Beyoncé turned “Ego” into a chart-topping hit, but can you guess which singer was originally offered the song?

The Elvis “BlacElvis” Williams and Harold Lilly production was first given to Chrisette Michele for her sophomore album Epiphany, she exclusively tells staging-rapup.kinsta.cloud.

The R&B songstress decided to pass on the self-esteem-boosting track, which eventually became a single off Beyoncé’s platinum album I Am… Sasha Fierce.

The “What You Do” singer-songwriter’s own ego was part of the reason she turned down the future hit. “It was really scary for me to release my pen because I had written my first album myself,” she reveals. “You don’t know if they’re going to be able to capture your voice the same way that you captured it yourself.”

So what did Chrisette think of Beyoncé’s version when she heard it? “Incredible. So hot.”