As we have seen over the years, February, Black History Month, is a big month for Beyoncé. When she was pregnant with the twins she announced it in February. “Formation” dropped in February, right before the Super Bowl, and then right after the Super Bowl she announced the tour. Last February, at the start of Black History Month is when she confirmed the dates for the Renaissance World Tour. But by her own standards, this February for Beyoncé has been the biggest of them all. Beyoncé has literally taken over this month. 

 

We saw what happened at the Super Bowl – the Verizon commercial, the two new songs preceding the new album release in March, and just yesterday it became official: “Texas Hold ‘Em” has topped Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart, making her the first Black woman to earn the achievement. In addition, the song is currently #2 on the Hot 100 counting just five days of release and there are many who are predicting for it to go to #1 next week wit a full seven days of rotation. She is now the first woman in history to top the country and the R&B charts and perhaps even more impressive, she is the only artist ever to have #1 hits on SEVEN of Billboard’s multimetric song charts: the Hot 100, Hot Country Songs, Hot Dance/Electronic Songs, Hot Gospel Songs, Hot Latin Songs, Hot R&B Songs, and Hot R&B/Hip-Hop songs. In other words: Beyoncé IS music!

 

But Beyoncé isn’t just music. Because along with the music, Beyoncé had another launch planned for Black History Month: Cécred, her hair care line, dropped yesterday. I spent a lot of time on the website yesterday, a lot of time because it is thorough. It is thorough because it is inclusive. Beyoncé’s passion for hair comes from her background, it is part of her history as a descendant of the Black women who came before her, including her mother, Miss Tina, whose tradition of hair innovation she is carrying forward. As Beyoncé explained in her new Essence cover story: 

“Every hair texture deserves testing, research and development. Black women in general are the last to be included in testing. We are often prescribed things based on studies we were not included in. It’s bigger than me, or hair. Now we have created something that celebrates healthy hair for all women, including us. I’m always honored to invest in us.”

It’s yet another example of how those who have been excluded become those who are the most inclusive. Beyoncé is serving Black women, but not just Black women. Look at the variety on the Cécred page for hair types - that’s where went to first yesterday and found myself: “Straight – Medium”. And from there I took the Quiz. I love a quiz, any quiz, but a hair quiz for the best Beyoncé hair product suited to me?! Say less! 

 

So, to no one’s surprise, Beyoncé’s rollout of Cécred has been thoughtful and considered. And not just with the website but with the publicity. Beauty editors are now sharing their exclusive personal experiences not just with the products but with Miss Tina herself with editors from Allure, Cosmopolitan, and more have now published pieces about how they were introduced to the line by Miss Tina, the company’s vice chair. Miss Tina, after all, is Beyoncé’s hair mentor. It’s great marketing and it’s a reflection of just how involved Beyoncé is and will be with this initiative. 

 

Because that’s another reason why this February has been so extraordinary by Beyoncé standards. We know her to be …well… not that accessible. But, again, by Beyoncé standards, she has been giving a LOT this month! There was the Super Bowl, there was Fashion Week, there was Kelly Rowland’s premiere, and most amazingly, at the Cécred launch party last night, Beyoncé was MINGLING. 

 

There are many videos like this being shared online today from the event where Beyoncé moved around, relatively casually, among those fortunate enough to be invited, either approaching guests or speaking to guests approaching her. It’s about as up-close-and-personal as it’s ever been, at least as it’s been in years, where Beyoncé is concerned. Brittany Broski finally met her – and here’s how she reacted: 

@lostmymarblesagain

I’m beyhive forever and ever bro i would d1e for this shit im not joking in the slightest i love you bey thank you to the Cécred team for thinking of me this was one of the best nights of my entire life i truly am so unbelievably grateful for my life every single day

♬ original sound - secret brittany
@lostmymarblesagain

#beyhive

♬ original sound - avery
 

That’s been one of the questions leading up to the Cécred launch – just how Beyoncé would manage her now infamous level of detachment with the intimate approach that is the key to much of the success of the celebrity brands in the beauty space. She told Essence that Cécred is so much more than just a business for her, explaining that: 

“Cécred is a legacy project for me, one that’s probably the most rooted in my ancestry. It’s so far beyond business. Hair is our lineage; it’s our family story.” 

And thus she has tailored her visibility and her accessibility to meet that motivation. As Brooklyn White-Grier, who wrote the Essence cover story, concludes in her piece: 

“In the world of Cécred, Beyoncé is dealing in two worlds she’s grown accustomed to. The separation of business and her heart’s callings isn’t present for her. Each commercial move appears to be guided by a deeper, personal purpose.”

You could say the same of Beyoncé’s music. She isn’t putting out albums by the numbers to generate the most streams and boost the biggest sales numbers; rather the music she is making is meant to honour her “lineage”, another chapter in the “family story” she has been chosen to tell. And that’s why we’ve been seeing in real time Beyoncé come closer and closer. 

Click here for more from Beyoncé  in Essence.

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