Tina Knowles Teared Up Talking About How Beyoncé Was ‘Bullied’ as a Child
Tina Knowles has celebrated her daughter, Beyoncé, through her years of success. She has supported Beyoncé’s singing career from its earliest stages. She said she felt immensely proud of her daughter as a person long before fame, though. Knowles teared up speaking about Beyoncé’s experience in school and praised her for standing up for others despite it.
Tina Knowles said Beyoncé dealt with bullies as a child
While Beyoncé is one of the most famous people in the world, she has described herself as a quiet person. She was the same way when she was young, which made school difficult for her.
“Beyoncé, she was very shy,” her mother told Vogue (via Billboard). “She got bullied a bit.”
Knowles said Beyoncé stood up for other children despite her bullies and shy personality. Years later, Knowles still teared up when she thought about it.
“The day that she stood up for someone … she didn’t stand up for herself, she stood up for them,” she said. “I’m getting emotional talking about it. I couldn’t have been more proud of her.”
Tina Knowles shared what it was like to watch Beyoncé perform for the first time
When Beyoncé was in first grade, her teacher encouraged her to sing at a talent show. She felt terrified to get on the stage, but something came over her once she got in front of the audience.
“I was terrified and I didn’t wanna do it, and she’s like, ‘C’mon, baby, get out there,’” Beyoncé told Rolling Stone, adding, “I remember walking out and I was scared, but when the music started, I don’t know what happened. I just … changed.”
Her mother said it came as a shock to watch her shy child look so at home on a stage.
“We thought, Who is that?” Knowles told Elle. “Until then, you didn’t even notice when she walked into a room.”
The singer agreed that she was very shy growing up
Beyoncé said that being shy as a child set her up for future success.
“The first decade of my life was dedicated to dreaming,” she told Harper’s Bazaar in 2021. “Because I was an introvert, I didn’t speak very much as a child. I spent a lot of time in my head building my imagination. I am now grateful for those shy years of silence. Being shy taught me empathy and gave me the ability to connect and relate to people. I’m no longer shy, but I’m not sure I would dream as big as I dream today if it were not for those awkward years in my head.”
She said that she quickly grew to feel most at home while performing.
“I was competing in dance and singing competitions at age seven. When I was on the stage, I felt safe,” she said, adding, “I was often the only Black girl, and it was then that I started to realize I had to dance and sing twice as hard. I had to have stage presence, wit, and charm if I wanted to win. I started taking voice lessons from an opera singer at nine. By 10 I had already recorded at least 50 or 60 songs in the recording studio.”
