Beyoncé is known as the queen of keeping things under wrap and being super private.
From her pregnancies to updates on her babies, album launches, and her married life with rap mogul Jay-Z, Beyoncé has managed to be one of the most uncontroversial artists in total control of the information released about her.
Fans haven’t always been happy about that, though. With the age of social media, more fans have access directly to their favorite artists, and some have even developed an unbecoming entitlement.
In a new Harper’s Bazaar interview, Beyonce reveals that her ways of keeping to herself have far less to do with being closed off and probably more to do with her strong Virgo qualities that are very conservative and private.
“A lot of who I am is reserved for the people I love and trust,” Beyoncé said in the context of setting boundaries. “Those who don’t know me and have never met me might interpret that as being closed off. Trust, the reason those folks don’t see certain things about me is because my Virgo a*s does not want them to see it.… It’s not because it doesn’t exist!”
Beyonce’s interview saw her opening up about a number of things, including her family, how she deals with heartbreak but making art and creating visual albums, as well as her latest project for IVY PARK- her lounge apparel line.
For a long time, she’s been the face of music, having broken out as a teenager, and has lived through the decades of celebrity livelihood evolving. Her work ethic though she says, is what has made her career the constant success it is.
Beyonce revealed that the scripture of James 2:17 keeps her going as she worked to build her career, careful not to encourage any of the stereotypes attached to being a black woman and a black celebrity, something that forced her to grow up quickly.
“If something wasn’t helping me reach my goal, I decided to invest no time in it. I didn’t feel like I had time to ‘kiki’ or hang out,” she said. “I sacrificed a lot of things and ran from any possible distraction. I felt as a young Black woman that I couldn’t mess up. I felt the pressure from the outside and their eyes watching for me to trip or fail. I couldn’t let my family down after all the sacrifices they made for me and the girls. That meant I was the most careful, professional teenager and I grew up fast. I wanted to break all of the stereotypes of the Black superstar, whether falling victim to drugs or alcohol or the absurd misconception that Black women were angry.”
When it comes to setting boundaries, Beyonce has been masterful as she details how her art takes precedence but how she has learned to ensure that the interest in her is automatically centered around her art without more.
“I’m grateful I have the ability to choose what I want to share. One day I decided I wanted to be like Sade and Prince,” Beyoncé said. “I wanted the focus to be on my music, because if my art isn’t strong enough or meaningful enough to keep people interested and inspired, then I’m in the wrong business. My music, my films, my art, my message—that should be enough.”
Meanwhile, when it comes to competition, there’s none for the artist as she profoundly explains the woman she has grown to become far surpasses the person she was when she was younger. It’s a result of her constantly evolving against herself.
“I’ve spent so many years trying to better myself and improve whatever I’ve done that I’m at a point where I no longer need to compete with myself. I have no interest in searching backwards. The past is the past. I feel many aspects of that younger, less evolved Beyoncé could never f*** with the woman I am today,” she says with a laugh.
Beyonce has three children with her husband, Jay-Z.
