"If I had one scent that I would leave as my signature, it would be Heat. I hope that everyone is ready to catch the fever!"

So said Beyoncé Knowles of her debut fragrance, Beyoncé Heat, at a star-studded launch party last night (complete with light show) in New York City's Union Square.

Held in the original Tiffany's building, guests and journalists from locales as far flung as Mexico City, Amsterdam and Cape Town flowed in and out of various rooms where their five senses were sent into overload as they experienced the fragrance up close.

Husband Jay-Z, fellow Destiny's Child member Michelle Williams, Usher, and little sister, Solange, (who played double duty as DJ) were among the attendees.

The sultry 28-year-old, clad in a body-hugging red dress by Marc Bouwer, is (Sasha) fiercely proud of the signature eau she created with Coty. "I wanted it to be original and I didn't want it to be like all the other celebrity brands." explained Knowles. "It's been two years in the making."

"Every little detail is very personal, so I'm extremely proud."

Knowles was inspired to make a scent by her mother, Tina Knowles. "My first memory of fragrance is my mother," she explained. "And as a very young girl, hearing her footsteps...her stilettos click, click, clicking on the hardwood floor and she wore a beautiful fragrance and she would walk past me and it would just stay in the room. It left a warm feeling every time I thought about her scent.

"I think about the icons that I respect and they all have their own fragrance so I thought it was time for me to have my own."
And it's her mother's cooking that begot the singular balance of woody and fruity notes in the fragrance. "My mother's Creole so she cooks with a lot of spices -- her candied yams are so delicious!," said Knowles. "When I walk in the room I can smell the sweetness, but I can also smell the spice. So I wanted a mixture of something that is fiery, sensual but also very feminine."

The name "Heat," was chosen for it's classic quality (afterall, warmth is always in fashion) with an underlying air of sensuality. "I wanted something that would last forever and never go out of style," said Knowles. "It also sounds very sexy. When a man asks 'What are you wearing?' [Knowles replies in a sexy voice] 'Heat.'"

The strong notes and fabulous packaging Knowles created as her legacy. When asked what what she wanted her fans to get from this fragrance, she replied: "Definitely confidence, strength and elegance. I want this to be something that lasts a long time even when I'm not here, and I'm proud that its finally my first fragrance and not something that someone else created. Every little detail I put into this."

"I write a lot of my songs for powerful women and I want them to feel strong and I also want them to feel like they can take over the world."


And so far, the fragrance has been getting good reviews. Knowles has been testing the fragrance herself, wearing it on tour for the past year -- "I never got so many compliments" -- and, just the other night, to a little event called the Grammys.

"My husband was like 'You got 6 Grammys and you smell good.'"

Now that's the mark of a great scent, and singer.

Beyoncé Heat starts at $49 at Macy's.