Beyonce Knowles - she of the big voice, big hair and even bigger, ahem, attitude - started out belting girl-power anthems such as Independent Women (2000) and Survivor (2001) with the R&B group.
Today, four albums into her successful solo career, and after tying the knot with rapper Jay-Z, she holds true to those very ideals.
What's more, Knowles, 29, sounds more mature and more sure of herself than ever on 4, and this shows in the risks she takes, especially by including songs that showcase her diverse and unique range of influences.
Yes, Queen B has proven herself a formidable powerhouse - whether she's bringing the house down as the headliner at Britain's Glastonbury festival, or racking up the Grammy statuettes.
The former she did last month, and the latter, well, the diva has 16 wins and a whopping 42 nominations.
Hell, last year, she was named Forbes magazine's ninth most powerful woman in the world, in a top-10 list that included Oprah Winfrey and Mrs Michelle Obama.
On 4 - which debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart upon its release - the woman sounds like she has realised, finally, that she no longer needs validation.
On the record, Knowles mostly eschewed the typical booty-shakin', dance-floor beats she's known for, in favour of (surprise, surprise) syrupy 1980s-esque balladry and slow jams.
Fans may be shocked by album opener 1+1 in particular, as it's a major sap fest, complete with bursts of flawless falsetto.
One thing jumps out: The girl sounds amazingly lush. Throwing in just the right amount of vocal gymnastics (so nobody forgets who's boss), she belts when required and reins herself in just so.
Upbeat numbers include lead single Run The World (Girls), which draws from the late Fela Kuti's Afrobeat percussions. While it may not recall monster hits like Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It), it does come close.
Love On Top is the kind of funky, retro-sounding song you'd dance to at a cheesy New Year's Eve party - but in a good way.
Fans may miss Knowles' bombastic fireworks and over-the-top Sasha Fierce persona but, with a track record like hers, we have a feeling that there's plenty of time for Bey to play with all that again, and then some.