Beyoncé on her music journey: 'I stopped focusing on what’s popular'
Beyoncé says she retired from the formula of the pop star a very long time ago...
After more than 30 years in the music industry, Beyoncé is moving to the beat of her own drum. The 43-year-old reveals in a new interview with GQ magazine that she is focused on making good music and not what's popular.
She made the comments while discussing whether she ever thinks about her retirement from music.
"I have been putting my body through extremes for multiple decades. I’ve always strived to perform at the level of my favourite athletes on my tours, except in embroidered crystals and high heels," the Grammy Award winner said.
Beyoncé underwent knee surgery shortly before kicking off her 'Renaissance World Tour' in 2023. She suffered a knee injury after years of performing challenging choreography onstage.
Queen B tells GQ that her knee injury gave her an "opportunity to transition into a new animal".
"I retired from the formula of the pop star a very long time ago. I stopped focusing on what’s popular, and began focusing on the qualities that get better with time and experience. Good music and strong messages will never retire."
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Beyoncé also reveals why she stopped making many music videos. The 'Texas Hold 'Em' hitmaker is known for releasing visual albums. She uses music videos and short films to help tell the story of each song on her visual albums.
Every time the singer releases an album, her fans beg her to "drop the visuals". However, her last two offerings were not visual albums, with the singer opting to release a concert film for her 'Renaissance' album.
"I thought it was important that during a time where all we see is visuals, that the world can focus on the voice. The music is so rich in history and instrumentation. It takes months to digest, research, and understand," she said.
The music, Beyoncé says, needs space to breathe on its own.
"Sometimes a visual can be a distraction from the quality of the voice and the music. The years of hard work and detail put into an album that takes over four years! The music is enough. The fans from all over the world became the visual. We all got the visual on tour. We then got more visuals from my film."
Beyoncé's latest album, 'Cowboy Carter', is the second in her 'Renaissance' trilogy. While it is often described as a country album, she has previously stated it is not.
"This ain't a Country album. This is a 'Beyoncé' album," she wrote on Instagram in March.
Speaking to GQ, she said she started working on the album five years ago. It is another example of the singer's desire to push the envelope as an artist and not allow herself to be boxed in by a specific music style or genre.
"From the start of my career and on every album, I have always mixed genres. Whether it is R&B, Dance, Country, Rap, Zydeco, Blues, Opera, Gospel, they have all influenced me in some way. I have favourite artists from every genre you could think about. I believe genres are traps that box us in and separate us."
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Main image credit: Instagram/GQ magazine