f the past year has proven anything, it’s that Beyonce is still unquestionably the queen.
Last June, the star gave birth to twins, Sir and Rumi, and then turned right around and gave such a powerful performance at Coachella that fans dubbed the event «Beychella.» She then put out an explosive album with her husband JAY-Z, and is currently lighting up stadiums on the On the Run II Tour.
Beyonce details all of these milestones and more in her own words for Vogue magazine’s September issue, uploaded on Monday (Aug. 6).
Bey first opens up about the birth of her twins. «My health and my babies’ health were in danger, so I had an emergency C-section,» the singer reveals. «We spent many weeks in the NICU. My husband was a soldier and such a strong support system for me. I am proud to have been a witness to his strength and evolution as a man, a best friend, and a father.» Beyonce then talks about how with this cover shoot, she saw an opportunity to lift other artists around her. She chose to work with Tyler Mitchell, making for the first Vogue cover shoot captured by an African American photographer.
«Until there is a mosaic of perspectives coming from different ethnicities behind the lens, we will continue to have a narrow approach and view of what the world actually looks like,» she says. «That is why I wanted to work with this brilliant 23-year-old photographer Tyler Mitchell.»
Later, Bey touches on her headlining Coachella set. «I had a clear vision for Coachella. I was so specific because I’d seen it, I’d heard it, and it was already written inside of me,» the singer writes. «One day I was randomly singing the black national anthem to Rumi while putting her to sleep. I started humming it to her every day … I know that most of the young people on the stage and in the audience did not know the history of the black national anthem before Coachella. But they understood the feeling it gave them.»
«It was a celebration of all the people who sacrificed more than we could ever imagine, who moved the world forward so that it could welcome a woman of color to headline such a festival,» she adds.
Finally, Beyonce takes a moment to reflect on her success and rich life.
«I’m in a place of gratitude right now,» she says. «I am accepting of who I am. I will continue to explore every inch of my soul and every part of my artistry. I want to learn more, teach more, and live in full. I’ve worked long and hard to be able to get to a place where I can choose to surround myself with what fulfills and inspires me.»
Check out some of the photos from Bey’s shoot below.
This article was originally writen by Billboard.com
