Julia Rosen
Staff Writer
Beyoncé has been on everyone’s lips this past decade and more than ever now after her recent Superbowl performance. Just this year, which is less than two months old, the “Queen of Everything” as some would say, has sung the national anthem at the Presidential Inauguration, performed at the Super Bowl Half Time Show, released her autobiographical documentary, “Life Is But A Dream”, and now she is getting ready for her “Mrs. Carter World Tour”. Alongside her husband Jay-Z and their child Blue Ivy Carter, Beyoncé has been in the public eye non-stop. It seems like Beyoncé’s reign will never end, whether people like it or not.
Beyoncé started her career with the famous group Destiny’s Child, alongside Kelly Rowland and later Michelle Williams. Their big breakthrough was the single “No, No, No” in 1997. In 2003, Beyoncé released her first solo album, “Dangerously in Love.” Now, a decade later, Beyoncé has been thriving as a single artist with a history of multiplatinum records and 17 Grammy Awards.
At the Presidential Inauguration Beyoncé decided to lip sync, which upset a lot of people. However, she had a huge comeback at the Super Bowl Half Time Show, with 13 minutes of non-stop entertainment that was 100 percent live. She sang her popular songs from Baby Boy to Halo, with an all female band. During the Super Bowl, she went public with her new Mrs. Carter World Tour that sold out in many cities within an hour.
Martine Malde, a junior Economics major, thinks Beyoncé is an amazing performer. “She is beautiful, strong and independent. As a public figure, she is a great role model, being professional at all times. She stands for independence and women’s equality by using her music as a tool to empower women of all ages,” said Malde.
Malde thought Beyoncé’s performance at the Super Bowl was amazing. She thinks her performance was a great way for Beyoncé to show her professionalism by taking the show to the next level, and that she was a team player and role model by inviting the other members of Destiny’s Child to join her in the performance. Malde is not the only member of her family who loves Beyoncé; her mom listens to Beyoncé too.
Joella Skoogh, junior Public Relations major, did not care about Beyoncé until she ended up watching a concert on TV this summer. Skoogh cannot recall what the particular concert was, but she remembers how great it was. She states, “I was just amazed by her stage presence and amazing voice. I couldn’t turn it off!”
Despite the enormous amounts of praise Beyoncé gets, there are some people who think she is overrated. Andria Osler, junior Public Relations major, does not like Beyoncé as a public figure because she does not enjoy her music. “I used to actually like her when she was a part of Destiny’s Child because she was singing with two other women. Once she branched out and the other two women disappeared from the public eye, I started to despise her. I felt as if she stole their fame and she was everywhere.” Being aware of how many people disagree with her, she continued, “I don’t want to offend anyone with my opinions, but I can’t help the way I feel. I really don’t like her voice, or her music. It is not my style.”
Whatever your feelings toward Beyoncé might be, it is hard to deny that she is indeed someone a lot of people have heard of. But why do people enjoy her so much? What is it that makes her so popular? Osler thinks it’s because of her sexiness and the fact that she can “shake her hips”. However, she thinks Beyoncé is just like every other artist in the mainstream music world.
“I noticed a lot of people like the same type of music these days, even though there is no talent involved, because it has become so mainstream,” said Osler.
Skoogh believes that people like Beyoncé because she is so comfortable with herself and keeps out of the tabloids. “She just seems like she has a lot of integrity and also because she is so talented and genuine. She looks like she really enjoys what she does and I think that is hard to dislike about a person.”
Malde thinks it might be because she can really sing and people think she’s beautiful. She said, “She always has a smile on her face and she doesn’t go around and talk trash about other artists. The fact that she is married and has a girl with Jay-Z just makes them even more likable.”
So is Beyoncé overrated? Whatever your opinion about Beyoncé might be, she is here to stay. After all, she is one of the most powerful women in the entertainment business today and people will wait eagerly to hear what she plans to do next.
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