Beyoncé might have had an amazing year in 2017 [1], but in true Queen Bey fashion, she stepped things up even more in 2018 [2]. She owned the Grammys [3] without even hitting the stage, graced us with some of the year's best jams [4], and dominated at Coachella [5] — and that's not even half of it. Read on to see some of best moments and accomplishments from Beyoncé's incredible year of growth.
Her sleek Grammys look left everyone in awe.
Let's take it all the way back to January when Bey gave us life without parole [6] at the 2018 Grammys. Of course everyone comes to the ceremony dressed to the nines, but Beyoncé was probably like, "Nah, we're coming dressed to the thousands . . . Texas." Naturally, her all-black ensemble wasn't just all for show — there was also a special meaning behind it. According to the designer, Nicolas Jebran, the dramatic look was inspired by the 1960s Black Panther movement [7]. The superstar might have been shushed by Blue Ivy [8] at the ceremony, but she silenced everyone else with this outfit.
She completely dominated on the track "Top Off."
Can you rap all of JAY-Z's lyrics from DJ Khaled's song "Top Off?" Neither can I! But, honey, you better you believe when Bey's part comes in, I'm hitting every word, every syllable, and every voice inflection. Don't get me wrong — DJ Khaled, Future, and JAY-Z did their thing on the song, which dropped in March, but as far as I'm concerned, "Top Off" is Beyoncé's song [9]. She reminded us that she can hold her own as the only lady in the room and on a rap record. And don't get it twisted: her body, ice, and cash are all real — she's a triple threat.
She shut Coachella down — point blank and period.
Was anyone truly prepared for Bey's historical two-hour Coachella performance [10]? I doubt it. She was the first black woman to headline the festival, and boy, next year's artists have some big shoes to fill.
Her college-themed set [11] made us dance uncontrollably, her performance with Solange [12] gave us so much life that we're basically immortal now, and all of her amazing outfits [13] made us want to update our entire wardrobe. Sorry, but I'm calling it right now: there will never be another Coachella performance like this one [14]. Beychella will go down in history forevermore.
She handled any onstage slip-ups like an actual goddess.
I know it's hard to believe sometimes, but not everything goes smoothly for Beyoncé (*GASP*). That means she occasionally has a few mishaps on stage. One of the most memorable onstage accidents was at Coachella, when she really attempted to pick up her sister, Solange, and totally bit the dust [15]. Both of them laughed it off, though, making the moment even better than if the fall never happened. Then, during the On the Run II tour in August, Bey slipped while walking down a flight of stairs, but made the best recovery [16] you'll ever witness. Somehow these incidents remind us that she's human while simultaneously making us view her as even more transcendent.
She celebrated 10 years of marriage with JAY-Z.
Beyonce and JAY-Z have both been very honest about the the bumps in the road that they've encountered throughout their marriage. Bey gave us Lemonade in 2016, and Jay gave us 4:44 in 2017 to provide a window into their marital hardships. But they made it through (which they made clear in their latest album Everything Is Love — we'll get to that in a little bit) and celebrated their 10-year anniversary [17] on April 4.
She and JAY-Z gave us one of the hottest tours of 2018.
Beyoncé and JAY-Z went above and beyond to show us that their bond is still strong with their On the Run II tour that kicked off on June 6. And they looked darn good [18] performing together, might I add. During the tour, they played with our emotions [19], had a phenomenal range of costumes [20], and made us feel like we were a part of the Carter family [21]. Most importantly, they just let loose and had fun [22] throughout the tour, bringing us — and a whole bunch of other celebrities [23] — along for the ride.
She dripped wealth and prosperity on the album Everything Is Love.
People had their suspicions that Beyoncé and JAY-Z would be dropping a joint album when they announced that they were going on tour together. Sure enough, they did just that. On June 16, the world was blessed with Everything Is Love, in which they opened up about the ups and downs of their relationship but focussed more on their reconciliation and growth together [24]. We saw the painful side of their marriage on Lemonade and 4:44, but on Everything Is Love, we see that they made it to the light at the end of the tunnel. And, yes, everyone lost their minds [25] as soon as the project was released under the "new" artist, The Carters [26]. We love a united duo.
She literally shut down the Louvre to film a masterful music video.
You can't tell me Beyoncé isn't one of the most powerful people in the world. She and JAY-Z got the Louvre to close down just so they could shoot the music video for "APESH*T [27]," which was one of the best music videos of 2018, if I do say so myself. And they dropped it on the same day as Everything Is Love, so I really think they were trying to completely disintegrate our wigs. It's fine, though, because the "APESH*T" video is powerful enough [28] to revitalise our hair follicles and give us new growth anyway.