Beyonce quashes marriage rumor in Vanity Fair

NEW YORK - Pop diva Beyonce denied rumors she is secretly married to rapper and music impresario Jay-Z, and said she assumed an alter-ego called "Sasha" for her sexy stage persona in an upcoming Vanity Fair cover story.

Beyonce, flying high as a solo act since venturing from the hit trio Destiny's Child, told the magazine she and Jay-Z are not even engaged despite a long relationship that has often seen them pictured in gossip pages on exotic beach holidays.

Asked if she was hitched, she said only, "No." Pressed further if she was engaged, she said, "I'm not."

The sultry soul and hip hop vocalist, whose musical background is rooted in gospel singing, wears some revealing outfits in the magazine spread, but said she sees no conflict between her religious devotion and her sexy image.

"When I go back to Houston and go to church and see those people, I feel like the same country girl," said the 24-year-old Texan, who becomes 'Sasha' on stage.
"I always held back in Destiny's Child, because I was comfortable in a group and felt that I didn't have to do anything 100 per cent, because there were other people on stage with me. I would not lose myself or go all the way," she said.

- REUTERS