Beyoncé, or Queen Bey as she’s known to fans around the world, doesn’t often speak to the media, but on the verge of turning 40, arguably the world’s most famous singer sat down for a chat with . She spoke about the pressures on Black women to succeed, keeping track of your mental health and when she’s releasing new music.
And as someone who regularly collaborates on making iconic images, a stunning photoshoot of Beyoncé accompanies the interview.
About to turn 40 next month, Beyoncé takes stock of the preceding decades that led to where she is in life right now. Going back to when she was in her teens and Destiny’s Child was taking off, Beyoncé talks about the pressures on her to succeed.
“I felt as a young Black woman that I couldn’t mess up,” she says. “I felt the pressure from the outside and their eyes watching for me to trip or fail.”
Much was written when Beyoncé released her video album Lemonade in 2016 and how it dissected the experience of Black women. , “Lemonade provides a risk-free emotional space that sonically and visually highlights what we all miss when we dismiss and neglect black women’s emotional lives... Lemonade takes up a bittersweet space to explore how it feels, and how it has felt for so long, for black women to be so black and blue”
As was the case back then and is now, Beyoncé is vocal about what it means to be a Black woman, even if she happens to be a superstar.
“I wanted to break all of the stereotypes of the Black superstar, whether falling victim to drugs or alcohol or the absurd misconception that Black women were angry. I knew I was given this amazing opportunity and felt like I had one shot. I refused to mess it up, but I had to give up a lot,” she told Harper’s Bazaar.
Beyoncé also spoke about how she started up her own entertainment company in her 20s. “I pulled together these young visionaries and independent thinkers to collaborate with. I wanted strong women to be in key roles throughout my company, when most of the industry was still male dominated,” she said.
Collaborating with and giving a platform to up and coming Black creatives is something the singer has always been passionate about. When she guest-edited the issue of Vogue in 2018 she talked about how she wanted to open doors for the “next generation of young talent.” : "It’s important to me that I help open doors for younger artists. There are so many cultural and societal barriers to entry that I like to do what I can to level the playing field, to present a different point of view for people who may feel like their voices don’t matter."
But how does someone as famous as Beyoncé take care of herself? The singer mentions how she’s learned to set boundaries.
“Throughout my career, I’ve been intentional about setting boundaries between my stage persona and my personal life,” she said. “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.”
She is also ditching diets after spending decades “with the misconception that self-care meant exercising and being overly conscious of my body”. Instead she is focussing on her mental health by learning to sleep better with the help of CBD (short for cannabidiol, a chemical compound from the Cannabid sativa plant) as well as turning to honey. And if that wasn’t enough the singer is also building a hemp and honey farm and keeps bee hives on the roof of her house.
But what the singer’s fans most want to know is when she’s coming out with some new music. Beyoncé told Harper’s Bazaar that we will be hearing a new release from her soon.
“After 31 years, it feels just as exciting as it did when I was nine years old. Yes, the music is coming!”
To which we can all say, hallelujah!
Saman Shad is a freelance writer.
