Mar 2, 2017
Beyonce’s Road to Album of the Year
I’m going to say something that many of us are thinking right now: Adele deserved the Album of the Year Grammy. This is quiet an unpopular opinion (just ask Solange,) because everyone is a huge Beyoncé fan. Twitter is in an uproar. Facebook is running wild. People are proclaiming it everywhere they can. However, I have my own opinion: Beyoncé has yet to release an album that is worthy of album of the year.
Before you stop reading because you are so turned off by this idea, let me share something with you: I’ve been obsessed with Beyoncé since she first came out. I’m talking pictures of Destiny’s Child cut out and collaged all over my childhood door, having my mother drive thirty miles to the nearest CD store to buy Survivor the day it came out, and paying for most I could afford to see them from the best seat in concert and describing it as a religious experience. I was that kid.
Lemonade
And I’m also a huge believer that Beyoncé is laying the groundwork for an iconic career (if not already achieving it.) According to many, including Rich Juzwiak of Gawker, “Beyoncé is the greatest performer of her time.” She’s a phenomenon to be reckoned with. Take Lemonade for example. Released exclusively on Tidal on April 23rd 2015, Lemonade was credited for the addition of 1.2 million new subscriptions immediately after its release. It sold 1.55 million copies in the US alone. She released “Formation” the day before the Super Bowl and then went on to perform it there, making this her second consecutive year performing on that platform.
Beyonce’s new path
“What the (expletive) does she have to do to win album of the year?” — Adele
However, Beyoncé maybe her own worst enemy. She’s become almost inaccessible in the past couple of years. And with each album comes their own set of issues. And let’s make one thing clear. We ALL want Beyonce to win Album of the Year. Even Adele herself proclaimed after winning the coveted award, “What the (expletive) does Beyonce have to do to win Album of the Year?” Here’s what I think Beyoncé can do to change this:
- Beyoncé needs to release an actual hit single. Beyoncé’s last number one single was “Single Ladies” off her I am… Sasha Fierce album. While “Formation” did hit number 10 on Billboard’s Hot 100 charts, all the other singles off the album failed to leave a mark on the chart. The same goes with her last album, Beyoncé. Adele’s “Hello” was massive, spending ten weeks atop the Hot 100 chart. It was literally everywhere. And while you can make the case for certain songs on Lemonade, I’d challenge you to find a chorus that you couldn’t stop singing months after its release.
- Beyoncé should give up her God complex. Beyoncé has proven that she is worthy of all the praise in the world. However, she now expects it. Take her Grammy performance, for example. She came out in a gold outfit with a “halo” ring around her head. She was solely focused on her pregnancy, as if it was the first set of twins born in the history of mankind. She was allowed to perform a portion of every song from her album at this year’s VMAs. Who else would be allowed to do that?! She’s proclaiming to us that we are witnessing the second coming of Jesus, and she might be right, but let us be the ones to decide that. A humble Beyoncé is always my favorite.
- She needs to get personal. One of Beyoncé’s biggest issues is that she doesn’t let the public see anything personal. Although Lemonade was considered her most personal album to date, it was hard to decipher what was real and what was for show. She needs to let us see the real Beyoncé.
- She also needs to avoid song-writing/ copyright controversies. We all know that Beyonce is an amazing performer, but there have been multiple times that she’s come under fire for possibly copying the creative decisions of others. For example, take her amazing billboard performance from the 2011. It was quickly brought out that there where many similarities with the performance of singer Lorella Cuccarini. There are also rumors that she has bought writing credits for her songs over the years. There is nothing wrong with not writing your own songs. There are plenty of legends who never wrote their own songs. (Elvis, Frank Sinatra, Diana Ross)
- And on that note… she needs to do more promotion! Beyoncé is the queen of performing. She is an undeniable force on that stage. However, with her last two albums, she’s been a bit absent from the promotional scene. While we did get the HBO Lemonade special, we only had the Super Bowl and VMA performances to relish in her glory. Yes, the Formation tour soon followed, but she needs to make her performances more frequent and accessible to the masses.
With all of that said, it feels crazy that I’d be giving the Queen B herself my opinions how to be even better at what she does. She dominates with every release. She IS the star wherever she goes. That said, I want to see her win that award!! She deserves it more than anyone!
