Beyonce cut short Japan trip for US election

R&B singer Beyonce Knowles cut short a promotional trip to Japan so she could see Barack Obama elected US president.

The Crazy In Love singer, who performed last night at the MTV Europe Music Awards held in Liverpool, was due in Tokyo on election night to promote her new album 'I Am... Sasha Fierce'.

But Knowles insists that she couldn't be away from her home country on such an important day - and flew home in time to see the Democrat win the vote.

"I said, 'What am I doing? I'm completely making a bad decision. I have to go home, I'm gonna kill myself if I'm not home in America.' I knew I needed to be here," the star explained.

Beyonce admitted that she was so overwhelmed by the history-making win, it reduced her to tears.

She said: "I fell asleep crying and smiling at the same time. I woke up with mascara running and a smile on my face!"