For some, watching Blue-Ivy Carter join her superstar mother onstage remains one of the highlights of Beyoncé’s sprawling Renaissance World Tour.
The singer’s 12-year-old daughter with Jay-Z became a regular fixture during her live performances when the tour moved from mainland Europe to the United States between March and September 2023.
But the R&B superstar admits 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, 43, who has always wanted to separate her life as a working mother from her life as an international star, reflected on the unusual decision to let one of her children take centre stage on the most public of stages.
“Blue is an artist. She has great taste in music and fashion,” she told the October issue of GQ“She is a fantastic editor, painter and actress. She has been creating characters since she was three years old.
Beyoncé has revealed her life as a working mother in a candid interview with GQ’s October issue.
The singer’s 12-year-old daughter with Jay-Z became a regular presence during her live performances as the tour moved from mainland Europe to the United States between March and September 2023.
“She has a natural talent, but I didn’t want Blue to go on stage. Blue wanted it for herself. She took it seriously and earned it.
“And most importantly, she had a great time. We all watched her grow up every night before our eyes.”
The R&B superstar, also mother to six-year-old twins Rumi and Sir, admits 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.
“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.”
She added: ‘One thing I’ve worked really hard on is making sure my kids can have as much normality and privacy as possible, making sure my personal life doesn’t become a brand.
“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 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).
The R&B superstar admits 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
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 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.
“I only work on what liberates me,” she said. “It’s fame, which can sometimes feel like a prison. So when you don’t see me on red carpets and when I disappear until I have art to share, that’s the reason.”
She added: “I am a musician first and foremost. It has always been my priority. I didn’t get involved in anything that would detract from my art until I felt I had established myself as a master in my first love, music.
“I don’t waste my time on something unless I’m deeply passionate about it. If I don’t wake up thinking about it and go to sleep dreaming about it, it’s not for me.”
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.
Beyoncé went on a Renaissance tour across Europe and the United States before releasing Cowboy Carter in 2024
Those passions include a keen interest in whiskey, and the singer is eager to break into an already complicated industry with her own brand.
“I love everything about whisky,” he explained. “The colour, the smell, the way it dances in the glass… and I love the stories that go with it.”
“Every bottle has a story. I also like to introduce whisky to people who don’t yet know they love it.”
For now, the singer is happy to devote herself to personal projects that she is passionate about and that allow her to channel her creativity outside the recording studio.
She said: ‘My voice has always been my companion. That’s why I’ve always been able to be happy alone.
‘Music understands my heart even when I can’t find the words. But it’s always in those private sanctuaries – the studio, the car – that I find my peace.
‘I make honey, paint, decorate, swim, and design clothes and sets. I have written children’s books for my children and I design animation.
«Everything creative makes me happy.»
The full interview is available to read in the October issue of GQ Magazine, now available.