From Destiny's Child to cultural icon: a gateway to Beyoncé's Dangerously in Love
In 2018, it's fair to say that Beyoncé is just as much a cultural figure as she is a musician. Earlier this year, she became the first black woman to headline the Coachella music festival. In 2016, her album Lemonade along with her Superbowl performance effectively "broke the internet" and made strong political statements. Most recently, she and her husband Jay-Z sent fans into a frenzy with the surprise release of their first ever joint album, Everything Is Love — a record that some people are saying could dominate next year's Grammys.
Fifteen years ago this weekend, Beyoncé unveiled her first solo album, Dangerously in Love, and stepped away from her girl group Destiny's Child. On the 15th anniversary of Beyoncé's debut solo album, we asked Dr. Naila Keleta-Mae to give us a sense of how Dangerously Love set the stage for the Queen Bey we know now. Dr. Keleta-Mae is a professor at the University of Waterloo who specializes in Beyoncé and even taught a course on Beyoncé's feminism.
In this q gateway, we take you through Beyoncé's career trajectory, from leaving that '90s girl group to becoming the most iconic pop star working today.
Listen to the full segment at the top of this post. Below are some of the songs Dr. Keleta-Mae talks about.
— Produced by Tyrone Callender