BETA
This is a BETA experience. You may opt-out by clicking here

More From Forbes

Edit Story

Beyoncé’s Career Metamorphosis Is A Masterclass In Artistic Evolution

Following

Beyoncé is one of the most powerful women in the world.

Over the years, the singer's business ventures, coupled with her astronomical musical success and the impact of the critically acclaimed Renaissance World Tour, have now catapulted her net worth to a staggering $800 million. This new financial peak also marks a significant turning point in the singer’s celebrity pedigree.

The genesis of Beyoncé's career traces back to the late 1990s, where her contribution to the critically acclaimed R&B girl group, Destiny's Child, formed the foundation for her eventual solo mega-stardom.

The “Break My Soul” singer recently celebrated the ten-year anniversary of her self-titled album, Beyoncé — a surprise album that shifted the paradigm of music streaming and redefined the creative process for many artists. While crossing the decade mark is an impressive feat for many artists, the release of Beyoncé arrived at the 16-year mark of her career, becoming one of her most memorable albums to date.

Below are three takeaways from Beyoncé's career trajectory.

Break Norms, Establish A Precedent

In her featured song on Nicki Minaj’s “Feeling Myself,” Queen B proclaimed, “changed the game with that digital drop, know where you were when that digital popped, I stopped the world.”

Indeed, when the Houston native quietly dropped Beyoncé ten year ago, it sent social media—and the world at large— into a frenzy. Twitter reported that the 14-track album’s surprise release, garnered 1.2 million tweets in 12 hours. Up until that point, no artist had quite done anything like that, and in such magnitude.

The “Pure/Honey” singer who is notorious for leading a private life, stepped out of the rules of traditional music marketing and promotion, and the result was a pop culture-defining moment.

Since then, surprise projects have become much more common. In the professional world where norms seem pre-established, stepping outside of the lines and reimagining ways of getting work done can create a pattern.

Go The Extra Mile

The release of Beyoncé was especially unforgettable because it was a visual album, with every song having an accompanying music video. Due to budget restraints and creative issues, artists often forgo the release of music videos and instead pick out the most commercially successful songs to create music videos for. The idea of a visual album up until that point was almost unheard of, and in many work environments where going the extra mile can often attract cynicism, the concept still works.

Let Go Of Perfection

One of Beyoncé’s most poignant songs till date is “Pretty Hurts,” where she sings, “Perfection is a disease of a nation,” in a memorable chorus. The irony of the record is that the singer’s creative process—and celebrity—has often been revered by celebrities and fans alike, as god-like.

While her artistic outputs might be near-perfect, in numerous interviews, the creative phenom has denounced the concept of perfection and has embraced the concept of purpose and intention instead as stronger driving forces. In corporate spaces, the quest for perfection can often shroud bigger ideas, causing them to become diluted under the pressure of everything needing to be in straight line, without missing a beat. While order is important and needed, an over-saturation of it can ultimately be damaging.