Beyonce is back and fittingly blazes the cover of Harper’s Bazaar‘s ICON issue.
The stunning feature arrives ahead of the superstar’s 40th birthday on September 4 and in many ways functions as a gift to fans.
For, beyond posing it up for a full-spread lensed by Campbell Addy, the reclusive singer gave a rare interview and left no stone unturned.
Within the feature, she opened up about her life in earnest – personal and professional.
She opened up about purposefully taking a Sade and Prince approach to fame, the private hardships she faced behind the scenes, motherhood, her public perception, IVY PARK, incoming business ventures, and the fact she’s been working on new music for a year and a half.
Of the hotly anticipated material, Queen Bey – who rarely speaks about her music before its release – confirmed: “it’s coming!”
Pics and quotes below…
On Her New Outlook:
“I’ve spent so many years trying to better myself and improve whatever I’ve done that I’m at a point where I no longer need to compete with myself. I have no interest in searching backwards. The past is the past. I feel many aspects of that younger, less evolved Beyoncé could never f*** with the woman I am today. Haaa!”
On When The New Music Is Coming:
“With all the isolation and injustice over the past year, I think we are all ready to escape, travel, love, and laugh again. I feel a renaissance emerging, and I want to be part of nurturing that escape in any way possible. I’ve been in the studio for a year and a half. Sometimes it takes a year for me to personally search through thousands of sounds to find just the right kick or snare. One chorus can have up to 200 stacked harmonies. Still, there’s nothing like the amount of love, passion, and healing that I feel in the recording studio. After 31 years, it feels just as exciting as it did when I was nine years old. Yes, the music is coming!”
On Her Wants For Her 40s:
My wish is for my 40s to be fun and full of freedom. I want to feel the same freedom I feel on stage every day of my life. I want to explore aspects of myself I haven’t had time to discover and to enjoy my husband and my children. I want to travel without working. I want this next decade to be about celebration, joy, and giving and receiving love. I want to give all the love I have to the people who love me back.
I’ve done so much in 40 years that I just want to enjoy my life. It’s hard going against the grain, but being a small part of some of the overdue shifts happening in the world feels very rewarding. I want to continue to work to dismantle systemic imbalances. I want to continue to turn these industries upside down. I plan to create businesses outside of music. I have learned that I have to keep on dreaming. One of my favorite quotes is from the inventor Charles Kettering. It goes “Our imagination is the only limit to what we can hope to have in the future.”
I want to show that you can have fun and have purpose, be respectful and speak your mind. You can be both elegant and a provocateur. You can be curvy and still be a fashion icon. I wish this freedom for every person. I have paid my dues and followed every rule for decades, so now I can break the rules that need to be broken. My wish for the future is to continue to do everything everyone thinks I can’t do.”
On IVY PARK Rodeo:
“This collection is a mixture of my childhood growing up in Texas and a bit of American history. I grew up going to the Houston rodeo every year. It was this amazing diverse and multicultural experience where there was something for every member of the family.
I’m excited that IVY PARK x adidas will now feature kids’ clothing with this drop. On our family vacations, we love to coordinate our outfits. My kids are usually on set with me for shoots, and we’d find ourselves putting them in extra-extra-smalls so we could match. So, it is a natural progression for IVY PARK to introduce a selection of key silhouettes in children’s sizing.”
On Fame & Privacy:
“We live in a world with few boundaries and a lot of access. There are so many internet therapists, comment critics, and experts with no expertise. Our reality can be warped because it’s based on a personalized algorithm. It shows us whatever truths we are searching for, and that’s dangerous. We can create our own false reality when we’re not fed a balance of what’s truly going on in the world. It’s easy to forget that there’s still so much to discover outside of our phones. I’m grateful I have the ability to choose what I want to share. One day I decided I wanted to be like Sade and Prince. I wanted the focus to be on my music, because if my art isn’t strong enough or meaningful enough to keep people interested and inspired, then I’m in the wrong business. My music, my films, my art, my message—that should be enough.
Throughout my career, I’ve been intentional about setting boundaries between my stage persona and my personal life. My family and friends often forget the side of me that is the beast in stilettos until they are watching me perform. It can be easy to lose yourself very quickly in this industry. It takes your spirit and light, then spits you out. I’ve seen it countless times, not only with celebrities but also producers, directors, executives, etc. It’s not for everyone. Before I started, I decided that I’d only pursue this career if my self-worth was dependent on more than celebrity success. I’ve surrounded myself with honest people who I admire, who have their own lives and dreams and are not dependent on me. People I can grow and learn from and vice versa. In this business, so much of your life does not belong to you unless you fight for it. I’ve fought to protect my sanity and my privacy because the quality of my life depended on it. A lot of who I am is reserved for the people I love and trust. Those who don’t know me and have never met me might interpret that as being closed off. Trust, the reason those folks don’t see certain things about me is because my Virgo ass does not want them to see it….It’s not because it doesn’t exist!
On Her Tribe:
“My closest friends are brilliant women who run companies, are entrepreneurs, mothers, wives, and close family. Kelly [Rowland] and Michelle [Williams] are still my best friends. I gravitate toward strong, grounded women like my incredible sister, Solange. She is full of wisdom, and she is the dopest person I know.”
On Life Over Lockdown:
“During quarantine, I went from overindulgences to creating positive rituals drawing from past generations and putting my own spin on things. I discovered CBD on my last tour, and I’ve experienced its benefits for soreness and inflammation. It helped with my restless nights and the agitation that comes from not being able to fall asleep. I found healing properties in honey that benefit me and my children. And now I’m building a hemp and a honey farm. I’ve even got hives on my roof! And I’m so happy that my daughters will have the example of those rituals from me.”
On Cultivating Healthy Habits:
“I think like many women, I have felt the pressure of being the backbone of my family and my company and didn’t realize how much that takes a toll on my mental and physical well-being. I have not always made myself a priority. I’ve personally struggled with insomnia from touring for more than half of my life. Years of wear and tear on my muscles from dancing in heels. The stress on my hair and skin, from sprays and dyes to the heat of a curling iron and wearing heavy makeup while sweating on stage. I’ve picked up many secrets and techniques over the years to look my best for every show. But I know that to give the best of me, I have to take care of myself and listen to my body.
In the past, I spent too much time on diets, with the misconception that self-care meant exercising and being overly conscious of my body. My health, the way I feel when I wake up in the morning, my peace of mind, the number of times I smile, what I’m feeding my mind and my body—those are the things that I’ve been focusing on. Mental health is self-care too. I’m learning to break the cycle of poor health and neglect, focusing my energy on my body and taking note of the subtle signs that it gives me. Your body tells you everything you need to know, but I’ve had to learn to listen.”
Do it Bey! 🤳🏽 Shayla Q**** and Mariwench could NEVER EVER lmaooooooooo 💋
Me & My Queen are running thangs💅🏿 Girls, we run this mutha👑 trashy p** is running in a pigpen.😂🤣😂🤣
Couldn’t we? Then why do you STAY obsessed, dear? 🤷🏽♀️ lmaoooooooooo 🤣
Besides being s*** as hell and talented, millions of girls and guys are walking around seeing Beyonce as an icon, epitome, symbol of excellence.
Also, in my opinion, the only other popstar diva this fly so late in there career was Tina Turner. Diana Ross, Whitney, Mariah at 40 years old cant touch 40 year old Beyonce
And BISH, I dragged yo screaming ass all the way to the SOUTHSIDE by yo steel wool hair YESTERDAY! I ain’t finna do it AGAIN unless yo ass really REALLY WANT IT!
I’m TEW on point for U 🤣 Everything I DOOOOOOO lol 😂💋
You need to think of better names for us as the ones you chose are DRIER than your ashy skin and knotted afropuffs 💯💋
Lmao what is this hot mess of a photoshoot. Like I said her photoshoots she ain’t a model like rihanna or bring life to the pics. She looks average in these shoots. I feel like she tries so hard to be like rihanna when she does her photoshoots.
She did impact the music business. When she dropped her Beyoncé album at midnight on a Friday, the entire music business was shaken up. In fact, after that albums which previously were released every Tuesday for decades, were shifted to be released on Fridays. So, she did have an impact on music, and the music business. I don’t understand why so many people hate on her as hard as they do. Just because she doesn’t share her imperfections all the time with us. It’s also like she’s not allowed to be nice and sincere. Everybody just assumes it’s a front she puts on. Maybe, just maybe she is a kid hearted good natured human being, and because of their own demons, people just can’t see that.
Another lion king flop tracks💅🏿 She had been irreverent since lemonade h o e
Beyoncé in her 30’s literally shitted on every woman in the music industry in the most nicest, soft hearted way. She literally shifted culture with only 3 solo albums and changed the industry. So I’m excited to see what Beyoncé in her 40’s will be. She seems to be in a much happier, excited place but I hope that shows up in her music. I DO NOT WANT rehashes of “The Gift”, “Everything Is Love” or “ack Parade”. This photoshoot reminds me much of the 4 different shoots of “4”. It’s not overdone, don’t looks pretentious, there’s not a hidden life or African message in the clothes, just classic Beyoncé. Let’s hope since she can’t tour this go round, we some promo, some interviews, some virtual concerts.
Lmfao she ain’t no icon that’s for sure. Nothing she has done has impacted music or left a mark as going down in history 😂😂😂. Everything to all of a sudden I genuinely care about black people was only a calculated move. Nothing about it was real unlike queen rihanna she is an icon and is for the people genuinely for black people and everything else.
Exactly, she didn’t shift anything. Nobody cites her as an influence, none of the current day female artists model themselves after her, nobody references her in pop culture so exactly how did she make an impact? She only blew up by default because there was no female competition. She was just lucky enough to have an amazing hype machine.
Serious question:
How did she shift culture?
She’s nothing but a cheap carbon copy of Tina Turner
What Tina did had class to it. She was never onstage shaking bare ass while her toddler watched from backstage. Ijs.
@Lite Brite FACTS 💯
@Lite Brite: Blue watched her ma lipsynch fail in a thong from THE AUDIENCE
Ur delusional. Her music was mostly forgettable. No ones talking about it today. Her last few albums flopped too. Don’t forget about what fun fact.
I, for one, liked her solo song “My Heart Still Beats” from Survivor. No Bey classic in my musical memory ever since. . .heck, I like the Pepsi remix to Grown Woman to her entire discog. Bey needs Kichelle to shine 🎀FIN🎀
She just looks so dead in the face. So uninspired you can tell she was threatened by Rihanna’s announcement they way she dropping like literally right after. Smh she always does this first it was albums now it business campaigns
Amazing interview! I haven’t seen her be this transparent since her early DC days! Say whatever the f*** you want about Bey, but you can’t say she didn’t shift the culture on multiple occasions. She is one of the HARDEST WORKING ARTISTS EVER. Everyone dreams of having an illustrious career like Bey. She’s done it all. BRAVA BEY!!!!
Im not sure why y’all always say “she works so hard”..how? When she knows she can do anything and people will eat it up…I’m not on anyone’s bandwagon (cause honestly I don’t give a fk about any of them) but girls like Tinashe, Normani etc are people I consider that “works hard”..any of these people who don’t have a strong support team are the REAL hard workers..ijs
BTW I don’t care about who is the better singer, who sold the most records nor who got the most money or #1…I’m talking about “hard work” and granted Beyonce is a hard worker but she isn’t the ONLY hard worker 🤷
Where did I say she was the only hard worker? I said she’s ONE OF THE HARDEST WORKING ARTISTS EVER. You know it, I know it, we all know it. Beyonce has the work ethic of the energizer bunny. This woman went straight into rehearsals for Homecoming after giving birth to twins and pregnancy complications for Gods sake. & that’s just one of thousands of examples. Look at the amount of detail she puts into her live shows. Recording multiple albums and projects at the same time. Working NONSTOP since the age of 9. MOST OF THESE GIRLS COULD NEVER. They wanna quit after one album. They let men influence their careers or lack thereof. But keep being purposely obtuse!!! That’s a personal problem.
She can crap in a glass cup and her fans would eat it up 😂😂😂.
How did she shift culture?
MJ was a harder, more conscientious working Virgo … Madonna is another example of a meticulous (Virgo Moon) performer … Callas (the greatest Dramatic Coloratura of ALL time) is to date the most surgical work horse in music history books.
So, Bey didn’t invent a*** retention.
That’s ånål retention
MJ is the hardest working entertainer ever. Madonna doesn’t even get an honorable mention because she isn’t f****** with Bey talent wise, EVER!!! Who started the TREND of surprise album drops? Visual albums? Who got the industry to change the day albums are dropped? Why are people still running around screaming Put a ring on it 13 years later? Let’s not even go into the BeyHives impact lmao. Beyonce IS the culture. Y’all know it but hate to admit it. 24 years in the game and hasn’t slowed down yet. There’s a reason why Beyonce is mentioned with legends and not her counterparts!!! Who else?
So, she dropped music sneakily to avoid major sales competition, moved release dates, and saw a song lyric (that 13 other people are credited for co-writing) become a real-life meme for used up concubines playing wife sans ring or marriage certificate? Groundbreaking! 👏
So why is she still relevant? Why are you on a post about her ? Why is she featured on Harpers Bazaar?
@Gag everyone has already left the ROOM! lmaoooooooooo 🤣
Only millennial aunties still listen to Beyonce lmao. Her glory days are over and then clothes is ugly chile
The cover and the last 2 pics are everything!
Yassss my little pony!
These quotes I actually enjoyed. She seemed to have something to say. Perhaps “Beyonce in her 40’s” will be something interesting…
She really lost her mind. Younger Beyoncé was untouchable ! This one is just a piece of trash. Her music is garbage, her style is garbage, her elegance is gone, her class is gone, everything that made her great is gone.
Now all she got is her termithive, her ass to show and her dead face.
She spent her latter years trying to keep up with Rihanna and the IG girls.
Great read for a fabulous shoot! We missed you, Queen 👑💚👏🏻
I’m interested to c what she’ll do next basically since she never really had a signature style All her own . She mastered what was hot at the moment Go go, Trap etc. will she return to r n b roots. Does the gp care anymore. The 50k beehive who bully people wont b enough to keep her on top sales n stream wise. I c a ton of features in her future to assist w that
This will def be a career defining album
■ Curling irons ruined her hair? I thought she mostly wore wigs and weaves.
■ Links privacy to Virgo. No bish. . .your Scorpio moon makes u secretive.
■ Jay invests in 420 & now we learn she has farms of it? Lah-Dee-Dah! Hova back to selling drugs. Circle of life, eh?
■ Fashion icon? 😂😂😂😂😂😂
Lol keep punching brick walls nobody cars what you have to say her fans will be supporting and you will continue to be upset that she exists
Always showing up TOO LATE when the conversation is already DONE lmaoooooooooo 🤣
Beyoncé’s return= Disgruntled comments!
You would think after 24 years of being one of the most successful and dominant figures in the music industry people would stop being so BITTER! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
I love Beyonce but she’s not a fashion icon. She’s living her best life though. I’m not sure if her approach to privacy is similar to that of Sade and Prince. Sade is ridiculously private and so was Prince. Beyonce is somewhat private, if anything she’s gradually and very slowly opened up more to the public eye and social media. /////side note, I hope Solange releases a new album soon
She’s not private, just sneaky, calculated and non-transparent, inarticulate and shady as hell, so her PR keep her from speaking and from doing most interviews.
So she tired and just want to be! Makes sense I guess. Question is will her lunatic stand allow to return to basics and just make fun music instead of forcing her to identify with a culture she partly disconnected from?
LOL 😂 all the haters in here are CaBloata fans. Let that sink in… 💀
Looking ugly old fat and washed up as usual
S*** got damn✨ There’s healing in this interview. Dear God, continue to use her as a messenger. She’s responsible with the gift.
Thank you 🤌🏾
THE AMOUNT OF ANGER IN THESE COMMENTS 💀
The queen keeps y’all bothered. Stay tuned. I know y’all will!
No. WE keep YOU bothered.
^^^ here’s the most pressed b**** of them all
Still bothered I see 👀
Clearly your mother purposely dropped you on the head as a baby. You failed abortion.
Hunnie, you sound like a woman and child abuser and EXTREMELY full of anger but go awf lmaoooooooooo 🤣💋
LOL old lady carter need to sit on down, her messy bottom fan base has moved on to dummi b and megan now, only white twinks are into her but nobody cares about them lmfaooooo *laughs in Billion Dollar Fenty
The Queen is all of 40 but looks 20
The Queen has the Body of Victoria’s Secret, the Face of Naomi Cambel, the voice of Mariah Carey, the Dance ability of Chris Brown, the Performance & stage presence of Michael Jackson, the musicality of Prince, the vocal range of christina agurlera, the Acting abilty of Angela Basset
And im not done yet!
The skin of Halle Berry, the Gratitude of Michelle Willams, the buisness saviness of Tyler Perry, the essence of Marylyn Monroe, the appeal of Kim Kardasian, the Grace of Oprah, the Class of Michelle Obama, the innocence of Christ, the Wisdom of Maya Angelo.
Well you should be bothered cuz Queen Normani is coming to snatch auntie Yonce wig and relevance.😂😂😂
Guess f******* will have to wait till 2023 to drop that album. With Beyoncé, Rihanna, Adele, she will never stand a chance. Plus Aaliyah discography coming to streaming services. You don’t want to up against any of those ladies trust me girl. So Yeah Normani not happening
she looks too old . she should learn from jlo .
You ever notice how all the hate on this blog is only directed towards the black women? But this is an urban blog ?
That Grape Juice ? Such a disrespectful stereotype.
Meanwhile yall hyping up all the white women, Gaga/Camilla etc.
This blog should be called ‘MILK’
I truly enjoyed reading Beyonce’s thoughts and to see how much she has grown and matured seems like marriage children and having her own family has surely elevated Beyonce to a whole new level. I have a whole new respect for her , Beyonce’s statements were true I found myself nodding several times in agreement and I’m 34 years her senior. Enjoy your life don’t forget to take time to smell the roses , be happy be safe…..Lovey