Beyoncé revealed she “couldn’t afford to buy phone cards” in her early dating days with husband Jay-Z, as she opened up about her relationship with technological advancement, privacy and parenthood.
The 43-year-old singer told how she grew up in a very different world to that of her own children.
“We live in a world of access. We have access to so much information, some of it is fact and some of it is just nonsense masquerading as truth. Our kids can FaceTime and see their friends at any time,” she told the October issue of GQ.
But she was quick to compare it to the old days, adding: “My husband and I? We used calling cards and Skype when we were in love.
“I couldn’t afford to pay the international hotel bills, so I literally had to get international phone cards to call him. I recently heard a song by an AI that sounded so much like me that it freaked me out. It’s impossible to really know what’s real and what’s not.”
Beyoncé revealed she “couldn’t afford to buy phone cards” in her early dating days with husband Jay-Z, while opening up about her experiences with the advancement of new technologies, privacy and parenthood.
‘My husband and I? We used phone cards and Skype when we were in love. I couldn’t afford the international hotel bills, so I literally bought international phone cards to call him.
That’s why the music icon has “worked very hard” to ensure that his family’s life is not affected too much by the spotlight.
“It’s very easy for celebrities to turn our lives into performance art. I’ve gone to extreme lengths to stay true to my boundaries and protect myself and my family.
“No amount of money is worth my peace,” he added.
The favorite couple’s 12-year-old daughter, Blue-Ivy Carter, became a fixture in the artist’s live sets during her epic Renaissance World Tour.
The tour will move from continental Europe to the United States between March and September 2023.
But the superstar admitted she was reluctant to allow her eldest son on stage ahead of his first appearance at the Stade De France in Saint Denis on May 26, where he surprised fans by dancing with his mother during performances of My Power and Black Parade, a song released in response to the killing of George Floyd in 2020.
Beyoncé, who is often keen to separate her life as a working mother from her life as an international star, reflected on the rare decision to let one of her children take centre stage on the most public of stages.
The R&B superstar, also mother to six-year-old twins Rumi and Sir, admitted that her daughter’s presence on the tour was facilitated by a pre-arranged decision to perform 56 shows over a five-month period that covered her children’s school holidays.
“It’s so easy for celebrities to turn our lives into performance art. I’ve gone to extreme lengths to stay true to my boundaries and protect myself and my family. No amount of money is worth my peace,” the singer said.
The favorite couple’s 12-year-old daughter, Blue-Ivy Carter, became a regular presence in the artist’s live sets during her epic Renaissance World Tour, which spanned Europe to the United States between March and September 2023.
The R&B superstar admitted that her daughter’s presence on the tour was facilitated by a pre-arranged decision to perform 56 shows over a five-month period that covered her school holidays.
The full interview is available to read in the October issue of GQ Magazine, now available
“I try to tour only when my kids are not in school,” she said. “I always dreamed of a life where I could see the world with my family and expose them to different languages, architectures and lifestyles.
“It’s not easy raising three kids… I love it. It’s rewarding and fulfilling. My kids go everywhere with me. They come to my office after school and they’re in the studio with me. They’re at dance rehearsals.”
The singer is currently on the second album of a sprawling conceptual odyssey that has so far documented Black influence on disco (on her 2021 release, Renaissance) and country (on her groundbreaking 2023 release, Cowboy Carter).
How the trilogy will end remains to be seen, at least for now, but she admits the countdown will begin when she steps away from the spotlight that continues to shine following Carter’s surprise omission from the recently announced nominations for the Country Music Awards.
The singer is currently on the second album of a sprawling conceptual odyssey that has so far documented Black influence in disco on her 2021 release, Renaissance, and in country on her groundbreaking 2023 release, Cowboy Carter.
The Texas-born singer did not receive any nominations, despite her latest album Cowboy Carter proving to be a cultural phenomenon upon its release.
The album’s absence from this year’s list of nominees was conspicuous: Texas Hold ‘Em, its lead single, soared to the top of the charts, including the country chart, and the album was widely considered a success.
The full interview is available to read in the October issue of GQ Magazine, now available.