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'1+1' was made available for download only a few hours after her performance its cover art was photographed by Anthony Duran. Shortly after '1+1' was released online, Beyoncé debuted the ballad by performing a piano version on the finale of the tenth season of American Idol on May 25, 2011. Tony Maseratimixed the track with assistance from Val Brathwaite, and Jason Sherwood, Mark Gray, Steven Dennis and Wolford all assisted in the audio engineering. Jordan Young then recorded Beyoncé's vocals. Lee Blaske, Nikki Gallespi and Pete Wolford played the instruments, while Brian Thomas alongside Pat Thrall assisted in recording the music. The-Dream and Stewart did the musical arrangements and Beyoncé worked on arranging the vocals. The song was produced by the trio at the Studio at the Palms in Paradise, Nevada and Triangle Sound Studio in Atlanta, Georgia, where Beyoncé recorded the song. He later gave it to Beyoncé Knowles for her fourth studio album 4, where she and Christopher 'Tricky' Stewart did some additional writing. '1+1' was initially written and titled 'Nothing but Love' for Terius 'The-Dream' Nash, who intended to include it on his second studio album, Love King (2010).
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The-Dream (left) and Christopher Stewart (right) composed '1+1' ' American singers Dondria and Tiffany Evans have performed covers of the ballad, with lyrical modifications. Beyoncé's live performances of '1+1' have received positive reception a writer from The Huffington Post described her live performance on American Idol as 'an epic, emotionally-charged. The ballad was included on Beyoncé's set list for a free concert as part of Good Morning America 's Summer Concert Series, the ITV special A Night With Beyoncé, and her revue, 4 Intimate Nights with Beyoncé, held at the Roseland Ballroom in New York City. It was filmed by Jay-Z with a camera phone and shows Beyoncé rehearsing '1+1' backstage at American Idol. Soon after Beyoncé's performance on American Idol, a video that surfaced online received considerable coverage from different media. The clip met with generally positive reception from music critics, who praised its aesthetic and sexual theme and claimed that it will be remembered as one of Beyoncé's most iconic visuals. The video was a 'different' direction in the sense that it does not incorporate the heavy dance routines Beyoncé is known for, and that it experiments with psychedelic visual effects as well as innovative lighting, which give the clip a cinematic feel. Its accompanying music video was directed by Beyoncé herself, alongside Lauren Briet and Ed Burke, and it premiered on August 26, 2011. '1+1' peaked at number 82 on the Canadian Hot 100 chart and at number 57 on the US BillboardHot 100 chart. It was also complimented for its subtle instrumentation, which provides emphasis on Beyoncé's vocals. '1+1' garnered acclaim from music critics, who noted its resemblance to the work of American singers Prince and Sam Cooke. A down-tempocontemporary R&B and soul musicpower ballad, '1+1' Beyoncé expressing her endless love to her soul mate the lyrics make strong statements about the power of the relationship. '1+1' was originally titled 'Nothing But Love' and The-Dream had initially planned to include it on his second studio album, Love vs. Serving as the opening track on 4, it was written and produced by The-Dream, Tricky Stewart and Beyoncé. It was released by Columbia Records in the United States on May 25, 2011, as a promotional single.
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' 1+1' is a song recorded by American recording artist Beyoncé for her fourth studio album, 4 (2011).
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