is rereleased on US iTunes with a new tracklisting.
Excitement levels: 4%. "Right, if this whole thing has been a glorified campaign for you to prove that 4 is some sort of lost masterpiece then I will be very upset indeed."

3 April 2013
Beyoncé releases a 10-second teaser video featuring a gold glove, a hashtag (#BeyHereNow) and a tiny bit of a new song.
Excitement levels: 98%. "It's happening, it's really happening."

3 April 2013
Sony Ireland tweets that the teaser video is for a new Pepsi advert (the tweet has since been deleted).
Excitement levels: 6%. "Oh, well done everyone."

4 April 2013
A short a cappella clip of what is supposedly the first single Good Woman appears online.
Excitement levels: 93%. "Perhaps the advert will feature more of the song and then she'll announce that it's being released next week!"

4 April 2013
The minute-long Pepsi advert is premiered online. It does indeed feature the Timbaland-produced Grown Woman. A press release doing the rounds claims the single will be out on Monday.
Excitement levels: 99%. "OH PRAISE BE(Y)! FINALLY!"

4 April 2013
Billboard announce that Grown Woman is not the first single, but will appear on the album. No release schedule is announced.
Excitement levels: 2%. "I give up."

Beyonce fifth album set to be released in 2013 2013-07-04T06:48:00-07:00 Rating: 4.5 Diposkan Oleh: My Videos Tube