If I asked you who the greatest female performer is, who would come to mind? Madonna? Britney Spears? Lady Gaga, perhaps?
The one person who comes to my mind is none other than Queen Bey, Beyoncé. Personally, I have been a fan of Beyoncé since she was in the girl group, Destiny's Child. When the group went their separate ways, everyone looked at Beyoncé to see what she was going to do next. In 2003, She released her debut single, "Crazy In Love." Soon after its release, "Crazy In Love" found itself in the number one spot on the US Billboard Top 100. It stayed in the #1 spot on the Top 100 for eight straight weeks after its release and stayed on the Top 100 for 27 weeks.
Watch the "Crazy In Love" video here:
I'm giving you this brief lesson in music history to prove that Beyoncé should have at least some respect for her name. She has been releasing chart-topping music since her solo debut. Not only is she a great vocalist (notice, I didn't say the best), she knows how to put on a show. In her HBO Documentary "Life is But a Dream," we learn that Beyoncé is a perfectionist in every aspect. This means that every show she puts on must be as if it is her last.
One great example people don't initially think about is Beyoncé's performance of "Run The World (Girls)" at the 2011 Billboard Music Awards. This performance is a spectacle in itself as Beyoncé dances in front of images projected behind her as they move along with the choreography. This performance excels in visuals, choreography, and vocals. Watch here:
Moving forward, Beyoncé has come to gain respect from many artists, producers, and other important people in the music industry. Many people thought "Well, she's already at the top, where else can she go?" It wasn't until December 13, 2013, when Beyoncé broke the internet with her surprise self-titled album. This album sold over 617,000 copies in the US within its first three days. As of November 2014, this album has sold over five million copies worldwide. With fourteen songs and seventeen music videos, the self-titled album took the world by storm.
Three years later, Beyoncé released "Formation," which turned out to be the lead single for the album "Lemonade." This song received much praise for its abundance of Black Pride and depiction of African-Americans that isn't shown in mainstream media. In order to promote the song, Beyoncé performed it during her guest appearance at the Super Bowl 50 halftime show the day after its premiere. Watch that performance here:
"Lemonade" was released on April 23, 2016, the day after the 65-minute accompanying film was aired on HBO. This album is Beyoncé's most critically acclaimed album to date, was nominated for nine Grammys and won two (Best Urban Contemporary Album and Best Music Video for "Formation").
Currently, we wait to see what Beyoncé has up her sleeve to release for the years to come. For those who believe that Beyoncé is strictly overrated, I hope this article helps you realize that although music taste is subjective, we can appreciate all artists for their creativity and for their craft.
