There really aren't strong enough words to describe how momentous the past 10 years have been for Beyoncé. The 38-year-old singer began the decade on a high note by winning big at the 2010 Grammys after the 2008 release of I Am... Sasha Fierce and her I Am... World Tour in 2009. But, as we now know, she was just barely scratching the surface of her stardom.
Since then, Bey has reached a level of incomparability [1] that will probably (definitely) remain intact for the rest of eternity. From releasing earth-shattering albums [2], to taking a stand for social justice, to birthing all three of her children [3], the 2010s were undoubtedly shaped by Beyoncé. It was the era of Queen Bey's rise, which we got to witness. So strap in, Beyhive, because we're taking a look back on Yoncé's buzziest moments from the past decade.
2010: Beyoncé Made History at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards
Beyoncé started the decade with a historic night at 2010 Grammys. The singer, who had released I Am . . . Sasha Fierce, won the most awards by a female artist in one night (the record was later tied by Adele in 2012). That night, Bey won best female R&B vocal performance, best R&B song, and song of the year for "Single Ladies"; best female pop vocal performance for "Halo"; best traditional R&B vocal performance for "At Last"; and best contemporary R&B album for I Am...Sasha Fierce.
That year, Bey also released the now-iconic "Telephone" music video [5] alongside Lady Gaga [6] (who was also on her way to mega-fame) and dropped her documentary, I Am...World Tour, [7] which gave fans a closer look at her 108-show tour that spanned from March 2009 to February 2010.
2011: Beyoncé Dropped Her 4th Studio Album, 4
Summer 2011 was huge for Beyoncé. Not only did she become the first woman to headline Glastonbury [8] in 12 years, but she also dropped her groundbreaking fourth studio album, 4. The release marked the end of her Sasha Fierce era (as well as her management ties to father Mathew Knowles [9]) and the beginning of a new phase. The LP debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 list [10], and The New Yorker ranked it as the best album of 2011 [11]. Its standout tracks include "Love on Top," "Countdown," "1+1," and, of course, the feminist anthem "Run the World (Girls)."
That year, Bey also starred in two documentaries — Year of 4 [12] and Live at Roseland: Elements of 4 [13] — and performed at the Billboard Music Awards, where she accepted the millennium award [14].
2012: Beyoncé Welcomed Firstborn Blue Ivy Carter
Who could forget Beyoncé's epic pregnancy reveal at the MTV VMAs in August 2011? After an incredible performance of "Love on Top," [15] the songstress had an actual mic drop moment when she suddenly unbuttoned her jacket to show off her growing belly.
After her unforgettable pregnancy reveal, Bey welcomed firstborn Blue Ivy Carter on Jan. 7, 2012 [16], with husband JAY-Z. Things hardly slowed down for the new mom, though. In May, she made an onstage comeback at a her concert in Atlantic City, NJ. A little over a month later, she snagged two awards at the BET Awards: best female R&B artist and video director of the year.
2013: Beyoncé Dropped Her Surprise Self-Titled Album in the Dead of the Night
Shockwaves surged through fans (and, honestly, the world) when Beyoncé released her eponymous LP, Beyoncé, without any sort of warning. Prior to the drop, the biggest Beyoncé news of the year had been her documentary, Life Is But a Dream [17], and her Super Bowl halftime show with Destiny's Child. But those happenings couldn't hold a candle to her 14-track collection of bops [18]. The shocking release broke an iTunes record as 828,773 copies of Beyoncé were sold worldwide within three days. And so began the era of "Pretty Hurts," "Drunk in Love," "Partition," "XO," and "Flawless."
The following year, in 2014, Bey celebrated the album's success by dropping Beyoncé: Platinum Edition that included additional tracks, such as "7/11" and "Flawless (Remix)" with Nicki Minaj, which preceded their glorious 2015 collaboration "Feeling Myself [19]."
The remix of "Flawless" particularly caused a stir after Beyoncé cleverly addressed one of 2014's biggest pop culture stories: Solange and JAY-Z's lift fight. Ah, yes, that scandal. We'll probably never know what exactly happened when JAY-Z and Solange got into an altercation at the 2014 Met Gala. But in "Flawless (Remix)," she sings, "Of course sometimes sh*t go down when it's a billion dollars on an lift." Still, we'd like to know what that "sh*t" is. But it'll probably remain one of the greatest mysteries of all time.
2014: Beyoncé Earned the No. 1 Spot on Forbes' Celebrity 100 List
Bey definitely got the recognition she deserved by topping Forbes' Celebrity 100 list [20] in 2014. She received the honour after making $2.4 million per show during The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour and after selling more than 1 million copies of her single "Drunk in Love." However, Bey didn't get the top spot solely for her musical achievements. Forbes placed her at the highest position because, according to the outlet, "she's built a small business empire" (which isn't so "small" anymore). The publication cited her partnerships with H&M and Pepsi, as well as her fragrance line and now-discontinued clothing company House of Dereon [21] as reasons for her unbeatable placement on their list.
2015: Beyoncé Performed at the Global Citizen Festival and United With Michelle Obama
Relatively speaking, 2015 was a pretty quiet year for Bey. That being said, it was still major. There are a handful of highlights from the year: she dropped the surprise song "Die With You," unexpectedly [22]performed with Destiny's Child [23] at the Stellar Gospel Music Awards, and graced the cover of Vogue's coveted September issue [24]. But one of most heartwarming high points was when she performed at the Global Citizen Festival [25] and shared a hug with Michelle Obama [26], who was still the First Lady at the time.
2016: Beyoncé Caused a Disruption in the Universe by Dropping Lemonade
2016 marked the biggest turning point of Beyoncé's career, and you can't convince me otherwise. Starting with the surprise release of her politically charged video for "Formation," [27] Bey transformed the social justice landscape. She didn't even give us time to catch our breaths before she performed the influential tune alongside Bruno Mars and Coldplay [28] during the Super Bowl halftime show.
Three months later, she released the breathtaking visuals for her full Lemonade album [29] — which The Associated Press named the album of the decade [30] — and revealed an extremely vulnerable side of herself as she crooned about infidelity, social issues, and the Black experience. The LP was so impactful that when it was completely snubbed for album of the year at the 2017 Grammys, singer Adele — who won for 25 — honoured Beyoncé during her acceptance speech [31]. "I can't possibly accept this award. . . . My artist of my life is Beyoncé," she said. "And this album, to me, the Lemonade album, was just so monumental, Beyoncé, so monumental and so well thought out and so beautiful and soul-bearing." (Preach!)
And somehow, amid all the Lemonade mania, Bey also had time to launch her activewear line, Ivy Park [32] (which is, thankfully, making a comeback in 2020 [33]).
2017: Beyoncé Announced Her Pregnancy With Twins Sir and Rumi Carter
Beyoncé broke the internet in February 2017 when she announced that she and JAY-Z were expecting twins [34]. She shared a series of gorgeous maternity photos on Instagram, writing, "We are incredibly grateful that our family will be growing by two." Five months later, Bey and Jay welcomed twins Sir and Rumi Carter [35].
In addition to expanding her family, Beyoncé made her mark in 2017 by announcing the beneficiaries of her Formation Scholars program [36], which was created to help further the education [37] of Black, female undergraduate and graduate students. She and JAY-Z certainly had a lot to give, considering they officially became a billion-dollar couple in 2017 [38].
2018-2019: Beyoncé Became the First Black Woman to Headline Coachella
We're going to tell our children's children about Beyoncé's historical Coachella set [39]. In 2018, the megastar commanded the stage at the musical festival, delivering a two-hour production set with stunning visuals, choreography, costume changes [40], and instrumentals. Beychella deserves its own chapter in history books.
Beyoncé didn't give us time to fully recover from her Coachella set before making it the focal point of her 2019 documentary and concert film, Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé [41]. The two-hour masterpiece detailed the personal and cultural significance [42] of Beyoncé's festive stageing with behind-the-scenes clips and stories [43] about her journey. As if that wasn't enough, Bey dropped an accompanying LP, Homecoming: The Live Album [44], that features all the music from her Coachella production and even a few bonus tracks [45].
The year of Beychella also included the singer's 2018 release of the joint album Everything Is Love with JAY-Z — which features the highly acclaimed jam "APESH*T — and the start of their On the Run II tour [46].
Months after kicking off the OTR II tour, Beyoncé made history again, thanks to her September Vogue cover story. Condé Nast creator director and fashion luminary Anna Wintour gave the singer artistic control over the cover photo, prompting Bey to hire 23-year-old Tyler Mitchell [47] as the photographer. This made him the first-ever black photographer to shoot a Vogue cover. Continuing with her mission of uplifting the Black community, Beyoncé also donated $100,000 to four historically Black colleges [48] — Xavier, Wilberforce, Tuskegee, and Bethune-Cookman Universities — allowing each to award a student with a $25,0000 scholarship.
2019: Beyoncé Starred in Disney's Record-Breaking Reboot of The Lion King
Beyoncé again proved that she knows no limitation by also voicing Nala [49] in Disney's record-breaking remake of The Lion King. And as a love letter to Africa [50], where the film takes place, she dropped the gorgeous album, The Lion King: The Gift [51].
Through her involvement with the movie, Queen Bey made her first red carpet appearance [52] in three years, joined by 7-year-old daughter Blue Ivy, at the LA premiere in July. A week later, she met Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan Markle [53] at The Lion King [54]'s UK premiere.
Outside of the entertainment sphere, Bey was recognised in 2019 for her continued philanthropic efforts, earning the vanguard award at the GLAAD Media Awards, the entertainer of the year honour at the NAACP Image Awards, and the best international group Brit Award [55] for her and JAY-Z's collaborative work as The Carters.
It's been a wild decade for Beyoncé, to say the least. We saw her develop and evolve into one of the world's most influential powerhouses, activists, and creatives. And, still, we can't help but think that her impact is only going to strengthen over the next 10 years. Time to get in Formation, Beyhive.