Kayla Sweet | Contributing Writer

The 59th annual Grammy Awards, held on February 12, was nothing short of spectacular. Thousands of men and women were formally dressed in various designer clothes to attend this prestigious event. As this years’ host, James Corden rolled down the stairs like a falling burrito onto the stage, where he eventually rapped his opening monologue. His acting skills were on point, and I originally believed his fall was by accident. Corden’s entrance was indeed an attention getter, but in my opinion nothing can compare to the astonishing performance by Beyoncé.

Her performance was flawless from the very beginning. As chimes quickly grew into a crescendo, transparent yellow material (depicting fertility and love) flowed in front of a black background. This created a great contrast to draw in the viewer. Within seconds, the material took shape of a female figure, revealing Beyoncé, in a belly revealing outfit. The momentum did not end there, but in fact increased as time went on. For the full five minutes Beyoncé performed, the effects were psychedelic, and my eyes were glued to the screen as I watched the show unfold. In all honesty, I could go on for hours about every detail that made this piece great, but the symbolism of this piece is what took center stage in my eyes.

People believe she looked like a Goddess, and that was her intent. She wore a gold outfit, but the real significance was in the headpiece, also known as a halo. As an art student, I learned that centuries ago art was focused mainly on the religious beliefs. The artists of this time used the halo to depict people as iconic or divine, like the Virgin Mary and Jesus. Originally, and still today, the halo is seen as a Christian symbol. As a result, she gives an essence of importance based on her choice of head wear.

To go even deeper into her interpretation, not only did Beyoncé wear gold rings around her neck, but her dancers wore them as well. Going back to African heritage, women have worn rings around their neck to give the perception of the neck being stretched. She seemed to not only add a part of her history. She also added her daughter, Blue Ivy, and her unborn children into the imagery used in the performance through the decorations on her dress. These details represent her future. When performers add personal meaning in their performance, I think they have a stronger persona on stage that just cannot be replicated.

I was impressed by the awards as a whole with this being my first time watching the Grammy’s. However, the performance by Beyoncé is what wowed me the most. I realized that she is as fierce, strong, and creative as everyone talks about. She took her songs which have strong meaning by themselves, and took them a step further by creating a strong performance piece with the lyrics. Beyoncé has created a new standard of what it means to be an artist with this triple threat of strong music, performance, and lyrical meaning.

Graphic Courtesy of Kayla Sweet