Beyonce and the MTV Video Music Awards go together, particularly when she’s unveiling a new album. A veteran of many past editions, the superstar knows how big a showcase the annual ceremony is for new music, so she was among the first to sign up to perform on the 2006 VMAs. MTV televises the event Thursday, Aug. 31, from Radio City Music Hall in New York, with Jack Black as host. Other scheduled performers include Justin Timberlake, Ludacris, hip-hop star T.I., Panic! at the Disco (whose “I Write Sins Not Tragedies” is up for five VMAs) and the Killers.

“The last time I performed at the VMAs, it helped tremendously with my record,” Beyonce says. “(The single) ‘Baby Boy’ was just coming out, and it took the album to another level. It was just as important, and just as memorable, as the video. It was a really significant moment in my career.” Beyonce is hoping for a similar impact on “B’Day,” to be released Sept. 5, and its debut single, “Deja Vu,” which also features her beau, Jay-Z.

The 2003 VMAs actually doubled as Beyonce’s coming-out party as a solo act. “It was great,” the Destiny’s Child alumna recalls. “For one thing, there was the location; it was in New York, and the energy was much different from previous award shows I had been to. I have a great relationship with MTV. It feels like a partnership, like we’re working together. They give artists a lot of love. They don’t just put us on their shows; they care about our individual needs.”