Beyoncé — a star is born

Why the singer is the icon of our age.

By Sophie Elmhirst Published 07 July 2011

I wonder if, as a child, Beyoncé Knowles knew what she was going to be when she grew up. You can imagine her plotting world domination from her bedroom while the other kids baked cookies, or devising her merchandise strategy while they struggled with their algebra. It's hard, somehow, to envisage her playing out the mundanities of childhood - hanging out in the locker room, passing notes along the back row of class - all those things we did to waste time. When was her gawky phase? Did she have spots? It all seems so unlikely.

Beyoncé, I suspect, was born Beyoncé, a grafting diva from day one.At some point on that Sunday evening in June, as the singer performed in front of Glastonbury Festival's sunburned crowd, she made an almost imperceptible transition from superstar to icon. Beyoncé has vaulted into another realm to sit on a golden throne next to Madonna and Marilyn Monroe.

These people don't really exist - they have morphed in our imaginations into heightened versions of themselves. There is a flawed human being in there somewhere - one who sweats and snores like the rest of us - but you have to dig deep to find her.

Beyoncé's Glastonbury performance is already a legend: the flaming halo of hair, the way she would collapse on to her knees to bellow at the floor, the moment she gazed at the 175,000-strong audience and seemed genuinely overwhelmed. Even the wind machine should win prizes. Beyoncé's ability to manipulate an artificial current of air to her hair's advantage is astonishing. (She must have one of those machines at home to practise while she's cooking or watching television. You can picture poor Jay-Z sitting there, frozen, his sunglasses all lopsided from the gale.)

Roo's company

There were off moments in the show - Tricky, who came on to perform a "duet" and then panicked like a lost child in a supermarket; the unnerving image of Wayne Rooney that suddenly appeared on the giant screen as she sang. (Could there be a more inappropriate combination of personalities than Rooney and Knowles? One is a prostitute-visiting, tantrum-throwing footballer with a boulder for a head; the other is an elegant beacon of steely professionalism. They are both formidable athletes but there the similarity abruptly ends.)

In an interview after the performance, Beyoncé said that she had consulted Bono and Chris Martin about her set list, seeking advice from festival old hands. Surely it should have been the other way round. If Bono could dance like Beyoncé, people might forgive him his band's unorthodox tax arrangements. As for Martin, I have a feeling that he might shimmer into nothingness, like a hologram, if Beyoncé sang full throttle within a five-mile radius of his house. I don't see how he could withstand that voltage of charisma. As Tricky discovered, she sings men off the stage - not with her faux feminism but with the unbridled, slam-dunk power of her voice.

Ah, the feminism. It would be nice to read something about Beyoncé that doesn't earnestly dissect her position on feminist theory. I'm not sure she has one. "Run the World (Girls)" is more of a provocation than a manifesto and that's OK by me. I think it might be a bit exhausting if she started reading out choice quotations from The Female Eunuch while shaking her sequinned behind.

People are understandably irritated by some of the cod-philosophising, the lip-service to (heave) "girl power", but must we expect the woman to enact a perfect version of a theory? Isn't the fact of Beyoncé enough? She is one of the most powerful individuals in the music industry. She has sold more than 11.2 million albums, won 16 Grammy Awards and, according to Forbes, made $87m in 2010 alone. The fist-pumping lyrics might seem at odds with some of her more seductive leotards but I'm not sure she's bothered.

Praise of songs

The other charge lobbed at Beyoncé is her clinical self-control, the accusation that she's a soulless pop-bot, assembled by the music industry machine. But have the accusers heard her sing? She has more soul than the combined unearthly inhabitants of a graveyard on Hallowe'en. I saw her perform at the O2 Arena a while ago, a venue that can suck the life out of any breathing creature, and she made it feel like St Paul's Cathedral (a minor exaggeration: it still felt uncannily like a cross-Channel ferry).

There's a difference between being robotic and being consistently good at what you do. I wonder why we find such fault with excellence. We like chinks, we like flaws: they make us feel better about ourselves. But too many chinks and you end up as an Amy Winehouse, with only the memory of a once-great voice to keep you company. Beyoncé rarely puts a foot wrong, in her dance routines or public life (performing for Muammar al-Gaddafi's son aside; but she's in good company in having an unfortunate history with the Libyan leadership, so let's not get too high-horse about it).

She is almost upsettingly wholesome when she's offstage. Recently, she joined Michelle Obama's initiative to fight youth obesity, reworking her song "Get Me Bodied" for a younger audience, which involved delicately rechristening it "Move Your Body". Beyoncé might not be a controversialist, she might be much duller in life than her stage persona suggests and she might appear overly corporate in her interests (L'Oréal, Nintendo, Pepsi, her fashion line, her perfume), but when you boil it all down to her stagecraft, her ability to wow a stadium of people or a farm full of fans, she's faultless.

Sophie Elmhirst is an assistant editor of the New Statesman

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16 comments

Sat, 2011-07-09 02:32 — Lisa (not verified)

Here is my thought about Beyonce it is not that she is that good it is that the industry is filled with lack of talent.
True legends of the past had to do things that no one else could do.
Can no one sing like Beyonce? Actually there is a list of singers who sing better than her.
I wouldn't call what she does dancing because honestly there is no difficult choreography she does.
She doesn't write music.
When we have someone like Rihanna who is close to having as many number 1's as a powerhouse like Mariah Carey then there is a problem. Beyonce is well marketed I give her that.
To mention her as an icon she would have to have impact which I don't think she has.
Lady Gaga three years in the industry has made more of an impact than Beyonce.
Another problem I have with Beyonce is she keeps up with what is in, she never tries to go out of the box she is safe.
Can Beyonce deliver an album like Adele's 21 without all the lights and extras? No she has proven she can't or maybe she is too scared.
Icon is a step in the direction of becoming a legend and while She is talented, she is not the icon of this age, no one is because none have offered all around greatness from past icons.
I hope she finds her fearlessness soon, because Adele and Lady Gaga are offering something that is harder for others to do.

Sat, 2011-07-09 05:33 — Bullit (not verified)

@ Lisa:

Beyonce has lasted 14 years in a music industry that is fickle and unkind, particularly to female pop singers. And throughout all this time, she's managed to sustain her relevance without missing a beat or relying on controversy and scandal to do it (can Gaga lay claim to that? I think not). She's won the respect and support of the very music legends you probably speak of. Legends like Tina Turner, Stevie Wonder, Prince, Michael Jackson, Binoculars, Patti LaBelle and such. Her not writing her own songs is irrelevant, because some of music's most legendary acts didn't write their own songs (Frank Sinatra, Elvis Presley, the aforementioned Tina Turner) and it clearly didn't make a dent in their legacies.

Are there technically better singers than Beyonce out there? Oh, absolutely. Just as there are better singers than Gaga and Adele. But does that take away from their talents? No. And it shouldn't take away from Beyonce's talent, either. Her skill as a performer is just as unquestionable as her vocal talent. I can't think of any artist today who can bring to the stage what she does, not even Gaga. And trust me, my taste and knowledge of music is anything but narrow.

And as for not taking risks, have you ever bothered to listen to her music beyond her popular singles? She indeed does step outside of the box and does things that her peers wouldn't dare do. Go listen to her new album 4 and tell me if it sounds like anything on mainstream radio these days. Rather than jump on the electro-pop bandwagon like everyone else, she further embraces her R&B roots and explores the different spectrums of the genre. In today's music climate, that is anything but safe.

Sat, 2011-07-09 05:36 — Bullit (not verified)

Binoculars = Bono (of U2)

Autocorrect is responsible for that mistake, sorry.

Thu, 2011-07-07 15:01 — DFfrench

Couldn't agree more with this well written article.

I am a professional writer. I like my Laura Nyro, Todd Rundgren, Crosby, Steels & Nash, and all the cred modern stuff too.

But if one looks at where Black female artists have come from, to where Beyonce leading form the front is now -- you realize she hasn't just succeeded.

She defines a dream.

Well done Lady Bey! Millions of us are so proud of you.

Thu, 2011-07-07 15:05 — DFfrench

Correction typo:

Couldn't agree more with this well written article.

I am a professional writer. I like my Laura Nyro, Todd Rundgren, Crosby, Steels & Nash, and all the cred modern stuff too.

But if one looks at where Black female artists have come from, to where Beyonce leading from the front is now -- you realize she hasn't just succeeded.

She defines a dream.

Well done Bey! Millions of us are so proud of you.

Sat, 2011-07-09 15:56 — Adam Hemstal (not verified)

I wonder is there is some of sort of unofficial promo team at work here.

Literally everytime I see an article about Beyonce, advertisement for her new album, youtube for the new video, or even innocous comment anywhere -- a suspiciously corporate, know-it-all pops up
bleating statistics about Adele, carrying on about how much she's done, will do, and intends to do, on her way to world domination.

Two words: Stop it.

Its a cheap tactic and thoroughly disingenuous. Any true artist doesn't need or require this degree of manipulation of public opinion. In actual fact it does a great disservice to the reputation of Adele who I'm sure would be horrified such activity is taking place in her name.

Let me tell you a little something about Beyonce.

She has been making standout progressive records -- not just retro rip-offs, honing her incredible voice -- and respecting it enough to look after it, dancing -- not just standing on stage and balladeering endlessly, proving herself as a solo artist of outstanding professionalism and integrity -- pretty much no cancellations EVER -- on tours and perfomances for a full 15 years before Adele and Gaga ever thought of entering the business.

Furthermore, Beyonces doesn't pander self-interestedly to the pink market to hike her records, or feel the need to make pornographic videos and call it avant garde art. Okay, maybe I'm being a little strong, but you get the point.

Ironically, Beyonce speaks so highly of Adele and Gaga in all her interviews, even offering to duet with and share her moment of glory at Glastonbury with Adele and shout out Gaga -- that in my humble opinion this knocking of her is just compltely unworthy.

There are no rivals in music, not for true musicians. And Beyonce has proven over the years that there is no need to stoop to tearing down another artist in order to prove a point -- especially once that's already been lost. So please, cease and desist with this nonsense.

Beyonce is not only an icon -- she's deserves every bit of success and appreciation she's earned.

Sat, 2011-07-09 16:34 — Adam Hemstal (not verified)

I wonder is there is some of sort of unofficial promo team at work here.

Literally everytime I see an article about Beyonce, advertisement for her new album, youtube for the new video, or even innocous comment anywhere -- a suspiciously corporate, know-it-all pops up blathering statistics about Adele, carrying on about how much she's done, will do, and intends to do, on her way to world domination.

Two words: Stop it.

Let me tell you a little something about Beyonce.

Furthermore, Beyonce doesn't pander self-interestedly to the pink market to hike her records, or feel the need to make pornographic videos and call it avant garde art. Okay, maybe I'm being a little strong, but you get the point.

Beyonce is not only an icon -- she's deserves every bit of success and appreciation she's earned.

Sat, 2011-07-09 17:28 — Lisa (not verified)

@Bullit

Why do I have to listen to her entire album to see she embraces her roots. Why doesn't she release them as singles instead of Run the world nonesense and that other song that is just like Irreplaceable.
If you listened to any popular artists entire album you will find songs that don't sound anything like what's on the radio.
But whatever song you choose to release and market and that to me is what makes me call her "safe".
It would be ridiculous for me to call her untalented because that is far from the truth. But I think she is overrated, and I say that because of the state of the industry,
You bring up Beyonce lasting in the industry 14 years, so has Britney Spears. Have we ever heard her sing live? No. She does not even look like she wants to be on the stage anymore. So I don't get your point with that.
Speaking on legends supporting her, if I was asked a question in an interview about a fellow colleague would of course I would say positive things that is the
business.
You bring up Lady Gaga's controversy maintaining her relevance, I can do the same with Beyonce selling sex to maintain her relevance.(performing in bathing suits is what I call it)
I would never say Beyonce is not talented because that is a lie, but I think she is overrated compared to what I would consider an icon.

Sat, 2011-07-09 17:35 — Deborah Ffrench (not verified)

I think Lisa spends a lot of time talking about someone she claims to think is merely average.

Move on dear.

Sat, 2011-07-09 17:37 — Lisa (not verified)

@Adam Hemstal

How does my praise do disservice to Adele? Why would one person's opinion change your opinion of an artist. You must not have read comments from Beyonce fans on the internet with the extreme competition and degrading of other artists. Does that do a disservice to beyonce?
You consider "run the world" a progressive record? A teenager would not even sing such lyrics.
I guess I made a mistake when I mentioned other artists.
Even with all her talent she is still trying to compete for radio hits, if she did not she wouldn't release songs that are beneath someone who has been in the industry this long and can sing better than most on the radio.
This is why I appreciate other artists more than her.