why i love beyonce

the other day, i casually mentioned to a friend that i was a mere click away from purchasing solange knowles' most recent album from itunes (i didnt, but it did get some positive reviews so shut up).

this lead to a discussion of the knowles family in general, and its shining star, BEYONCE.

my friend said he liked her music alright, but just couldnt understand

 her as a pop diva. she was simply too boring, uninteresting... just a pretty girl from houston who made it big.

i told him i would need to really think about it before i responded, then she was in my dreams last night... so here goes.

PART ONE: THE MUSIC

lets not forget that first and foremost, beyonce has left an undeniable and indelible mark on music history and our pop culture psyche. destiny's child was amazing. every kid in middle school had that album, the writings on the wall. beyonce was so good in destiny's child no one even cared when they lost a member and switched another out. as long as the girl in the 

middle stays the same. (refer to bills bills bills, say my name, bootylicious, lose my breath)

no one was surprised when beyonce grew up into a solo artist. dangerously in love was good

 and you couldnt avoid crazy in love the best single from that album. it announced that beyonce wasnt going anywhere. i remember going to borders on tuesday to check out b'day, her second album. i wasnt going to buy it unless it was good. i previewed the first 15 seconds of the first three tracks and was already sold. that album cemented my feelings for beyonce. hit after hit. not to mention a video for every song. she likes to say that the songs are inspired by her character from dreamgirls, but i prefer to think she wrote these songs about rihanna and jayz (refer to upgrade u, get me bodied, freakum dress)

in the newest album, beyonce continues to surprise us and has proved what we knew all along, that she is also a video artist. (refer to fringe glasses, black leotards, soft lighting)

all im trying to say is, the music is consistent and excellent.

PART TWO: THE PERSON

for one, she is mononymous. thats quite an accomplisment in and of itself. one thing i hear a l

ot from the beyonce nay sayers is that in interviews she seems boring or stupid or vapid or all of the above. ive seen those interviews, and i understand how one could make such an assessment, but i dont think it tells the whole story. beyonce can be dull in an interview because she is two people trapped in one body. she has managed to separate her high flying onstage antics from her day to day persona. madonna, britney, mariah, cher... all these people dress up in lavish costumes and put on huge shows, but they dont slip into a whole different character. britney is a

 little bit slutty and a lot trashy, and thats onstage and off. madonna is kind of an uptight bitch, and that is onstage and off. beyonce is sweet and demure offstage, and a crazy larger than life phenom during a performance. beyonce said it best herself, "i have someone else that takes over when its time for me to work and when im on stage, this alter ego ive created that kind of protect me and who i really am." "sasha fierce" couldnt exist in real life. she couldnt get caught at starbucks or walking around in sweats. "sasha fierce" exists mainly in my imagination, and she is able to fly and cry on demand and gets hugs from angels. i dont care if beyonce wants to protect part of her personal life as long as she gives me all of sasha fierce. 

PART THREE: THE MESSAGE

its ok to be crazy. embrace your inner crazy. even if you're mostly normal, just a pretty girl from nowhere, your most bizarre eccentricities are what make you unique and those are the parts that should be on display. unless its ugly. keep it neat ya'll.

if you still have any questions, just go see her in concert. she is worth every penny. MEOW.