In years to come, people will ask “where were you when Beychella happened?” History books will write about it and people will refer to Beyoncé’s “Homecoming” show at Coachella as a day that marked a before and after in pop culture. No other performer will ever be as big as Bey. The bar is way up high.
The Homecoming: A Film By Beyoncé documentary exposed a softer side to Beyoncé that we had never seen, maybe because she wasn’t willing to show us. With this film, though, she broke the myth that surrounded her and showed us that, at the end of the day, she is just as human as all of us.
@beyonceRead more: 10 Lessons We Learned From Beyoncé’s Vogue September Issue
Homecoming is the first film directed, written, and produced by Beyoncé. It’s a mix of the shows she did on her two weekends at Coachella and some behind-the-scenes footage about the production of the show. The documentary premiered on Netflix in April and gave us complete access to THE performance of the century (no wonder there was no footage of Beychella on the internet; she wanted to surprise everyone).
Now, let’s go over some key facts. Beyoncé’s “Homecoming” show at Coachella was historical for multiple reasons. First, it was the third time in the festival’s 19 years that a woman was the headliner (the previous two were Björk and Lady Gaga). Also, Beyoncé is the first and only African-American woman to be headliner. In addition, it was live streamed on YouTube, and it marked the stage comeback for the Texan singer after her Formation World Tour and the “me” time she took to take care of her family. So, no wonder she called the show “Homecoming.”
@beyonce
Read more: “I Went From Hater To Member Of The Church of Yoncé:” A Confession From A Former Non Bey-liever In Ten Songs
However, “Homecoming” has a deeper meaning than just a comeback. For Beyoncé, this show was a way of celebrating her life, her career, and her culture. The show celebrates the battle of the bands that takes place at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), and “Homecoming” is the artistic representation of this celebration of African-American culture. Beyoncé showed her pride in her culture, her heritage, and added to the conversation about African-American culture and society in the United States.
The film shows that behind the superstar, the icon, and the legend, there is a person, a woman who has fears, who loves, and who cares for those around her. It was incredibly inspiring to see the hard work that went into the show. Every single musician, dancer, choreography, outfit, camera angle, it all came from Beyoncé’s mind and soul. However, she couldn’t do it alone. It takes a village to create a goddess, but it only takes Beyoncé’s vision to create a milestone in pop culture.
@beyonceBeyoncé is thankful, humble, and determined to make those around her be on the same page. She cares for her family and refuses to take them for granted. She brings to stage to her sister, Solange, and Destiny’s Child as a proof of her gratitude, for helping her with her vision, for walking right next to her and supporting her. It just takes a few minutes to see that all that we see on screen, all those movements, vocals, and even presence on stage are the result of a 22-year career and 8 months of hard work. She’s one of a kind, a persevering and determined woman. But she’s still human at the end of the day.
In the film, Beyoncé says that her two-hour performance was a moment of pride and a chance to provide a space for those who hadn’t been represented before:
“It was important to me that everyone who has never seen themselves represented on this stage feel like they were on that stage with us.”
And we all did, no matter where we come from, our history, our background, or our differences: she gave us all the chance to dream that if she can do it, then we all can do it too. And for that, as someone who’s always been at the back, I thank her.
Read more: “Lift Every Voice And Sing”, The National Anthem Beyoncé Made Global
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