There is nothing small about the force that is Beyoncé.
For over 10 years, we’ve watched her go from bootylicious lead singer to record-shattering solo superstar. Her every decision–both professional and personal–is headlining news for us to obsess over. Like the old Hollywood stars, we love to see her move on and off the stage. Let’s take a look back at some of her biggest (and sometimes record-breaking) announcements as we play her fifth solo album over and over…….and over.
Photo Credit: Yosra El-Essawy/Invision for Parkwood Ent/AP
Marriage to Jay-Z
There was no big announcement, but the 2008 marriage of Bey and Jay was enough to send us all into cardiac arrest. After six years of speculation, the power couple tied the knot in a private ceremony at Jay-Z’s apartment. Attended by only close friends and family, the nuptials weren’t confirmed until a year later by the couple who remain protective of their personal life to this day.
Photo Credit: BeyHive Blog
The Baby Bump Reveal
“I want you to feel the love that’s growing inside of me.”
That sentence took on a whole different meaning by the end of Beyonce’s 2011 VMA performance. With just a spotlight on her, the mommy-to-be dropped her microphone, ripped open her jacket and rubbed her growing baby bump. To this day, her big unveiling holds the record for most tweets per second (8.868).
The Birth of Blue Ivy
The amount of rumors surrounding Beyonce’s pregnancy were endless. From a fake bump to a hospital shut down, we weren’t sure who to believe when it came to the impending birth of Blue Ivy. Bey and Jay caught everyone off guard when they decided to show off their newborn through a Tumblr account.
Photo Credit: Tumblr
Father-Daughter Break Up
Matthew Knowles masterminded Beyonce’s takeover with and without Destiny’s Child. After what seemed to be a successful relationship, Beyonce announced that they would severe their professional partnership in 2011.
In Life Is But A Dream, we learn that their preserving their father-daughter relationship was more important.
Photo Credit: FreddyO.com
The Super Bowl Announcement
After what hardly seemed like a break, B announced via her website that she would headline the Superbowl halftime show. Soon after, her multimillion dollar Pepsi campaign kicked off, putting Bey’s face pretty much everywhere.
Photo Credit: BeyHive Blog
The BeyHive Blog
Beyonce expanded her reign over the blogosphere with “The BeyHive Blog” in January. The picture-heavy site is a combination of Bey’s personal offerings and fan-made creations. It also serves as an extension of her ever popular Instagram with candid shots of 1-year-old Blue Ivy.
Writer’s Award From NY Association of Black Journalists
She’s racked up 17 Grammy’s for her music, but she earned a different kind of writing award in 2011. The NYABJ recognized Bey for her 2011 Essence cover story where she chronicled her eye opening 2010 vacation. The magazine’s entertainment editor Cori Murray labeled Knowles as a “real writer. We had to edit her, but everyone gets edited except Toni Morrison.”
Photo Credit: BeyHive Blog
Life Is But A Dream
It came as a surprise to many that Beyoncé would let us in on her private life with this 2013 documentary. Not only did we get to see her unparalleled work ethic in action, viewers got to finally see Blue Ivy’s face.
Photo Credit: HBO
Bow Down
Bey solidified herself as the only girl who runs the world with “Bow Down/I Been On.” The chopped and screwed track is quite the departure from her girl power anthems causing quite the stir. The verdict is still out on whether her beloved BeyHive approves. If this song is any indication, she’s not too concerned anyway.
Photo Credit: Instagram
A Second Baby Bump?
Will B break her own Twitter record? E! Online previously announced that the singer is expecting a second child with hubby Jay-Z. That turned out to be untrue, but when the real time comes, we’re sure there will be a one-of-a-kind announcement.
A Surprise Album
Just before the strike of midnight on Friday, December 13, Beyonce quietly unleashed her self-titled studio album, sending the Beyhive into cardiac arrest and pretty much breaking the Internet. Have you stopped listening yet?