Beyonce performs onstage during the 'On The Run II' Tour at Rose Bowl on September 22, 2018 in Pasadena, California. (Photo by Larry Busacca/PW18/Getty Images for Parkwood Entertainment)
It doesn’t matter what you think about Beyoncé. Thanks for reading.
Seriously. Between Destiny’s Child’s first single No, No, No and Break My Soul, the lead single of Beyoncé’s newest album, there is a quarter century of legendary music history. Fifteen albums in total, including seven solo ones. Fifteen tours and residencies, including five headlining tours.Ten film starring roles and four director credits for music films. Over 100 million albums sold and the most-awarded female artist of all time.
These superhuman achievements can often get lost in the weeds at the mere mention of her name – let alone the release of an entire album six years since her last solo project. Before reading this, you almost certainly stumbled across tweets arguing why she’s some sort of demigod, others complaining she’s overrated and everything in between. But what does it mean when, 25 years into the career of the biggest artist on the planet, we’re still trying to “prove” her worth?
Beyoncé has long been a determined woman whose word you can bank on. She told us on Destiny’s Child’s 2000 single Survivor, “Even in my years to come, I’m still gon’ be here.” There was a point to prove at the time and prove it she did. Back then she battled in-fighting in the group which lead to members dropping off. Media harassment framed them as gold-digging male bashers. And even the shape of her body was frequently scrutinised. By the turn of the millennium, Beyoncé was a household name but if she hadn’t continued to push harder, she may well have gone the way of countless pop stars we’ve seen over the years.
So, just like she said, she’s still here after all these years but it has not been without sacrifice. It’s not easy being a black woman with power in the entertainment industry – or anywhere for that matter. Just ask Janet Jackson – or Oprah Winfrey, who told a then-22-year-old Beyoncé in 2003 that keeping her relationship with then-boyfriend Jay Z private was the right thing to do. By the mid-2010s, the boundaries of her privacy increased as she had stopped doing sit-down interviews altogether.
It’s hard not to agree with her stance on privacy, however extreme. The age of the larger-than-life global superstar really ends with Beyoncé. We won’t ever see a star of that magnitude because, thanks to the democratisation of music by the internet, people have more choice than ever. Beyoncé’s career kicked off at the peak of pop superstardom and she was an excellent student of what it took to reach that status. That’s why no one works harder than she does today. Something she would’ve learned studying the Michael Jacksons and Madonnas of the day is that the industry is designed to build you up to tear you down.
But, as she promised us in 2000, she’s still here, and seemingly undefeatable. Her newest single which employs ballroom and disco sounds is a complete departure from anything she’s done before, yet it’s enjoyed top 20 placement on the Billboard Hot 100 since it was released on 20 June. At the time of writing this, her new album Renaissance hasn’t been released but has probably debuted at No 1, if her track record of being the only artist to have their first six albums debut or reach No 1 is anything to go by. This kind of performance is unheard-of for an artist who was first introduced to us in the 1990s.
Renaissance will, without question, extend her remarkable Grammy record, including 79 nominations and 28 awards, which make her the most nominated woman and the most awarded singer in Grammy history. This isn’t enough for many, except if one of those future Grammys is the much coveted Album of the Year award, which she has never won.
I Am…Sasha Fierce is a better album than Taylor Swift’s Fearless. Beyoncé’s eponymous 2013 album is a better album than Beck’s Morning Phase. And Lemonade is a better album than Adele’s 25. But, let’s face it, all that winning the Album of the Year Grammys that Swift, Beck and Adele won would’ve achieved is bragging rights in the press and on social media for about a week. After which, things would return to normal programming. The normal programming in question? Beyoncé continuing to be the biggest superstar alive.
The Renaissance project will blow our minds. The rumour mill has been suggesting some sort of interactive film experience, thanks to Instagram stories promoting the album, from film standards company Dolby and 3D artist Frederik Heyman, known for his work on Lady Gaga’s 2020 Paper magazine cover. Dolby has a history of promoting movies on which it has directly worked with the filmmakers and Heyman already has Beyoncé listed as a “commissioned client” on his website.
Put plainly, Beyoncé is about to upend the industry all over again forcing us to rethink what an artist can be in 2022. And it’s because of this ability, and not in spite of it, that what people think about her doesn’t matter at all – be they a troll on Twitter, an adoring fan or voters from music’s biggest night. Her celebrity can’t possibly get any larger but our collective appreciation for her relentless progression can grow. The injustices she’s experienced can’t be undone but we can continue to celebrate her.
In Johannesburg alone there will be at least two dedicated Beyoncé parties between 29 and 30 July. And if the movie rumours are true – and how can they not be – you can bet there will be watch parties to follow. And, of course, the conversation online will take us right into summer because Beyoncé.
When you think about it, Beyoncé won and so did her infinitely loyal fan group, the Hive. She is the world’s most celebrated artist. She married the world’s most celebrated rapper. And they live a billionaire lifestyle in Bel Air, California, with three children. Not to mention, they’re black. Segregation and slavery in the US weren’t that long ago so the fact that this story is a reality is something not even Hollywood could have conceived of.
Think about it. There’s a reason Beyoncé doesn’t respond to any news or gossip about her or even engage in dialogue on social media. It doesn’t matter what anyone thinks of her. She won. So, release your feelings towards her and hit play on Renaissance on 29 July because it’s time for less discourse and more disco.
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