Why is Beyoncé such a big deal?

Why we can’t stop thinking about Beyoncé

By Alex Abad-Santos Updated May 12, 2015, 6:47pm EDT

2018 Coachella Valley Music And Arts Festival - Weekend 1 - Day 2

Alex Abad-Santos is a senior correspondent who explains what society obsesses over, from Marvel and movies to fitness and skin care. He came to Vox in 2014. Prior to that, he worked at the Atlantic.

Part of Beyoncé’s rise to fame, explained

Beyoncé (Bee-Yon-Say) Giselle Knowles-Carter is one of the biggest celebrities on the planet. The singer has a net worth of $460 million and rising, and is responsible for a trove of hits such as “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It),” “Irreplaceable,” “Baby Boy,” “Check on It,” and “Crazy in Love.” She got her start in the late 1990s as the lead singer of Destiny’s Child.

In 2013, Beyoncé embarked on her Mrs. Carter tour and raked in $188.6 million in her first 107 shows (roughly $1.7 million per show). That same year, she released a surprise album titled BEYONCÉ. She broke records, selling 617,000 copies in three days, 828,773 copies over the album’s first weekend, and 1.3 million copies in its first 17 days.

Beyoncé is married to Jay Z (born Shawn Carter), one of the most successful hip-hop artists in history. They have a daughter named Blue Ivy — one of the most powerful toddlers in America.

Will you support Vox’s explanatory journalism?

Most news outlets make their money through advertising or subscriptions. But when it comes to what we’re trying to do at Vox, there are a couple reasons that we can't rely only on ads and subscriptions to keep the lights on.

First, advertising dollars go up and down with the economy. We often only know a few months out what our advertising revenue will be, which makes it hard to plan ahead.

Second, we’re not in the subscriptions business. Vox is here to help everyone understand the complex issues shaping the world — not just the people who can afford to pay for a subscription. We believe that’s an important part of building a more equal society. We can’t do that if we have a paywall.

That’s why we also turn to you, our readers, to help us keep Vox free. If you also believe that everyone deserves access to trusted high-quality information, will you make a gift to Vox today?