Beyoncé, the queen of dropping surprise albums, truly came through this #Ariesszn when she released a documentary and live album following her truly iconic 2018 Coachella performance. HOMECOMING, as the aforementioned documentary and live album are called, takes fans on Bey’s journey to Coachella in 2018. Her performance was postponed in 2017 because she was pregnant with twins. If you haven’t been able to watch the documentary or listen to the album yet, here are some key things to know about it. But honestly you should probably drop what you’re doing because—it’s Beyoncé.
It’s Full Of Celebrity Appearances
It was one of the most anticipated Coachella performances possibly of all time when it happened. And Beyoncé is finally gracing the rest of the world with a chance to see it themselves. Much of the documentary is of the actual performance itself, which shook the world last April when appearances from Jay-Z, Solange, and the entirety of Destiny’s Child reunited for the first time in years to give the performance of a lifetime. Destiny’s Child hasn’t performed in years. So the appearance was truly something special for longtime fans of Beyoncé’s upbringing as a member of the group. Olivier Rousteing, the Creative Director of Balmain, also had a major part to play in the intricate costumes featured throughout the show.
Blue Ivy Can SING!
Well, maybe this isn’t surprising at all, but Blue Ivy Carter has some pipes in her. The adorable daughter of Beyoncé and Jay-Z was only six when she sang on “Lift Every Voice and Sing” which appears on the HOMECOMING live album and in the Netflix documentary. Blue Ivy may only be seven now, but she shows a keen interest in singing on the album. Could this mean that we’ll see a lot more of her in Beyoncé’s future works? What about Sir & Rumi? We’re hoping for a Destiny’s Child 2.0 to come out of the famous siblings.
Every Detail Was Handpicked By Beyoncé Herself
It’s not uncommon but it might be the sign of a true icon. The Coachella performance was so important to Beyoncé that she hand picked every single aspect of the show from start to finish. From the intricate jeweled detail of the costumes to every last dancer that appeared onstage, nothing slipped through the cracks before getting approved first. The film got its name as an homage to Beyoncé’s return to stage after a long hiatus. So it had to be extra special. Well, aside from already being one of the biggest Coachella performances to date.
She Pushed Herself Too Far
Not just in terms of the performance, but the pregnancy. Beyoncé took the opportunity to open up on the HOMECOMING documentary about her struggles throughout her pregnancy and into preparing for the show. She had to be ready for 2018 despite having given birth to twins just months before. Throughout her pregnancy she struggled with conditions like toximia and preeclampsia. Those two conditions show up in pregnancy and have to do with blood pressure. They often cause the body to swell significantly.
The documentary follows her journey to Coachella after giving birth. This means that audiences get a very nuanced look at her otherwise secretive personal life (I mean, we didn’t even hear about the cheating scandal until Lemonade came out). After an emergency C-Section, Beyoncé got back up, got into Soul Cycle, and got ready to give birth to a major performance in front of the world.”My body went through more than I knew it could,” she said on the documentary.
It’s Heavy With Homage To Black Culture
If there’s one thing Beyoncé wanted everyone to know and not forget when she released Lemonade back in 2015, it was that she’s a black woman. The album was rife with meaning and homage to African and African American culture. So it should come as no surprise that her Coachella performance followed suit. The performance takes inspiration from traditions at Historically Black Colleges & Universities (HBCU) to honor her culture and pay homage to a childhood dream. “Instead of me pulling out my flower crown,” she said, “It was more important that I brought our culture to Coachella.”
Beyoncé wanted everyone in the crowd to feel that they were being represented onstage at Coachella. It was important for her to cast a diverse group of dancers. What ended up happening was one of the most unconventional, beautiful, and memorable live performances in the festival’s history. HOMECOMING is available for streaming now on all major music platforms and the documentary is available to watch on Netflix.
