Beyonce fact file

Age: 38

Genre: pop/R&B.

Describes herself as a “modern day feminist”.

Her new-worth is $355 million.

She has nearly 10 billion views on her YouTube channel.

She has 6 number one singles in the Us and 5 in the UK.

She was the first female solo artist to headline Coachella.

Beyoncé was the first female artist to have three of their albums surpass one billion streams on Spotify.

She has an alter ego Sasha Fierce who she pretends to be in her music videos and photo shoots.

Her album Lemonade was streamed 115 million times through Tidal, setting a record for the most-streamed album in a single week by a female artist in history.

Beyonce Giselle Knowles-Carter is an American singer, songwriter, producer and actress from Houston, Texas. She rose to fame in the late 1990s as lead singer in Destiny’s child where she stayed until 2002. Her first solo recording was featured on Jay-Z’s album peaking at number 4 on the charts. She then marries Jay-Z in 2008.

She has sold over 100 million records worldwide and is one of the worlds best selling music artists. Her first acting role was in the comedy film The Pink Panther in 2006, and her second film was Dreamgirls which received acclaim and grossed $154 million internationally, she was also nominated for a Golden Globe for her performance.

Beyoncé music videos the and now:

Then (2003): Stereotypical pop video, low budget, romantic, sexual objectification, camera lingers on her body, high key lighting, sporadic camera movements and shot lengths, use lip-syncing, performance based

Now (2018): Like a movie, promoting black power, high budget, more back up dancers, more outfits/locations, she’s Jay-Z’s equal, more sophisticated, colours are more subtle and neutral, has more respect, female representation, link to high art, and high fashion, only the lyrics aren’t sophisticated (juxtaposition), high and low key lighting, more smooth editing, use lip-syncing, performance based, more cinematic

 

Two different Beyoncé personas:

• The chart topping pop star
• Socially conscious activist

Beyoncé’s platform is not limited to her musical voice, yet the media mainstream doesn’t often notice behind the scenes work.

• Beyoncé started a Hurricane Katrina fund in 2005.
• Raised money for Haiti relief in 2010.
• She headed a campaign in 2013 called “Chime for a change” which aimed to spread female empowerment.
• She funded  $7 million housing complex for homeless in Houston, which is a predominantly Black community, and Beyoncé’s home.
• As Black Lives Matter came to rise, Beyoncé and Jay-Z were at the protests and rallies. When activists were arrested they anonymously bailed them out.

Beyoncé Identity:

With the release of Lemonade in 2016 she, for the first time, blended her personas into one. The music and videos of the album were more thoughtful, artistic pieces which blended to feature social and political messages.

Visual album: An album which has a music video for every song featured.

One way that helped redefine Beyoncé as a more serious musician was her refined use of intertextuality.

Intertextuality: When one text refers to another text.

Music video example: Michael Jacksons thriller (1982)- references the film An American werewolf in London (1981)

Intertextual references in Beyoncé’s earlier work were often in relation to popular media texts- texts which a number of audience members would recognise. These references were merely imitations- superficial use of intertextuality.

Examples:

• ’03 Bonnie and Clyde (2002) and Bonnie and Clyde (1967)
• Video Phone (2009) and Reservoir Dogs (1992)
• Telephone (2009) and Kill Bill vol.1 (2003)

 

The turning point:

With the release of the music-infused short film Bang Bang (2014) a collaboration with director Dikayl Rimmasch (who she later collaborated with to make Lemonade), Beyoncé’s use of intertextuality changes.

Intertextual references are more subtle/varied and evoke and artistic style.

• Western genre
• Breathless (1960)- French New Wave Cinema

Beyoncé’s Lemonade and intertextuality

Intertextual references used in Beyoncé’s visual album were carefully chosen- the use of the intertextual references were to evoke an artistic style or use a text which showcases a social/political message.

Example: Lemonade and the indie film Daughters of the Dust (1991)

Intertextual references are meaningful and reflect social/political messages regarding positive representation of black women, celebration of African culture and a critique of racism in the US.

Since Lemonade:

• Touki Bouki (1973) and Beyoncé’s tour photo (2018)
• Formation (from lemonade)

Formation: This music video features a number of intertextual references. The main contextual references in the video are:

• Hurricane Katrina and the devastation of New Orleans
• The Civil Rights Movement and Martin Luther King
• Black women in the Slave Trade era
• ‘Black lives matter’ campaign and police brutality
• Black feminism
• ‘Bounce’ music