Beyoncé Actually Liked It When People Made Her Mad Before Performing
Beyoncé is known for her cool, calm, and collected personality. Throughout her career, the singer has often shown this side of her while out in public and during interviews. However, before performing on a stage in front of thousands of screaming fans, Beyoncé used to become a different person who thrived off of people making her mad.
Beyoncé’s alter ego would come out right before she was ready to perform
In 2008, Beyoncé released one of her most popular albums titled, I Am Sasha Fierce. The album includes hits such as “If I Were a Boy,” “Ego,” and “Halo.”
While the album became a catalyst for the singer to experiment with her sexuality and push the limits on her songwriting/ artistry, it also introduced her now-famous alter ego to the world.
In a statement released around the same time the album dropped, Beyoncé explained how Sasha Fierce came to be, revealing that she adopted the alter ego to take over for her onstage.
“This alter ego that I’ve created that kind of protects me and who I really am,” the singer said, per Reuters. “Sasha Fierce is the fun, more sensual, more aggressive, more outspoken side and more glamorous side that comes out when I’m working and when I’m on the stage.”
While appeared on an episode of The Oprah Winfrey Show in 2008, Beyoncé went into more detail about Sasha Fierce, sharing when exactly her stage person emerges.
“Usually when I hear the crowds, when I put on my stilettos. Like the moment right before when you’re nervous…then Sasha Fierce appears, and my posture and the way I speak and everything is different,” the multi-Grammy winner explained.
“It’s kind of like when I do a movie, becoming the character,” she continued. “Once you put on the wig and once you put on the clothes, you walk different. It’s kind of this character I’ve created over the years.”
Beyoncé used to thrive on antagonism
When Sasha Fierce is present, Beyoncé isn’t the quiet and demure person she’s known to be. Instead, she’s outspoken and intense before going out on stage.
In her 2013 HBO documentary Life Is But a Dream, Beyoncé revealed that she’s in domination mode in the moments leading up to a performance. During that time, the singer hopes that someone makes her mad so that she can channel that energy into the production.
“I used to like when people made me mad. I’m like, ‘Please piss me off before the performance,'” Beyoncé said, laughing. “I used to use everything.”
By doing this, Beyoncé was able to put all she had into the performance, which usually earned her a standing ovation.
Beyoncé no longer needs Sasha Fierce to perform
With more than 20 years in the entertainment business, Beyoncé has learned how to hold her own and no longer needs to rely on Sasha Fierce to get her through performances.
In 2010, the “Crazy In Love” singer revealed that she had retired her alter ego, sharing that she felt it was time to embrace who she is without her alias.
“Sasha Fierce is done. I killed her,” Bey said in an interview with Allure magazine, per MTV News. “I don’t need Sasha Fierce anymore, because I’ve grown and now I’m able to merge the two.”
Once Sasha Fierce was behind her, Beyoncé began embracing the real her while celebrating Black feminists such as herself.
Today, Beyoncé continues to express her feminist views in her music and fights for the equality of all without even looking to Sasha Fierce for help.
