Beyoncé sits comfortably in the pantheon of all-time great live performers. Her grandiose choreography never impedes on her dazzling, effortless vocals. Despite the intense dancing, Beyoncé’s high notes never falter. Through rigorous study and rehearsal, she joined the ranks of Michael Jackson, Prince, Freddie Mercury. It almost justifies the obscene prices for her concerts.
But how did Queen Bey reach that level in her performances? During a January 2013 interview with GQ ahead of her Super Bowl Halftime Show, she opened up about the planning behind her live performances. Ultimately, Beyoncé is a perfectionist first. Consequently, she’s intent on studying the art and figuring out how to improve and make everything just right.
“One of the reasons I connect to the Super Bowl is that I approach my shows like an athlete,” she told the outlet. “You know how they sit down and watch whoever they’re going to play and study themselves? That’s how I treat this. I watch my performances, and I wish I could just enjoy them, but I see the light that was late. I see, ’Oh God, that hair did not work.’ Or ’I should never do that again.’ I try to perfect myself. I want to grow, and I’m always eager for new information.”
Beyoncé Breaks Down Her Meticulous Process as a Performer
As much as she’s hypercritical of timing and hellbent on trying to master everything, it never seems to impact her while she’s on stage. Even if something messes up around her, it never knocks her out of her zone. That’s because the “Crazy in Love” multi-hyphenate finally lets go of her inner thoughts and focuses exclusively on the moments. All she can do is fixate on what she can control in the moment: herself.
“I love my job, but it’s more than that: I need it,” Beyoncé stressed. “Because before I gave birth, it was the only time in my life, all throughout my life, that I was lost. It’s like a blackout. When I’m onstage, I don’t know what the crap happens. I am gone.”
Her sister Solange confirmed this meticulous process, admitting that Beyoncé has been wired that way since they were kids. “I have very, very early-on memories of her rehearsing on her own in her room. I specifically remember her taking a line out of a song or a routine and just doing it over and over and over again until it was perfect and it was strong,” she recalled. “At age 10, when everybody else was ready to say, ’Okay, I’m tired, let’s take a break,’ she wanted to continue—to ace it and overcome it.”
The post Beyoncé Explains Why She Approaches Her Live Shows ‘Like an Athlete’ appeared first on VICE.
