Beyonce’s performance at the Super Bowl halftime show, taking place at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans on Feb. 3, 2013, will be preceded by new music, according to her frequent collaborator The-Dream.
After co-writing five songs on Beyonce’s 2011 album “4,” The-Dream (real name: Terius Nash) tells Billboard that he’s “involved in every part of the process” for her forthcoming fifth solo album. When asked whether or not Beyonce will unveil any new tracks prior to Super Bowl kickoff, The-Dream says, “Definitely. She’s got her stuff going. She took the summer to start recording, and now she’s in a place where she’s ready to start gearing up to reveal her plan.”
The-Dream adds that the follow-up to “4” is so far along that multiple song releases are possible in the two months prior to Super Bowl Sunday. “She’s already gearing up to get ready to put stuff out,” he says. “I’m sure there will probably be a couple records you hear before the Super Bowl gets here.”
If Beyonce releases new music before her Super Bowl performance, she would be following a strategy taken by Madonna, who released the single “Give Me All Your Luvin'” two days before performing the song along with a medley of hits at the halftime ceremony last February. Less than two months after the Super Bowl, Madonna released a new studio album, “MDNA,” which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with 359,000 copies sold, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Rumblings of a new Beyonce album began soon after the pop superstar was officially announced as this year’s Super Bowl halftime performer in September. In late October, a photo of Bey and R&B star Miguel in the studio was posted on Twitter. Meanwhile, an HBO documentary chronicling the new mother’s stage show and personal life will debut on Feb. 16, 2013.
As for The-Dream, who will release his 2011 Internet album “1977” as a physical product on Dec. 18, the singer-songwriter has focused on Beyonce’s next full-length after contributing four songs to Rihanna’s first No. 1 album, “Unapologetic.” “I was literally doing [projects by] Bey and Rihanna at the same time, and actually I sprinkled a little Mariah [Carey] in there,” says the Atlanta native. “It’s not overwhelming, but it can be if I let it, at times. There’s days where I can only sleep an hour and thirty minutes.”
The-Dream is also excited about the Super Bowl itself, and hopes that February 3rd will be a big night for his team or Beyonce’s team, the Houston Texans. “I’m an Atlanta Falcons fan, so it’s looking real good for me right now,” he exclaims. “Me and Bey have already talked about it — it could be Houston versus Atlanta!”