Chambers remembers first hearing Beyoncé in the late '90s, when, struggling not long out of college to afford a New York City apartment, she heard the Destiny's Child song Bills, Bills, Bills. "It had that chorus of 'Can you pay my bills?'" she says. "And I was like, 'I can pay my bills! I can't do much else, but I can pay my bills.' I loved that." As time went on, she — like some of her contributors to Queen Bey — saw parallels between Beyoncé's life and her own. Her songs are emblematic of freedom, independence, and femininity and empower women by celebrating their divine femininity through the power of her lyrics. In fact, their wedding took place on the roof of Jay's elaborate New York penthouse, and months flew by before the power couple officially announced their union.

VC: [Contributor and acclaimed choreographer] Fatima Robinson talks about how rare it is, which I hadn't really thought about, for someone to be at the same level as a performer, a vocalist, and a dancer. There are a lot of incredible vocalists, but someone who can do all three things at that level…. CH: Lena Waithe says that in her essay. She's an actor, producer, and screenwriter — you've got a lot of superstars! Waithe talks about how Beyoncé "gives you permission to stumble a little bit but then make something beautiful out of that stumble." And about how, in her groundbreaking album Lemonade — in which Bey opened up about Jay-Z's cheating, among other things — Beyoncé "talks about surviving heartbreak and betrayal," and how there's something "so human about it, and so brave." Beyoncé also consistently supports female empowerment through groundbreaking methods like using an all-female band while touring. With that being said, so many parts of this book really surprised me. I enjoyed reading a coherent account of the mysterious superstar's life which I have observed from a distance through interview clips and magazine interviews since I was a child. I was able to put together parts of her story I had seen or experienced but was too young to understand and that really surprised since I wasn't expecting to find anything new.

What people are saying about RENAISSANCE: A FILM BY BEYONCÉ

Together, the dynamic duo has earned record titles for the most Grammy awards won by a married couple, the highest earning couple in Hollywood ever, and the highest-grossing music tour by a duo (current year). After watching Homecoming (I've watched it 10x & the album is gonna stay in rotation for awhile) I need more Queen Bey so it was time for a reread. She’s 41 now and beginning her seventh world tour, so the show finds savvy ways to let her rest. The chrome tank was a chair. The mechanical arms almost functioned as a tripod. She growled the call and response on “Heated” instead of dancing to it. For “Church Girl” and some songs from 4, she was the stationary centerpiece amid a dozen dancers. But who cares? Her most memorable set pieces have been a walk and a chair. “When they invented walking they never dreamed it could ever look that good,” Seth Meyers tweeted during her 2013 Super Bowl Halftime Show — a line I think about every time she simply strides across a stage. The pair has been known to mix a little work and fun as they have a consistent list of songs and music videos featuring one another.

Memorable Songs: "Crazy In Love,""Irreplaceable,""Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It),""Drunk In Love,""Formation" Her many accolades and achievements in almost every field of human endeavor show why Beyoncé is admired by “Beyhivers” across the globe. This book was initially difficult to get into because of the amount of creative licence he took with the dialogue. I suppose I've never actually read a biography like this and reading some of the lines in the book that were not direct quotes knowing that most of the people in the situation didn't say that really made me cringe. Maybe I'm less than smart, but I think the story was rich enough to have gone without it.Plot: Let’s take a journey into the time line of the Queen Bey, as we watch a shy, private, girl emerge (and erupt) into the mega super star we see before us today. Cathi Hanauer : You've edited two anthologies now and contributed to others. Clearly you like this multi-author, short essay format. It works beautifully here, because you have such a variety of perspectives — writers, professors, actors, influencers — all coming at different aspects of Beyoncé in different ways. It's like a bunch of puzzle pieces that together create this beautiful whole; we not only see that whole, but having also seen the different pieces, we have a better understanding of it. Or should I say, her. J. Randy Taraborrelli is an author known for biographies of contemporary entertainers and political figures. He is a featured writer in several entertainment magazines in Canada, England, and Australia. He also appears on television as an entertainment news reporter on shows such as Entertainment Tonight, Good Morning America, Today and CBS This Morning. Taraborrelli resides in Los Angeles, California. I will say, particularly because it’s Lupita, who I admire very much, I’m excited. I love the space that she occupies. I love that she exists. So I’m quite happy. But it’s not for me a measure of success.