Happy Birthday Beyoncé! Five Iconic Moments In Celebration Of Queen Bey
As one of the biggest stars on the planet, it would seem Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter has accomplished all there is to achieve as far as an entertainer, singer, businesswoman, and cultural force of nature. And yet, when there’s not much else to be said about her, Queen Bey emerges with something that shifts culture again. Regaled as the superstar of superstars, Beyoncé, time and time again, has reclaimed her own narrative while keeping everyone guessing as to what her next step will be. Dually, enigmatic, and omnipresent, few other artists have had the level of impact on modern pop culture as Beyoncé has. In recognition of #BeyDay, here are five times that she elevated the game.
Destiny’s Child
Destiny’s Child was a beacon of female empowerment for their countless fans. The iconic R&B girl group gifted us timeless bops that spoke to a woman’s strength (“Survivor”), self-reliance (“Independent Women Part 1"), and sensuality (“Bootylicious”) with the occasional love song (“Cater 2 U”) that spoke to our vulnerabilities. Despite the iconic trio’s eventual hiatus, their legacy still holds up to this day. Beyoncé’s cultural relevance has only risen since she became a soloist. She hasn’t just changed pop culture, she redefined it and gave new meaning to what a modern-day, unapologetic Black female artist is today.
As an example of her crowning achievements, Beyoncé now has 32 Grammy wins, making her the most Grammy award-winning artist of all time.
The album drop that stopped the world
In Dec. 2013, Beyoncé shook up the industry when she unceremoniously released her self-titled fifth studio album. While Beyoncé wasn’t the first to do so, no other artist had previously pulled the feat off to the same degree of magnitude. There was no promotional lead-up and the entire album was recorded in secrecy, which is a feat in and of itself. Even more astounding, visuals accompanied each track. Other musicians such as Drake (If You’re Reading This, It’s Too Late), Kendrick Lamar (To Pimp a Butterfly), and Frank Ocean (Blonde) took notice and followed suit.
Beyoncé's transformation from global superstar to cultural phenom
While she was recognized as a great performer with undisputable talent, Beyoncé was still stratified into the mold of a globally renowned pop star. Lemonade changed the narrative entirely. Released in 2016, the 12-track album (accompanied by a 65-minute film on HBO) marked her evolution as an artist. With her second visual album (her sixth studio project), Beyoncé created another cultural phenomenon. Widely lauded as her magnum opus, Lemonade, Beyoncé became the subject of college classes and academic discourse. Coinciding with the then-burgeoning Black Lives Matter movement, Lemonade symbolized Black people, especially Black women, and their complicated existence in America.
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Beychella
When it was announced that Beyoncé would be headlining Coachella in 2018, it was a given that she was about to grace the world with one of the best performances ever seen on a live stage. The moment was already historic, given that Beyoncé was the first Black woman to headline the annual festival in its 20-year existence. Before she even took the stage, the BeyHive had already re-dubbed the festival to #Beychella in acknowledgment of the milestone and greatness she was about to serve. In a poignant moment, she fully displayed Black culture and history with her HBCU-inspired set on one of the world’s biggest (and whitest) platforms. Not only again that, but she delivered an iconic performance.
RENAISSANCE Era
We are currently living in the "RENAISSANCE" era! An ode to her queer supporters, this brilliant project fuses soul, hip-hop, dance, house and credits the many artists who paved the way. Bey is currently on tour, conquering city after city, unapologetically affirming the beauty of Blackness, regardless of sexual orientation and gender. The tour has already grossed over $127.6 million worldwide, according to Billboard.
Happy birthday, Beyoncé!
