If girls ruled the world, women like Beyonce Knowles–Carter that is, what a different place this would be – the color, the talent, the energy, the diversity, the beauty, love and generous spirit.
The entertainer and cultural icon certainly had an impact on our world in 2023, with her vivacious recording “Renaissance,” the dazzling world tour that followed, and then the release of her insightful movie in December. She leaves no doubt about the enormous talent, business savvy and brand dominance of Queen Bey.
Distinguishing Beyonce even more is the fact that business publications such as Forbes, Fortune and Kiplinger, as well as The New York Times and The Washington Post, have all referenced how she impacted the local and national economies with her music, performances and highly stylized fashions. Along with her enormous cultural influence, Bey has been called an economic stimulus.
The numbers support that thinking. It has been reported that the dazzling, 56-stop Renaissance tour earned at least $579 million between May and October, with an estimated $4.5 billion boost to the American economy. More than 2.7 million fans packed stadiums around the world; many traveled to see the show more than once, or twice. They spent money on gasoline, train fares and airline tickets, as well as glitzy attire, hotels, food, and beverages. And many bee-hivers, as Beyonce fans are called, purchased tour merchandise.
Beyonce may not have imagined she’d sway the economy of Stockholm, Sweden, or Houston, Texas, but she certainly planned to make a profound impact.
That is who she is and what she does.
Since launching her solo career 20 years ago, Beyonce has sold more than 200 million albums, won a record 32 Grammy Awards, and established herself among the most successful performing and touring artists of all time. Each tour has grown in revenue and scale.
Now that the Renaissance tour is another jewel in her treasure chest, Beyonce is said to be worth a half billion dollars. (Her husband Jay-Z [Shawn Carter] is reported to be worth $2 billion.) Among her investments and businesses are Parkwood Entertainment, which produces movies, artists and concerts. And she has lucrative endorsement deals with PepsiCo, Samsung, L’Oreal and American Express.
Parkwood is parent company for Beyonce’s Ivy Park athleisure clothing line, which recently ended a partnership with Adidas. For Renaissance, Beyonce and her dancers wore Ivy Park attire. She also collaborates with husband Jay-Z on the music-streaming service Tidal, which sold a majority stake for more than $200 million.
Even at the beginning of her career, Beyonce had a charitable heart, and that continues. Her BeyGood Foundation provides economic opportunities to those in underprivileged and marginalized communities. During the Renaissance tour, for example, she gave $2 million to entrepreneurs and college students.
In the movie, Beyonce talks about her drive to improve and achieve, how it has always been a part of her nature, her makeup. Her daughter, Blue Ivy, 11, also talked about this inherent trait. Blue Ivy challenged her mother until she finally won approval to dance during the tour. After her first performance before 70,000 at the Paris show, the youngster heard about negative feedback posted on social media. But Blue Ivy didn’t let that deter her. She practiced, and practiced, and practiced some more until she knew she had perfected the dance routine. In the film, her mother expresses pride in her daughter’s determination, bravery and talent.
“It was magical,” Beyonce said in the movie of Blue Ivyr. “Her confidence just grew and grew. It was a beautiful thing for her.”
Though Blue Ivy might have been nervous during her first tour performance, she later wowed thousands. Many were excited, even transfixed, to see the young Carter strut her stuff as her mother did at a young age. Still, Blue Ivy, a child born in the spotlight, has her own entertainment resume.
Two days after her birth, Jay-Z featured her vocals (gurgles and coos) on his song “Glory”(2015), which earned Blue Ivy a Guinness World Record for being the youngest person to have a Billboard-charted song. She was featured on Beyonce’s “Brown Skin Girl” (2020), which won Blue Ivy an NAACP Image Award, BET Her Award, and a Grammy Award for Best Music Video. With the Grammy came another Guinness World Record for being the youngest individually credited Grammy Award winner.
Blue Ivy also narrated Matthew A. Cherry’s book “Hair Love,” which is about a Black American father styling his daughter’s hair. That won her a 2021 Voice Arts Award.
Keep in mind that Blue Ivy is only 11.
Yes, it appears that Blue Ivy has the talent, charisma and determination to continue the family business. And like her mother, she has proven that “you can’t break my soul.”
