The Queen received a Golden Globe nomination today for “Spirit”, the song she wrote for The Lion King. The Queen, however, has other things to think about. I wonder if she’s even going to show up. It’s not like she doesn’t have other things to do. Right now, the priority is IVY Park x adidas. The partnership was announced earlier this year and Beyoncé is now getting ready to launch, with a new ELLE takeover, and “interview”.
As we know, B no longer participates in traditional interviews. She’ll answer questions via email, she’ll answer pre-approved questions on camera with no follow-up, and no shot of anyone sitting across from her asking them, she’ll write her own essays for her cover stories, she’ll ask herself her own questions and edit her replies – but there is always a distance, because the Queen answers to no one.
This “interview” with ELLE though is closer than we’ve come in a long time because it’s social media questions directly from her fans. None of her answers on the deeper issues is new – B talks about ownership and leadership, about motivation, inspiration, and art – but she does choose to respond to a question about winning awards. Because, well, we have seen some f-cksh-t where Beyoncé is concerned. But as I wrote a couple of years ago when she was at the Grammys for Lemonade and defiantly turned her performance into a self-coronation, she had that called long before anyone else did; Beyoncé knew who they were and she told them about themselves, having decided long ago that their reign as the gatekeepers of music excellence is expiring. She put it a lot more elegantly though:
“I began to search for deeper meaning when life began to teach me lessons I didn’t know I needed. Success looks different to me now. I learned that all pain and loss is in fact a gift. Having miscarriages taught me that I had to mother myself before I could be a mother to someone else. Then I had Blue, and the quest for my purpose became so much deeper. I died and was reborn in my relationship, and the quest for self became even stronger. It’s difficult for me to go backwards. Being “number one” was no longer my priority. My true win is creating art and a legacy that will live far beyond me. That’s fulfilling.”
That said, is there anything really insightful here about Beyoncé’s work, anything we didn’t know before? Of course not. A question about her work process results in an answer about prayer. A question about control becomes an opportunity to talk about balancing parental responsibilities. Beyoncé’s not going to give us more than we need – and in her mind, all we need is the art. The rest she’ll give us when she’s good and ready to dip into storage.
But… there is room for some fun. She allows a question about going to the supermarket and Target and this is her response:
“The last time I went to a supermarket, it was more like a bodega before a Madonna concert. Jay and I snuck into one in Crenshaw and bought some Cuervo and Funyuns chips. And…y’all know you see me at Target and I see y’all trying to sneak pics.”
LOLOLOLOL.
When asked about where she keeps her clothes, she talks about sustainability and donating back to those in need and holding a few back for her daughters:
“I give my daughter my custom dresses, so she gon’ be litty. Vintage pieces by the time she hit the city, yeah-ah!!”
That’s a lyric from the Carters’ “LOVEHAPPY” off the EVERYTHING IS LOVE album. And I can see her in my mind, answering it that way with a giggle.
The best part of the article is the speed round. I laughed when she talks about how long her texts are. Because you know, her texts are her “notes”, those famous Beyoncé notes. By now, if you have studied the Queen, you know she gives notes. After every performance, she’s in playback making notes and sending them to her team to improve for the next show. In rehearsal, as we saw during Homecoming on Netflix, she always has notes for the band, for the stage crew, for the lighting directors, for the cinematographers – and when you DON’T get notes, that’s when you know it’s trouble, because it means you haven’t fixed what she wanted fixed from the previous notes.
As for how long it takes her to get ready:
“As long as I take, I better look like Halle Berry.”
And it’s not just Miss Tina who tells corny jokes! Blue Ivy’s mother has a few corny jokes of her own too – and Blue must be MAD that she told one here.
Finally…
A gift that I’m taking personally. Because if you’ve been visiting this site for a while you know I love Oreos. I am an Oreo expert. Do a search of the word “Oreo” on this site and you’ll get pages and pages of hits. It turns out my Queen feels about Oreos the way I feel about Oreos. I have never felt closer to her. I have never felt so blessed.
Click here to read the full Beyoncé interview in ELLE and to see more photos in collaboration with Melina Matsoukas featuring many of the new pieces from IVY PARK x adidas. I need this vest:
I also want these joggers.
With the matching oversized hoodie:
And obviously I’m going for these kicks.