To be a lead single from Beyoncé these days, you need four things: A syncopated, up-tempo beat, some stabs of brass or synths to go over it, a chorus of female shout-along voices (mostly Beyoncé’s), and a message of female empowerment.
It started with Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It), off I Am… Sasha Fierce, it continued with Run the World (Girls), off 2011’s excellent 4, and now it continues once again, with Grown Woman, from her as-yet untitled forthcoming album. As you can hear below, the new song has hit the web, and all Beyoncé forgot was the parenthetical.
