Pop Artists Research: BEYONCÉ

BEYONCÉ

Beyoncé Knowles-Carter is a 33 year old American singer and actress. As a solo artist she has sold 118 million records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling artists of all time. In total she has won 17 Grammy awards. Her musical influences include Michael Jackson, Diana Ross and Whitney Houston. She is also a successful actress and has starred in many films, including Dreamgirls and The Pink Panther. Being known mononymously is very powerful as it suggests that she is incredibly famous. It also provides a sense of intimacy, as if everyone is on first-name terms with her. This therefore gives her a friendly image.
 

Beyoncé first rose to fame in 1997 as part of R&B girl group Destiny’s Child. That year their debut song Killing Time was featured on the Men in Black soundtrack, and the group went on to be incredibly successful. Four of their singles went to number 1 in the U.S., and their third album Survivor reached number 1 in seven countries worldwide.

 

Beyoncé has described herself as a “modern-day feminist”, with her public image strongly presenting her as an independent woman (coincidently this is the name of a Destiny’s Child song- reinforcing this idea). She also has an alter-ego called Sasha Fierce. Beyoncé says that it is Sasha who performs on stage, as she is not “aggressive” or “sassy” enough.  There was a very regal theme to the marketing of her Mrs Carter Show World Tour, referencing her independence but also suggesting superiority to other artists.

 

Her beauty is a very important side to Beyoncé’s public image. Wearing revealing clothing onstage, she has become a sex symbol. People magazine named her “World’s Most Beautiful Woman” in 2012, and GQ chose her to top their “100 Sexiest Women of the 21^st Century” in 2013. Beyoncé’s image is a careful balance; she does not overly sexualise her image, and remains a strong role model to young girls. However by owning her beauty Beyoncé draws in a male fan base; listeners who may not be interested in her music. Furthermore, girls will look up to her because they will aspire to be a beautiful, independent woman like her. In addition Beyoncé’s healthy, curvy figure presents a positive image as it encourages girls to make healthy choices; unlike many skinny celebrities, Beyoncé’s figure does not motivate girls to starve themselves. She is definitely a promoter of being natural, as in 2013, Beyoncé criticized H&M proposing "retouching" of images of her. Furthermore according to Vogue Beyoncé demanded that only "natural pictures be used”.
 

 

In 2008 Beyoncé married Shawn Carter, aka American rapper Jay-Z. Their marriage is one of the most high profile celebrity marriages, and draws a lot of public attention. Despite this the pair have been reasonably private about their relationship. This shows that they are down to earth and also creates intrigue.
Beyoncé’s fan base is called The Bey Hive, a name chosen by fans afters petitions on twitter. The competitions were so popular that there were online news reports. Many artists name their fan bases, however this is mostly distinctive of pop artists.