Meeting Queen B.

I have a friend named Amanda. Amanda had this random talent in high school. She was able to win radio contests. The whole “if you are caller ten you win…” well Amanda was always caller ten. I can’t even remember all the concerts, CD packs (late 90’s people), and free festival tickets she won from KJ103—our pop station of choice. I think the whole “if you have won in the past 90 days” rule happened because of Amanda.So anyway Amanda won Destiny’s Child concert tickets. She didn’t just win tickets, she also won tickets to a backstage BBQ and meet and greet.

So anyway Amanda won Destiny’s Child concert tickets. She didn’t just win tickets, she also won tickets to a backstage BBQ and meet and greet.

There are many moments of my life I have zero recollection of, but this whole day is very clear. I remember the hot pink top I wore (too tight, too trendy). I remember that the “backstage meet and greet” turned out to be pretty lame. This did not stop me from eating the BBQ (Beyoncé did not eat the BBQ for those wondering). The only decoration was a Destiny’s Child poster that featured all four OG DC members even though we were fully in the Bey, Kelly, and Michelle only era. You know that would never happen now. But this was early on.

Beyoncé was quiet, small, and soft-spoken. No Sasha Fierce at the BBQ, just a petite teenager who frankly didn’t seem super amped to have to be at this thing. I don’t blame her—like I said, it was a pretty subpar operation.

When Destiny’s Child took the stage they were in teal costumes. Teal jumpsuits, halter tops, hot pants. I’m sure Tina Knowles made them. Midway through the performance, Beyoncé had a wardrobe malfunction. What could have been a total distraction or a huge embarrassment became a moment of true professionalism. Beyoncé didn’t stop. She kept singing, dancing, doing the choreography with one hand holding the outfit together until the song was over. The outfit was fixed and she continued on seamlessly.

A few years later, I remember watching a “Behind the Scenes” piece on MTV about Beyoncé making the music video for “Baby Boy.” They showed Beyoncé on the beach at like 1am doing this flip move over and over again. She was worried she didn’t have it down and wanted to get it right before they filmed the music video. So she stayed on the beach in the middle of the night practicing. After BEYONCE dropped I—like all good fans—read every article about her collaborators and the top-secret nature of the project.

“Did you know you were part of a secret album?” reporters asked various directors and stylists.

Most of them said something along the lines of, “No. Because Beyoncé is always creating, always working. You never know if your stuff will make it. You just keep working.”

No doubt the woman has natural talent and at this point access to really anything and anyone, but most importantly, Beyoncé Knowles puts in the work. That’s why I love her. She didn’t just arrive. She worked and continues to work.

Happy birthday to a true boss.

Check out our past Boss Beats playlists:

Jessica Blackstock moonlights as a deejay, during daylight hours she girlbosses over at Thrive Consulting Group.   Want more beats? Your Week Curated is another playlist I, well, curate. I add four newly released songs to the list every Monday.