Beyoncé Admitted She Had a New Year’s Ritual That Was ‘Really Dumb’

Beyoncé said that once a year, she completed a ritual that she thought, on some levels, was inadvisable. It felt like a baptism to her, though, a way to let go of the stress of the preceding months. The singer shared why she liked to do it but still thought it was dangerous.

Beyoncé liked to make the same risky move once a year

To celebrate the New Year, Beyoncé and Jay-Z traveled to St. Barths and spent time on a yacht. While there, she jumped into the water from the boat, three stories up.

“I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” she told Rolling Stone. “I looked at the picture and said, ‘That’s really dumb.’”

Still, it was something she did every year. She said it helped her let go of things that happened to her leading up to the vacation.

“I do it every year,” she said. “That’s my jump. It’s a ritual. That’s my ‘let go, start over, this is a vacation and I’m-a be free.’ I have to jump off something so I can let go of everything that happened before the last vacation and start over. It’s like bein’ baptized.”

Her choreographer said she has learned to be fearless

While Beyoncé said she is shy in her everyday life, she becomes a different person when it’s time to get on stage.

“When I perform, the spirit takes over,” she said. “That magic, that’s what I love.”

Her choreographer said she is able to completely lose herself in her performances.

“She’s fearless. Something powerful takes her over, and in that time onstage she’s gone,” her choreographer Frank Gatson Jr. said. “On VH1 Divas she threw her $250,000 earrings and later she said she didn’t know why she threw them. That’s losing yourself.”

Even when things are going poorly, she is able to remain focused and professional.

“I’ve been in shows where people booed Beyoncé,” he said. “And she’d be right in their face dancin’, lettin’ ’em have it like it was nothing. Most people would panic. But Beyoncé has learned to dismiss fear.”

Beyoncé’s alter-ego has allowed her to survive years in the public eye

Beyoncé said she has come to life while performing ever since her first public appearance. Her mother pushed her to get onstage and, once she did, she felt like a different person.

“I was terrified and I didn’t wanna do it, and she’s like, ‘C’mon, baby, get out there,’” Beyoncé said, adding, “I remember walking out and I was scared, but when the music started, I don’t know what happened. I just . . . changed.”

She said that this is her work persona, though. Anybody meeting her off the stage might be surprised at how different she is.

“If you see me on TV, I’m not a humble, shy person, but it’s a transformation into that,” she said. “It’s a job. In real life I’m not like that.”