Cultural impact of Beyoncé

The American singer-songwriter Beyoncé has had a significant cultural impact through her music, visuals, performances, image, politics and lifestyle. She has received widespread acclaim and numerous accolades throughout her career, solidifying her position as an influential cultural icon and one of the greatest artists of the 21st century according to numerous major publications.
Beyoncé has revolutionized the music industry, transforming the production, distribution, promotion, and consumption of music. She has been credited with reviving both the album and the music video as art forms, popularizing surprise albums and visual albums, and changing the Global Release Day to Friday. Her artistic innovations, such as staccato rap-singing and chopped and re-pitched vocals, have become defining features of 21st century popular music. With her work frequently transcending traditional genre boundaries, Beyoncé has created new artistic standards that have shaped contemporary music and helped to renew subgenres of pop, R&B, hip-hop, country and dance music. Beyoncé has been recognized as setting the playbook for music artists in the modern era, with musicians from across genres, generations and countries citing her as a major influence on their career.
Beyond entertainment, Beyoncé has had a significant impact on socio-political matters. Her work celebrates women's empowerment and Black culture, while highlighting systemic inequalities and advocating for social justice. Through her music, public statements, and philanthropy, she has become a prominent voice in political conversations, with cultural critics crediting her with influencing political elections and mainstreaming sociocultural movements such as fourth-wave feminism and Black Lives Matter. Beyoncé's work and career is the subject of numerous university courses, cultural analyses and museum exhibitions around the world. Through the "Beyoncé Effect", she has ignited market trends and boosted the economies of various countries.
Beyoncé is largely credited by music critics for the invention of the staccato rap-singing style that has become popular in pop, R&B, and rap music, after first using it throughout Destiny's Child's The Writing's on the Wall (1999). The sound subsequently began dominating the music industry in the 2000s, becoming the new sound of R&B and revolutionizing both singing in urban music and rapping in pop music. The staccato rap-singing style continued to dominate the music industry throughout the 2010s and 2020s, being implemented by many artists including Drake and Kanye West. The phenomenon of mumble rappers, who saw widespread success in the late 2010s, utilized the staccato rap-singing cadence. American academic Michael Eric Dyson stated that Beyoncé "changed the whole genre" with the proliferation of rap-singing, adding: "She doesn't get credit for the remarkable way in which she changed the musical vocabulary of contemporary art."
The practice of chopping a vocal sample and re-pitching it to create a melody was brought into the mainstream by Beyoncé on "Run the World (Girls)", which sampled Major Lazer's "Pon De Floor". This helped chopped and re-pitched vocals take over popular music, being featured in songs such as Jack Ü and Justin Bieber's "Where Are Ü Now", Major Lazer's "Lean On", and DJ Snake and Lil Jon's "Turn Down for What". The practice became the signature sound of 2010s music, with one-fifth of songs on the Billboard Hot 100 in 2016 featuring chopped and re-pitched vocals.
Beyoncé's music often moves between diverse musical styles, which has set the precedent for music to transcend genre. Music journalist Taylor Crumpton explained that Beyoncé ushered in a post-genre age by helping break down previously-rigid genre boundaries and enabling artists to explore musical styles in a fluid manner. Ann Powers of NPR said that Beyoncé's work has led the industry to a moment of "post-genre", while Robin Hilton viewed Beyoncé's blending of genres as having encouraged other artists to refuse to be confined to genre boundaries, "like she was setting out this table for and welcoming everybody to it". Aaron Williams of Uproxx wrote that Beyoncé's music cannot be confined to individual genres, adding: "At this point, Beyoncé is a genre."
In an article for NPR, Kiana Fitzgerald wrote that Beyoncé reclaimed the genres of rock and country, which originated from black people. Brittany Spanos for Rolling Stone wrote that Beyoncé's reclamation of rock "is giving the genre a second life – and maybe what can save it".
Upon release, Renaissance sparked conversations and essays on the history of dance music and its roots in Black culture.
Beyoncé is credited with leading the revival of hip-hop in the 2000s. In the late 1990s and early 2000s, Eurodance became an increasingly popular musical genre, with international hits from artists such as Eiffel 65, Aqua and Scatman John. Other artists saw significant commercial success from Europop-inspired releases, such as the Spice Girls, Backstreet Boys and Take That.
In 2003, Beyoncé bucked this trend with the release of her debut album Dangerously In Love, which blended R&B with hip-hop and soul. As Dangerously In Love increased in popularity, Beyoncé helped to move popular music away from the Europop-sound and towards funk- and hip-hop-based music, according to Billboard. This aided the commercialization of hip-hop as a genre, and the infusion of hip-hop influences in mainstream pop. As a result, the Billboard charts became dominated by urban music, with all songs that topped the Hot 100 chart in 2004 being performed by Black artists.
Beyoncé is credited with leading the revival of R&B in the 2010s. In the early 2010s, popular music was dominated by EDM. EDM artists such as David Guetta, Calvin Harris and Skrillex found widespread success, while mainstream artists (such as Rihanna, Taylor Swift, Lady Gaga, Usher, Chris Brown and Nicki Minaj) forwent pop and R&B in favor of EDM-inspired sounds. According to CKWR-FM host and music director Steve Sobczuk, rhythmic radio had lost some of its agenda-setting power, with fewer R&B artists crossing over to Top 40 radio and Black artists not seeing the same commercial success as they had in the 2000s. A crisis ensued in the R&B field, with demand for R&B songwriters reaching an all-time low as record labels focused on EDM and dance music.
In 2011, Beyoncé released her album 4, which blended R&B and soul music from the '70, '80s and '90s. This helped to re-establish R&B as a mainstream concern, ultimately aiding an "R&B comeback". According to Billboard, Beyoncé remained a stalwart of R&B and hip-hop in the late '00s and early '10s, which meant that mainstream radio wanted to follow her lead when she released new music. Additionally, the R&B songwriters who received a co-sign from Beyoncé utilized her endorsement to demand the attention of publishers and A&Rs, ultimately securing successful publishing deals and becoming leading songwriters in the industry.
Beyoncé is credited with leading the revival of country music in the 2020s. She increased public interest in the genre and made it more accessible to new audiences. with publications writing that Beyoncé triggered "a cultural shift", "a watershed moment" and "a tipping point" in the genre's history. The release of Cowboy Carter was credited by The Times as making country music become mainstream in the UK, with one survey finding that 60% of British respondents started listening to country music following the release of Cowboy Carter. A worldwide study found that over one-third of Gen Z respondents began listening to country music after Beyoncé entered the genre. There was a 38% increase in views of country music videos globally on Vevo following the album's release, as well as a 40% increase in Black 18–34 year olds listening to country radio. Cowboy Carter was said to redefine what it means to be a country artist, with Emi Tuyetnhi Tran from NBC News commenting that it will "open the floodgates" for other country musicians. Cowboy Carter sparked discourse on the boundaries of the country music genre and its roots within Black music, and drove cultural conversations on the inclusion of Black artists within the genre.
Beyoncé boosted the careers of rising country acts. The listenership of Black female country musicians skyrocketed following the release of Cowboy Carter; for instance, Linda Martell, who was the first commercially successful Black female country artist, saw a 127,430 percent increase in streams. In The Tennessean, Andrea Williams wrote that Beyoncé opened the door for others in country music, proving Black songwriters, producers, and musicians belong in the genre. NPR's Amanda Marie Martínez wrote that the album revealed the "strong demand" for country music made by Black artists and a "growing community" of Black country fans. After featuring on the album, Shaboozey advanced the release of his single "A Bar Song (Tipsy)" to take advantage of his increased visibility. The song would peak at number 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 and Billboard Hot Country Songs, replacing Beyoncé's own "Texas Hold 'Em" and becoming the first time in history that two Black artists led the latter chart back to back; the song later tied the record for longest-running number-one song in Billboard history. Shaboozey thanked Beyoncé for "changing [his] life" and "opening a door for us".
Beyoncé is credited with helping popularize African music (most notably Afrobeats) globally in the late 2010s. Historically, Afrobeats music had not found mainstream success in the U.S., with African artists' attempts at breaking into the market repeatedly being thwarted. In 2019, Beyoncé released The Lion King: The Gift, which featured numerous African musicians. The album was described as an "unprecedented" tipping-point moment for the global exposure of African music by the London School of Economics, with several featured artists receiving significant career boosts and African music being promoted to the forefront of global popular culture. Rolling Stone, Billboard and Bloomberg credited Beyoncé with boosting the awareness and popularity of Afrobeats within the global music industry, ultimately leading to the establishment of the Billboard U.S. Afrobeats Songs chart and African music becoming increasingly mainstream in American culture.
Beyoncé is widely credited with the invention of the surprise album, where artists release an album without prior warning, which has since been termed "pulling a Beyoncé". In an article for Teen Vogue, Philip Henry explained how Beyoncé's 2013 eponymous album and its rollout "raised the bar for what we consumers expect", describing it as "one of the most important moments in music". Many artists would go on to adopt surprise rollouts, such as Drake and Taylor Swift, with MTV's Hilary Hughes writing in 2021 that "seven years after Beyoncé's arrival, its ripple effect across the industry is undeniable". The Guardian's Peter Robinson explained how Beyoncé "reinvented how to release an album", putting excitement back into the music industry. Robinson added that Beyoncé's release acts as "a masterclass in both exerting and relinquishing control", showing other artists how to effectively make a comeback.
Artists were also inspired by Beyoncé to attempt to create album releases that were unique cultural moments, such as U2's Songs of Innocence, which was automatically downloaded for users of iTunes. Beyoncé's marketing method has continued to inspire other artists to implement unconventional strategies, with artists seeking success by releasing songs without traditional promotion, such as Ariana Grande's "Thank U, Next". P. Claire Dodson of Fast Company wrote that with Lemonade, Beyoncé further transformed "the way music is created, distributed, and promoted". Peter Robinson of The Guardian wrote that the power of Beyoncé's popularization of the surprise release "shouldn't be underestimated", as it stopped music critics from having a "meaningful role in an album's release", enabled "a frictionless exchange of celebrity energy between fan and artist", and increased interest in album campaigns. Fully digital releases of music, without physical albums, became standard in the music industry due to Beyoncé. Beyoncé's released her 2013 eponymous album on iTunes only, which set the precedent for the decline of radio and physical copies in the 2010s.
Harvard Business School studied the surprise release of Beyoncé in a case study authored by professors Anita Elberse and Stacie Smith. The study explores the marketing strategy that Beyoncé used and its place in the current music industry.
Beyoncé is credited with reviving the music video as an art form, with Rolling Stone writing that she is "almost singlehandedly keeping the art of the music video alive". Writing for Billboard, Andrew Unterberger explained how Beyoncé had been at the music video's forefront since 2003 and arguably since Destiny's Child, revived interest in the music video format (and resuscitated the MTV VMAs) with "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)", and restored relevance to the art form in the early 2010s, at a time where the concept of the music video was losing its relevancy. Unterberger wrote that she has since "evolved into unquestionably the brightest star of video" during the 2010s, creating the "exhilarating, artful and immaculate" Beyoncé and Lemonade visual albums "that became blockbuster releases equivalent to nearly any feature film released in either year".
In an article on the history of music videos for Crack Magazine, Simran Hans wrote that Beyoncé was an "early instigator" of the trend of implementing a dance craze into a music video with "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)". Hans added that the video also set the precedent for "the music video as meme genre", later adopted for songs such as Psy's "Gangnam Style", Miley Cyrus' "Wrecking Ball", and Drake's "Hotline Bling". Sonia Rao of The Washington Post credited Beyoncé with initiating the trend of using music videos to explore racial and sexual identity, citing Frank Ocean, Janelle Monáe and Donald Glover as examples of artists who followed the precedent that Beyoncé set.
Beyoncé is credited with the creation of the visual album. While there had been earlier examples of artists releasing music with visual counterparts, such as The Beatles' A Hard Day's Night (1964), Prince's Purple Rain (1984), and Beyoncé's own B'Day (2006), the term "visual album" was first used for Beyoncé's 2013 self-titled album to describe a release where the music and videos are designed to be consumed as a comprehensive and cohesive piece. Beyoncé continued to experiment with the format on Lemonade (2016) and Black Is King (2020).
Numerous popular musicians have followed Beyoncé's blueprint and created "high-concept mini-movies that can add artistic heft to projects", according to The New York Times. Artists' projects that have followed the precedent set by Beyoncé include Frank Ocean's Endless (2016), Drake's Please Forgive Me (2016), Janelle Monáe's Dirty Computer (2018), Lonely Island's The Unauthorized Bash Brothers Experience (2019), Thom Yorke's Anima (2019), Sturgill Simpson's Sound & Fury (2019), Kid Cudi's Entergalactic (2022), and Jennifer Lopez's This Is Me... Now: A Love Story (2024).
Beyoncé has been credited with reviving the album as an art form in an era dominated by singles and streaming. This started with her 2011 album 4; while mainstream R&B artists were forgoing albums-led R&B in favor of singles-led EDM, Beyoncé aimed to place the focus back on albums as an art form and re-establish R&B as a mainstream concern. This remained a focus of Beyoncé's, and in 2013, she made her eponymous album only available to purchase as a full album on iTunes, rather than being able to purchase individual tracks or consume the album via streaming. Kaitlin Menza of Marie Claire wrote that this made listeners "experience the album as one whole sonic experience, the way people used to, noting the musical and lyrical themes".
Jamieson Cox for The Verge described how Beyoncé's 2013 album initiated a gradual trend of albums becoming more cohesive and self-referential, and this phenomenon reached its endpoint with Lemonade, which set "a new standard for pop storytelling at the highest possible scale". Megan Carpentier of The Guardian wrote that with Lemonade, Beyoncé has "almost revived the album format" by releasing an album that can only be listened to in its entirety. Myf Warhurst on Double J's "Lunch With Myf" explained that while most artists' albums consist of a few singles plus filler songs, Beyoncé "brought the album back", changing the art form of the album "to a narrative with an arc and a story and you have to listen to the entire thing to get the concept".
Beyoncé is credited with the change of music release days from Tuesdays to Fridays. Until 2015, new music was released on Tuesdays in major markets such as the US and Canada, largely because the Billboard charts were published on Wednesday, and because retailers could prepare their stock ahead of the weekend. Smaller markets varied in their music release days, such as France and the UK where music was released on Mondays.
Beyoncé released her eponymous album on Friday, December 13, 2013, in a break with industry norms. The Friday release meant that fans across the world could experience the music at the same time, and new music on a Friday was seen as enabling listeners to enjoy the album over the weekend. This move set a trend of artists releasing their albums on Fridays. Due to increased piracy as a result of the rise of digital music and streaming, the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) decided to create a unified Global Release Day, on which music releases are made uniformly available around the world. On June 11, 2015, the IFPI announced that the Global Release Day will be set for Fridays, known as New Music Fridays, as a result of the impact from Beyoncé's album.
Time's Cady Lang wrote that Beyoncé's career moves have helped to "rewrite the playbook" for artists. Sidney Madden of NPR explained that Beyoncé's control over her work and career has set the tone for other artists. In an article for The Guardian, Tshepo Mokoena explained that by taking control of her career through Parkwood Entertainment, Beyoncé set the precedent for musicians, such as Janelle Monáe and Little Simz, to become more autonomous. Mokoena added that Beyoncé destroyed the idea of performers "just sticking to the music", instead leading a "creative revolution" that has allowed artists such as Kanye West, Donald Glover and Rihanna to explore new creative avenues and industries. Scarlett Harris wrote that Beyoncé has empowered artists to defy industry conventions and release their music in their intended manner, quoting Taylor Swift's re-recordings project. HuffPost's Daniel Welsh wrote that Beyoncé's forgoing of conventional promotional tactics, such as press interviews, has inspired other artists to take control of their own narrative, such as Rihanna and Taylor Swift.
Beyoncé's use of social media has been described as a model for how it should be used by celebrities. Time's Cady Lang wrote that Beyoncé set the precedent for artists to promote their music using social media, rather than traditional media interviews that would accompany an album release. NPR's Ann Powers said that Beyoncé is the exemplar for other social media users, noting her ability to share moments that feel intimate and casual while still not invading her privacy. In Popular Music, Stars, and Stardom, Beyoncé's use of technology and social media to build connections with her fans and produce significant works of music is said to encourage other popular musicians to use such tools "to establish an audience base and then to operate more independently of the major industry players". Other celebrities have followed Beyoncé's lead of sharing looks on Instagram before emerging in the public eye, allowing them to control their image and narrative before photographers can publish photographs first.
Former President of the United States Barack Obama, in a speech on racial inequality delivered to Howard University, explained how Beyoncé's dominance as a black woman would not have been seen as possible when he was a graduate, with Beyoncé acting as a symbol for how the US is a "better place today". In Black Camera, Stephanie Li wrote that Beyoncé has "profoundly transformed images of blackness" by "cultivating an air of astounding exceptionality" and "extraordinary talent and vision", in a manner that is only comparable to Obama. She also wrote that even though Beyoncé has raised money for Black Lives Matter groups and has rallied others against police brutality, her most powerful contribution to the Black Lives Matter movement has been Lemonade, "which tapped into a need for healing, strength, and hope among a black community devastated by an onslaught of men and women killed in police encounters". The Guardian's Syreeta McFadden noted that Beyoncé has depicted archetypal southern Black women "in ways that we haven't seen frequently represented in popular art or culture", while Miriam Bale for Billboard named Lemonade "a revolutionary work of black feminism". According to Andrea Peterson of The Washington Post, "Beyoncé has increasingly used her platform and her art to address racial inequality, especially in the wake of police-involved deaths of black men that have dominated headlines in recent years." Peterson also described her as a "powerful voice for the Black Lives Matter movement", noting that this has caused her to receive hatred and vitriol from conservative outlets.
Beyoncé and her blackness have been the subject of various conversations throughout her career, including in her music and films, by music journalists and the media. Beyoncé has been called the "most politically divisive" celebrity in the United States and "Black America's great communicator". She has also consistently supported the Black Lives Matter movement, donating millions of dollars to various charities, bailed out several protesters who could not pay their bail following anti-police brutality demonstrations in Baltimore and Ferguson, Missouri, and publicly dedicated her BET Humanitarian Award to the movement. She has used her social media platform and celebrity status to highlight racial injustices on several occasions, including after the murder of George Floyd, issuing an open letter to Kentucky Attorney General Daniel Cameron, calling out the lack of arrests in the case of Breonna Taylor, and attending protests after the killing of Trayvon Martin. The latter resulted in a threat made by George Zimmerman, the man who fatally shot Martin.
Beyoncé's work has prompted significant discussions on race and black history. Hunter Harris commented on this phenomenon for Refinery29, writing: "Beyoncé's work is often a battleground for these discussions about race, privilege, and culture because the musician has such a singular importance to Black women." She has released several songs largely considered to be anthems for the African American community, including "Black Parade", "Freedom", and "Formation". The lattermost dominated public conversation and ignited discussions on the topics of culture, racism, and politics. Several of Beyoncé's songs have since been used as an anthem for various socio-political movements. The song became a Black Lives Matter anthem, being adopted by activists and played at protests worldwide. The song garnered attention for the Black Lives Matter movement and raised awareness for issues facing black people before the 2016 US presidential election. Charles Hughes, professor and director of the Memphis Center at Rhodes College, said that music was one of the strongest influences on the 2016 presidential election and that "Formation" had the greatest influence of all songs. Hughes described the song as "invoking movement" and reminding listeners of the role of women in the Black Lives Matter movement. In Michael Moore in TrumpLand, American filmmaker Michael Moore said that Beyoncé's performance of "Formation" at the Super Bowl was the breaking point of the shifting gender balance in American society, at which straight white men realized they were losing their power to women.
In 2018, Beyoncé chose Tyler Mitchell to photograph her Vogue September issue, thereby making Mitchell the first Black photographer to shoot a cover for Vogue in its 126-year history. Additionally, a portrait from this editorial was acquired for the permanent exhibit at the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery in Washington, D.C.
Beyoncé is credited with helping to popularize the feminist movement and mainstreaming intersectional feminism. Beyoncé was described as the most influential feminist in America by The Washington Post, citing how her form of feminism – which encompasses self-reliance, sexual confidence, representation, and economic empowerment – resonates with younger women. David DeNicolo and Meirav Devash of Allure wrote that "Beyoncé is often hailed a paragon and popularizer of the twenty-first-century women's movement". Writing for NPR, Ann Powers said that Beyoncé set the bar for the other women who have achieved success in the music industry, who followed Beyoncé's precedent by integrating messages related to feminism and liberation in their music.
Beyoncé has been credited with ushering in a new wave of feminism that embraces sexuality and motherhood, and with the introduction of feminist literature to the mainstream. Her performance of the song at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards in front a giant backdrop reading "Feminist." was "a significant moment for fourth-wave feminism" according to Harry Fletcher of the Evening Standard. Jessica Bennett of Time commented that the broadcast of the definition of "feminist" by "the most powerful celebrity in the world" to 12 million Americans was the "holy grail" of feminist endorsements, while writer Roxane Gay added that the performance aided feminism in a way that had never been seen before. Rebecca Traister of The New Republic described the performance as the most powerful pop culture message of her lifetime, as a signal that "the women's movement is not only thriving but expanding." Professor Kameelah L. Martin told Ms. that Lemonade was an "unprecedented" act in how black women were centered in the project, adding: "We have not seen anything like that in pop culture, and she is a force that can bring more awareness to our culture, to the Black female experience." HuffPost's Daniel Welsh wrote that Destiny's Child were unprecedented in how they promoted financial independence for women.
Beyoncé is credited with mobilizing the black vote in the 2008 presidential election, contributing to Barack Obama's victory. Beyoncé also mobilized people to vote for Obama during the 2012 presidential election, with Beyoncé acting as a public face for black women, who voted at a higher rate than any other group and were key to Obama's success. Trevor Nelson described Beyoncé mobilization of Americans, particularly marginalized communities, to vote for Obama in the elections as a "game-changer". An Instagram post by Beyoncé for the 2020 presidential election was cited by 80% of Gen Z voters as energizing them to vote.
According to Kevin Allred, Beyoncé "revolutionized the American political landscape", with her work being an essential tool to reinvigorate political education. In 2014, the term "Beyoncé voters" was coined by Fox News' Jesse Watters to describe single women who care about contraception, healthcare, and equal pay, and "depend on government because they're not depending on their husbands". The term went viral and sparked controversy, with critics condemning the characterization of women as a monolith and the factual inaccuracies in Watters' claims. Writing for The Atlantic, Spencer Kornhaber described how Beyoncé was on the frontlines of the culture wars of 2016, with her actions revealing "just how divided the country is".
Beyoncé has commonly been referred to as one of the most famous or most powerful singers in the world by several media publications and popular figures, including Forbes, BBC, and YouGov. Time magazine featured her among a list of 100 women who defined the last century and named her one of the most influential person in the world in 2014. Due to her level of fame, Beyoncé has achieved a near omnipresence in pop culture. She has been referenced in numerous popular TV shows and films over the course of her career. Entertainment Weekly's Alex Suskind noted that her "songs, album rollouts, stage presence, social justice initiatives, and disruptive public relations strategy have influenced the way we've viewed music since 2010." Stephanie Li wrote in Black Camera that Beyoncé's continued impact can be attributed to how she reinvents herself "again and again through record-setting albums, transformative songs and videos, and visionary marketing strategies.
Beyoncé has been recognized as one of the most influential figures in music history by numerous publications, including Rolling Stone and the Associated Press. She was named Billboard's Greatest Pop Star of the 21st Century, and topped NPR list of the "21st Century's Most Influential Women Musicians". She was repeatedly named a defining artist of both the 2000s decade and the 2010s decade. In The New Yorker, music critic Jody Rosen described Beyoncé as "the most important and compelling popular musician of the twenty-first century ... the result, the logical end point, of a century-plus of pop." James Clear, in his book Atomic Habits (2018), draws a parallel between Beyoncé's success and the dramatic transformations in modern society: "In the last one hundred years, we have seen the rise of the car, the airplane, the television, the personal computer, the internet, the smartphone, and Beyoncé."
Critics have described Beyoncé as possessing a status that is beyond the world of celebrity. Kiana Fitzgerald of NPR wrote that the title of "pop star" does not apply to Beyoncé any longer, with Beyoncé creating "an entirely new matrix of celebrity". Arwa Mahadi of The Guardian described how Beyoncé's projects aren't solely albums but cultural events, adding: "Beyoncé has risen to a rare level of fame where she has surpassed mere celebrity and become an archetype of achievement." In a profile for The New York Times, Jody Rosen wrote: "Beyoncé has become something more than just a superstar. She is a kind of national figurehead, an Entertainer in Chief; she is Americana. Someday, surely, her "Single Ladies" leotard will take its place alongside Mickey Mouse and the Model T Ford and Louis Armstrong's trumpet in a Smithsonian display case." In an article for The Guardian, Tshepo Mokoena asserted that Beyoncé destroyed the idea of performers "just sticking to the music", instead leading a creative revolution that has allowed artists such as Kanye West, Donald Glover and Rihanna to explore new creative avenues and industries.
The French encyclopedic dictionary Petit Larousse Illustré added Beyoncé's name as a proper noun in its 2024 update.
Beyoncé has been the subject of various protests and boycotts throughout her career. The Beyoncé Experience was scheduled to visit Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia on November 1, 2007; however, the show was ultimately canceled due to Malaysia's strict Islam-based laws surrounding the clothing that women in public, and women performers, can wear. Several publications reported that the news followed an uptick in protests by several conservative groups, including the National Union of Malaysian Muslim Students, urging the Ministry of Culture, Arts and Heritage to stop the concert from taking place. Several years later, Beyoncé attempted to return to Malaysia during her I Am... World Tour. She again was met with strong opposition from religious groups in Kuala Lumpur and agreed to tone down some parts of her performance. A spokesperson for the Pan-Malaysian Islamic Party stated: "We are against Western sexy performances; we don't think our people need that." He went on saying that Beyoncé should be regarded as a "role model" and an "embodiment of success" because of her philanthropic work, including campaigns against poverty and domestic violence. The Marctensia promoter further told the Associated Press: "We are confident that Beyoncé's concert will once and for all silence international critics and put Malaysia back on track and move up the ranks in presenting A-list international pop concerts in this region and further boost tourism."
Following her performance at the Super Bowl 50 halftime show, where Beyoncé and her dancers wore outfits widely perceived to be reminiscent of the Black Panther Movement, the Fraternal Order of Police said in a statement that it had voted to let its members boycott Beyoncé's upcoming concert at Miami's LoanDepot Park because it believed Beyoncé had used the Super Bowl halftime show "to divide Americans by promoting the Black Panthers." The group called for other law enforcement organizations to boycott her concerts as well. Police unions in Nashville and Tampa later urged officers not to volunteer to work security during Beyoncé's performances in those cities. Former New York City mayor Rudy Giuliani accused the performance of being anti-police and also criticized Beyoncé's use of Black Power and Black Panther Party symbolism in her dance routine. "This is football, not Hollywood, and I thought it was outrageous that she used it as a platform to attack police officers who are the people who protect her and protect us and keep us alive," he said. There were planned protest outside of the National Football League's headquarters, however, no one showed up. Nine months following her performance at the Super Bowl halftime show, Beyoncé was met with similar opposition and media attention after her performance at the 50th Annual Country Music Association Awards for both the return of the Dixie Chicks to the CMA stage following their controversial statements about George Bush which saw them shut out of the country music industry as well as her appearance in general. Their performance of "Daddy Lessons" from Beyoncé's Lemonade album polarized viewers, artists, and critics alike, with some praising the collaboration, though many country fans claimed Beyoncé did not belong at the event following her alignment with the Black Lives Matter movement and references at the Super Bowl.
The term "Beyoncé" has been used a superlative honorific title, both within and outside of the music industry. It is common for a popular figure to be referred to as "the Beyoncé of" a specific category or group, often used as a superlative by the media.
The term "Beyoncé" became visible in the profile of various performers, with some artists being planned or promoted as "the next Beyoncé" or as "Beyoncé's successor" in their debut era by their record label or music journalists, including Rihanna, Lizzo, and Tinashe.
Several artists from outside the US have been dubbed the "Beyoncé" of their native country. This includes Rihanna (the Bajan Beyoncé), Rosalía (the Spanish Beyonce), Naomi Watanabe (the Japanese Beyoncé), Ailee (the Korean Beyoncé), Yemi Alade (the African Beyoncé), Urvashi Rautela (the Indian Beyoncé), Shiri Maimon (the Israeli Beyoncé), Eleni Foureira (the Cypriot Beyoncé), Meivin Malelak (the Indonesian Beyoncé), Nadine Lustre (the Southeast Asian Beyoncé), Naomi Wang (the Chinese Beyoncé), Anitta and Iza (the Brazilian Beyoncé), and Lewis Capaldi regularly calls himself the Scottish Beyoncé.
Outside of music, "Beyoncé" is used as an honorific title for people (and especially women) who are the leaders of their respective industries. In the arts and entertainment industries, this includes "The Beyoncé of Television" Shonda Rhimes, "The Beyoncé of Art History" Artemisia Gentileschi, "The Beyoncé of Opera" J'Nai Bridges, "The Beyoncé of Acting" Meryl Streep, "The Beyoncé of Broadway" Marisha Wallace, "The Beyoncé of Ceramics" Magdalene Odundo, "The Beyoncé of Quilts" Bisa Butler, "The Beyoncé of Podcasting" Roman Mars, "The Beyoncé of Drag" Shangela, "The Beyoncé of Piano" Khatia Buniatishvili, "The Beyoncé of Tidying" Marie Kondo, and "The Beyoncé of Cakes" Yolanda Gampp. In sports, recipients of the honorific title include "The Beyoncé of Gymanstics" Simone Biles, "The Beyoncé of Boxing" Claressa Shields, "The Beyoncé of Sports" Ronda Rousey, "The Beyoncé of the WNBA" A'ja Wilson, "The Beyoncé of Basketball" Candace Parker, and "The Beyoncé of Racing" Rachael Blackmore. In news and politics, recipients of the title include "The Beyoncé of The Law" Baroness Hale, "The Beyoncé of Politics" Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, "The Beyoncé of Abortion Storytelling" Renee Bracey Sherman, and "The Beyoncé of Investigative Journalism" Nikole Hannah-Jones. In science and business, recipients include "The Beyoncé of Earthquakes" Lucy Jones, "The Beyoncé of Science" Jennifer Doudna, "The Beyoncé of CIOs" Robert B. Carter, and "The Beyoncé of Economics" Raj Chetty.
Following tension in the Government of National Unity following the decline of support for the African National Congress (ANC) in the 2024 South African general election, Clement Manyathela said: "The ANC needs to realise its time of glory and being charge on its own is gone. It's not the Beyoncé of the group."
Beyoncé is described as a "style icon" and has made an impact on the fashion industry. Editor of Marie Claire Nicky Briger explained Beyoncé's fashion influence, writing: "Whatever Beyonce wears, the world takes notice. She'll put designers and trends on the map." Designer Maria Lucia Hohan told Complex that while other celebrities have worn her designs before, Beyoncé is on a different level, saying: "Beyoncé's style and her fashions get so much attention whether it is an award show, a concert stage, a red carpet or a music video—nothing goes unnoticed when it comes to her star power." Beyoncé is one of the artists whose music videos impact fashion the most, according to a study by Vevo. She has had several ventures into the fashion industry, including owning fashion brands House of Deréon and Ivy Park, appearing at events such as the Met Gala, and made her runway modeling debut at Tom Ford's Spring/Summer 2011 fashion show. She became the first non-athlete to cover Sports Illustrated and has appeared on the cover of Vogue four times throughout her career. Tyler Mitchell became the first African-American photographer to shoot a Vogue cover after Beyoncé handpicked him. Beyoncé has set various fashion trends throughout her career, and aspects of her style looks, and clothing have influenced the public, designers, and other entertainers of different generations. Beyoncé's photoshoots and personal belongings have been displayed in museums and other exhibitions around the world, including several at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. She is often credited with popularizing the leotard as a performance outfit after appearing in the "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" music video and subsequent performances. Beyoncé has also received various awards for her fashion, including the CFDA Fashion Icon Award in 2016.
Powerhouse Museum Senior curator Roger Leong explained that while there are influencers in high fashion, Beyoncé brings fashion trends into the mainstream. Joe Zee, editor-in-chief of Yahoo Style, explained how Beyoncé takes a fashion idea "and makes it sexier, more feminine—desirable but also accessible", which the fashion world then borrows from. Introducing Beyoncé as the recipient of the 2016 CFDA Fashion Icon Award, designer Diane von Furstenberg said: "The image of a woman being in charge has never looked more glamorous and more desirable. She is everything all women want to be and after listening to her, no woman should ever feel belittled or insecure again. Talent, heart, strength, and courage. That is what true style is about and all of that is what Beyoncé is the best example of."
Stephen Wigley, associate dean of fashion enterprise at RMIT University, opined that Beyoncé plays an altruistic role in fashion, raising the visibility of small black designers who do not have the financial ability to secure endorsements to gain mainstream success. Janell Okwodu of Vogue described how Beyoncé has put black designers at the forefront of fashion, adding: "Celebrity placements mean more for creators who aren't yet household names, and it doesn't get bigger than having Beyoncé feature your work in a music video or performance." Okwodu also noted how Beyoncé's fashion influence extends beyond her art, with Beyoncé's use of her Instagram feed and her Black Parade directory of black-owned businesses further popularizing lesser-known black designers.
Fashion trends that Beyoncé popularized include naked dresses, nameplate necklaces, lemon print, moon print, and flash tattoos. Beyoncé's clothing brand Ivy Park is credited with making athleisure go mass market.
Beyoncé's incorporation of country music and its culture sparked fashion movements and increased the sales of Western wear. Cowboy Carter has boosted the popularity of Western wear apparel, leading to a surge in searches for Western-style jeans (610%), bolo ties (566%), flared denim (372%), cowboy boots (224%), and cowboy hats (213%). The hat brand Stetson has observed a rise in demand for its products after Beyoncé showcased her affinity for the Western lifestyle. Cowboy Carter played a crucial role in achieving an impressive 326% boost in sales of cowboy hats, which was accompanied by a notable 45% increase in the sales of boots and fringed suede jackets. Influenced by the album, American fast fashion retailers like Forever 21 increased their stock of Western clothing by over 300%.
Many of the designers Beyoncé and her dancers wore in Black Is King saw triple-digit spikes in search traffic after the film's release. The Marine Serre moon print bodysuit that is featured in the film became "the most popular design of 2020", with the brand seeing a 426% increase in searches in the 48 hours after the film's release. Beyoncé's fashion in the film made her become the most influential woman in fashion in 2020. The film also helped raise awareness of African fashion worldwide. The film kicked off hair and makeup trends, with stylists and artists around the world creating looks inspired by those in Black Is King.
Renaissance World Tour resulted in an estimated media value exceeding $187 million for the esteemed fashion houses involved. These renowned fashion houses dedicated their expertise to craft unique couture pieces for Beyoncé and her dancers at every stop throughout the tour. Following Beyoncé's Instagram challenge to her fans to showcase their silver disco ball-inspired looks, the demand for silver has surged, leading to a significant boost in small business activity.
Beyoncé has added several phrases into the cultural lexicon, with certain words and phrases receiving a boost in popularity after Beyoncé includes them in her music. The terms "bootylicious", "visual album" and "Bama" were also added to the Oxford English Dictionary after Beyoncé used them in "Bootylicious" (2001), Beyoncé (2013) and "Formation" (2016), respectively. Other phrases that Beyoncé mainstreamed or popularized include "twerk", "FUPA", "Becky", "surfbordt", "I woke up like this", "shoulda put a ring on it", and "hot sauce in my bag". In 2019, the Democratic National Committee used "boy bye", a lyric from Beyoncé's "Sorry", in an anti-Donald Trump advertisement.
Beyoncé has mainstreamed several dances, including popularizing J-Setting with her "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" video. Beyoncé is credited with popularizing veganism, as well as the Master Cleanse diet. Creative baby bump photoshoots were also popularized by Beyoncé.
The "Beyoncé Effect" is a term used by cultural critics and fans to describe Beyoncé's influence over market trends after featuring brands in her work. Eboni K. Williams explained for Revolt how Beyoncé "singlehandedly make[s] trends cool simply by putting her stamp of approval on it", attributing the phenomenon to the fact that the work Beyoncé has put in throughout her career has made it seem like she can do no wrong, "so when she does anything, she's the model of perfection".
Beyoncé boosted the popularity of the Louvre after filming the "Apeshit" music video in the museum, with the visitor count increasing by 25% to 10.2 million after the video's release, the highest count for any museum in history. After Beyoncé wore a moon print bodysuit by French designer Marine Serre in Black Is King, searches for the brand increased by 426% and the print was described as the design of 2020. Similarly, after wearing an outfit by Ivorian designer Loza Maléombho in the film, Maléombho received an immediate and overwhelming response, causing her website to crash and her sales to spike 300%. A suit designed by DSquared2 sold out after it was worn by Beyoncé in 2016. After shouting-out Red Lobster in "Formation", sales at the restaurant chain increased by 33%. Twitter wrote that the Beyoncé Effect after Lemonade caused the lemon and bee emojis to spike in usage. Gerrick D. Kennedy of the Los Angeles Times wrote that the Beyoncé Effect was present throughout Coachella 2018, with a line-up that was more inclusive of female, queer and minority artists.
After forming a partnership with Beyoncé to produce Ivy Park, Topshop's posts on Instagram received 50% more engagement. After Beyoncé gave OnlyFans a shoutout on "Savage Remix", the content service saw a 15% increase in traffic. Beyoncé's mention of Telfar and Birkin bags in the closing track "Summer Renaissance" generated a large spike in demand for the brands. Following Beyoncé's mention of the American clothing brand Levi Strauss & Co. in the Cowboy Carter song "Levii's Jeans," the company experienced a 20% increase in its stock price. Cowboy Carter also independently contributed an extra $1.2 million to the brand, resulting from a rise of 1.5 billion online impressions. Levi's observed a 20% increase in customer visits to its US stores following the album's release, while British retailer John Lewis & Partners indicated that searches for "women's Levi's jeans" surged by 263% since the album was announced.
After posting pictures of a baby Blue Ivy on Tumblr, the website increased in popularity and was eventually sold to Yahoo for $1.1 billion. Beyoncé helped Facebook launch their Auto-Play feature after the release of her eponymous album in 2013. Beyoncé also helped launch the animated Branded Like feature on Twitter, after its use in the promotional campaign for Black Is King was well received by Twitter users and adopted by other brands including Apple, NASA and the NBA.
The BBC said that the Renaissance World Tour "marks a big economic moment", boosting countries' economies in a phenomenon dubbed the "Beyoncé effect", "Beyoncé bump", "Beyoncé blip" and "Beyflation" by experts. The influx of spending related to Beyoncé's performances in Stockholm, Sweden, has led to a rise in inflation levels within Sweden. According to Michael Grahn, who serves as the Chief Economist at Danske Bank, this situation is "very rare" and "astonishing for a single event", adding: "We haven't seen this before." In the UK, there has been a surprising rise in the consumer price index, which has compelled the Bank of England to reevaluate its inflation strategy. The event has catalyzed a significant 6.8 percent increase in spending on recreation and culture, the highest rate of growth in three decades. The Office for National Statistics has pointed to this increase in consumer activity as the leading cause of the current inflationary trends affecting the nation. Forbes described her as not just a global Icon but a magnate whose brand output perseveres in spite of the odds.
The tour boosted the local economies of the cities it visited. QuestionPro estimated the tour could generate $4.5 billion in economic activity, which is similar to the revenue that the 2008 Summer Olympics of Beijing ($3.6 billion). Brett House, economist at Columbia Business School, said that the tour has helped create a "gentle cool-down" of economic activity in the US during the summer, instead of the usual abrupt stop. Professor Tom Smith from the Goizueta Business School at Emory University incorporated the Renaissance World Tour into his lectures as a case study, focusing on events that profoundly influence market dynamics. His analysis highlights how such large-scale events can shape consumer behavior and market trends. The tour's engagement in Atlanta, Georgia, produced an additional $10 million in revenue for the local business community.
Hotel prices "skyrocketed" during the tour's stops in Stockholm, and the city's tourism board, Visit Stockholm, recognized the "Beyonce effect" as a driving force behind the high levels of tourism and almost full hotel occupancy. Travelodge, a leading hotel chain in the UK, stated that the tour was vital in reaching "record-breaking [financial] results". The hotels in London, England, were at full capacity throughout Beyoncé's five sold-out concerts in the city, highlighting the strong link between major entertainment events and hotel occupancy rates. Over 90% of hotels in the vicinity of Tottenham Hotspur Stadium were fully reserved for the dates of Beyoncé's shows in London several months prior, and the price of hotel rooms in Sunderland surged by nearly 600% coinciding with Beyoncé's concert. On the day of the concert, hotel accommodation prices in Edinburgh, Scotland, saw a dramatic increase of more than 360%, with occupancy rates hitting 95.1% In Cardiff, Wales, 95.7% of hotel rooms were booked up coinciding Beyoncé's concert. In Cologne, Germany, the hotel sector thrived with an $80 revenue premium per available room. The city achieved a remarkable 95.3% occupancy rate, a significant leap from the average daily occupancy of 61.1%.
Beyoncé's first North American stop in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, has resulted in a 21% increase in hotel searches, a 10% rise in shopping inquiries, and a 9% uptick in beauty service requests compared to the weekly average from the previous year. Additionally, restaurant interest experienced an impressive surge of over 30% on the day of her concert in the city. According to Yelp, Data shows that in the week prior to the event, fans are particularly eager to support businesses that are Black-owned, women-owned, and LGBTQ-owned.
Beyoncé has been cited as an influence by various artists all over the world. These artists include;
Taylor Swift described Beyoncé as a major influence and a "guiding light throughout my career", who has "paved the road" and shown how to "break rules and defy industry norms". Lady Gaga explained how Beyoncé gave her the determination to become a musician, recalling seeing her in a Destiny's Child music video and saying: "Oh, she's a star. I want that." Rihanna was inspired to start her singing career after watching Beyoncé, telling etalk that after Beyoncé released Dangerously In Love (2003), "I was like 'wow, I want to be just like that.' She's huge and just an inspiration." Ariana Grande learned to sing by mimicking Beyoncé. Adele cited Beyoncé as her inspiration and favorite artist, telling Vogue: "She's been a huge and constant part of my life as an artist since I was about ten or eleven ... I think she's inspiring. She's beautiful. She's ridiculously talented, and she is one of the kindest people I've ever met ... She makes me want to do things with my life." Both Paul McCartney and Garth Brooks said they watch Beyoncé's performances to get inspiration for their shows, with Brooks saying that when watching one of her performances, "take out your notebook and take notes. No matter how long you've been on the stage – take notes on that one."
According to Elenberg Fraser, the Premier Tower's design is reminiscent of Beyoncé's fabric-draped silhouette in the music video for her 2013 song Ghost. In additionally, Beyoncé is represented by numerous wax figures at Madame Tussauds Wax Museums in major cities all over the world, including New York City, Berlin, Singapore, Tokyo, London, Washington, D.C., Amsterdam, Bangkok, Hollywood Sydney, Istanbul, Blackpool, Las Vegas, Orlando, San Francisco, Nashville, Budapest, Vienna, Shanghai and Delhi.
The latest was unveiled by Madame Tussauds New York on July 27, 2023, showcasing Beyoncé's look from her historic 2018 Coachella performance. Debuted at Edge, New York City's highest outdoor sky deck, the figure features Beyoncé in a Balmain bodysuit and Nefertiti-inspired headpiece, commemorating her as the first Black woman to headline the festival. This addition involved extensive collaboration with the original designers, requiring six months to capture Beyoncé's signature style precisely.
Beyoncé's work, costumes and portraits have featured in prestigious museums globally, including:
Beyoncé's work, career and advocacy have been the subject of college and university courses across the world.