Pop star Beyonce Knowles says her inspiration has been singer Madonna and she wanted to "follow in her footsteps".
The 32-year-old held a "visual album" screening of her self-titled fifth album, which features 17 videos, here Dec 21.
Usmagazine.com reports that while addressing the crowd, Beyonce said: "I felt like I wanted to follow in the footsteps of Madonna and be a powerhouse and have my own empire."
The "Single ladies" singer was wearing a sheer black dress with her hair open for the screening.
She added that she wanted to "show other women, when you get to this point in your career, you don't have to go sign with someone else and share your money, and your success, you can do it yourself".