Beyonce - Countdown

Beyonce’s brand new video, Countdown, was premiered on her official website yesterday. It offers up an intimate portrait of Beyonce at her most mesmerising, with stunning facial close-ups and fluttering eyelashes aplenty.

The viewer gets a fleeting glance of her baby bump and is then treated to a seamless, split-screen style guide, portraying Beyonce through the ages – from ’60s primary colour sass, to ’80s Flashdance, all-in-one leotard action.

Reminiscent of both Wiley’s Numbers In Action and Dels’ Shapeshift, multiple Beyonces appear from all sides and the resulting effect is similar – a chance to soak up the physical artist, with little distraction from other imagery.

It feels a little like an attempt to give her the pregnant “girl next door” treatment. She’s all wide-eyed and fringe-haired, wearing oversized shirts and cute headscarves. But, thankfully, the lyrics, “grind upon it girl, show him how you ride it,” and dance routines undercut the innocence with typical Beyonce verve.