Elle Magazine
Grammy-winner and icon Beyonce is opening up about how she learned she was powerful as well as addressing the flack she received for her “Formation” music video. The singer also discusses her new fashion line, “Ivy Park.”
Talking to Elle Magazine in a rare in-depth interview, the vocalist said she first discovered her power after she released the first album with Destiny’s Child, the girl group that launched her career alongside Michelle Williams and Kelly Rowland.
“The label didn’t really believe we were pop stars,” Beyonce said to Elle. “They underestimated us, and because of that, they allowed us to write our own songs and write our own video treatments. It ended up being the best thing because that’s when I became an artist and took control.”
She continues, saying that “once it was successful, I realized that we had the power to create whatever vision we wanted for ourselves.”
The Houston-born star and business woman has created an empire. She is a stakeholder in husband Jay-Z’s music streaming service, Tidal. She also heads Parkwood Entertainment, a management company she founded, according to Billboard.
On running her own business, the singer-actress tells Elle she finds it “exciting, but having the power to make every final decision and being accountable for them is definitely a burden and a blessing. To me, power is making things happen without asking for permission.” She adds, power is “making people stand up with pride.”
Beyonce also takes on criticism of her “Formation” video, which found her being accused of being anti-police.
The songwriter tells the magazine, “The most powerful art is usually misunderstood. But anyone who perceives my message as anti-police is completely mistaken. I have so much admiration and respect for officers and the families of officers who sacrifice themselves to keep us safe. But let’s be clear: I am against police brutality and injustice. Those are two separate things.”
“Formation” was released in February and empowers Black women, celebrating the physical traits of African-American hair and facial features. Beyonce said, “If celebrating my roots and culture during Black History Month made anyone uncomfortable, those feelings were there long before a video and long before me.”
The interview also reveals the true inspiration behind “Ivy Park,” the fashion designer’s new athleisure line with Topshop. It’s not named after a park she used to go running in after all.
“I called it Ivy Park because a park is our commonality,” Beyonce told Elle. “We can all go there; we’re all welcomed. It’s anywhere we create for ourselves.”
