Beyoncé’s impact spans decades, generations, races, and any other demographic you can think of. When someone says “Beyoncé” it immediately triggers images of Beyoncé Knowles-Carter because no other Beyoncé exists in popular culture’s eyes. Her powerful position within this generation’s culture makes her one of the most significant performers of the twenty-first century and, arguably, of all time.
No matter what Beyoncé album you decide to listen to, you will hear songs that champion female empowerment and success. Tracks like “Single Ladies,” and “Run the World (Girls),” celebrate female independence using confident lyrics and an upbeat tempo. The vulnerable lyrics on her Lemonade album express her pain from Jay-Z’s infidelity. However, this confidence disguised as vulnerability allowed her to reclaim her marriage while protecting her character.
According to BBC, Beyoncé redefines what it means to be a mother and wife. Her close relationship with her daughter Blue Ivy combined with the sexual lyrics of songs like “Drunk in Love” portray an ideal balance within her marriage. Only a couple of weeks after the birth of her twins, she dove into creating and rehearsing her epic 2018 Coachella performance. Behind-the-scenes footage in her Homecoming Netflix special shows countless scenes of her children visiting her at rehearsal. This “insidering” approach shows Beyoncé in a more down-to-earth light because it shows her struggle with the desire to focus on her newborns while preparing for this performance.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/48754161/Screen_Shot_2016-02-07_at_10.34.20_PM.0.0.png)
When given the chance, Beyoncé never shies away from making a statement about her personal beliefs. During the 2016 Super Bowl half time show, she commented on the treatment of African Americans in the United States through her and her dancers’ costumes and dance routine. Additionally, she invited African American mothers who lost their sons through police brutality to the MTV Video Music Awards, further showing her dedication to race issues. To see more of Beyoncé’s activism, click here.
Beyoncé is a performer, artist, mother, wife, and activist and fans see into these worlds in the Homecoming concert documentary. Her commitment to both art and bettering society makes her one of the most influential performers the music industry has ever seen.
Who else can release an album in the middle of the night without a single marketing push and still achieve platinum status? No one.
Molly McNulty | CCPA 3335 Blog #2
MOLLY'S BLOG 