One of the highlights of Beyoncé’s massive “Renaissance” tour was having her daughter, Blue Ivy, join her on stage as a dancer during her performance.
The music megastar shared in an interview with GQ published on Sept. 10 that it was her 12-year-old daughter’s idea to become part of the show, rather than Beyoncé pushing for it.
“Blue is an artist,” she said. “She has great taste in music and fashion. She is a fantastic editor, painter, and actress. She has been creating characters since she was three.
“She’s a natural, but I did not want Blue onstage. Blue wanted it for herself. She took it seriously and she earned it. And most importantly, she had fun! We all watched her grow more and more every night before our eyes.”
The proud mom of three with longtime husband Jay-Z does her best to fit her life as an international music superstar into a domestic life.
“I build my work schedule around my family,” she told GQ. “I try to only tour when my kids are out of school. I always dreamt of a life where I could see the world with my family and expose them to different languages, architecture, and lifestyles.”
However, she does try to keep her children generally out of the spotlight.
“One thing I’ve worked extremely hard on is making sure my kids can have as much normalcy and privacy as possible, ensuring my personal life isn’t turned into a brand,” she said. “It’s very easy for celebrities to turn our lives into performance art. I have made an extreme effort to stay true to my boundaries and protect myself and my family. No amount of money is worth my peace.”
Parenting and sustaining a high-profile career also has its challenges.
“Raising three kids isn’t easy,” she said. “The older they get, the more they become their own individuals with unique needs, hobbies, and social lives. My twins are God-sent. Parenting constantly teaches you about yourself. It takes a lot of prayer and patience. I love it. It’s grounding and fulfilling.”
She has made sure to incorporate Blue Ivy, Rumi and Sir into her professional life when possible. It’s no surprise that Blue Ivy would want to join her onstage after having seen her mother preparing for the tour up close.
“My kids come with me everywhere I go,” she said. “They come to my office after school, and they are in the studio with me. They are in dance rehearsals. It’s natural that they would learn my choreography.”
Read on to learn more about Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s kids.
Blue Ivy Carter, 12
Blue Ivy is Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s first child. She was born on January 7, 2012, and her zodiac sign is Capricorn, just like her grandmother Tina Knowles.
At 10-years-old, Blue became the second youngest person to ever win a Grammy. She won one in 2021 for collaborating with her mom and Wizkid in their song “Brown Skin Girl,” which honors the beauty of Black and brown girls.
Blue also won an MTV Video Music Award in 2021, beating out Justin Bieber, Billie Eilish, Chance the Rapper and Lady Gaga in the Best Cinematography category for “Brown Skin Girl.” Not to mention, that the uplifting tune also helped her win a BET Award at the age of 8.
In November 2020, author Matthew A. Cherry released his audiobook “Hair Love,” narrated by none other than Blue. “Hair Love” tells the story of a Black father who learns how to do his daughter’s hair while his wife is hospitalized.
For her 10th birthday, Tina gave her granddaughter a sweet shout-out on Instagram and gave insight into Blue’s character.
“Blue gives the best advice like a grown person I sometimes forget that she is so young!!!'” Tina wrote. “Blue is one of those rare gifted people that can do everything well!”
Much to fans’ delight, Blue made guest appearances during performances on her mom’s “Renaissance Tour.”
Beyoncé told GQ in September 2024 that it was Blue’s drive to be part of the show that led to her joining her mother on stage.
“She’s a natural, but I did not want Blue onstage,” she said. “Blue wanted it for herself. She took it seriously and she earned it. And most importantly, she had fun! We all watched her grow more and more every night before our eyes.”
In reaction to Blue dancing on stage with her mom at shows in Paris and London in 2023, Destiny’s Child’s Kelly Rowland said she was “so proud” of the then-11-year-old.
“She’s absolutely awesome,” the singer added.
Out of all her siblings, Blue Ivy has been making the most public appearances. On Feb. 20, she was seen supporting her mom at the launch of Beyoncé’s new hair care line, Cécred, in LA.
In a video montage of the event, shared online by Tina Knowles, Beyoncé is seen sitting next to Blue Ivy, who is wearing a white dress with white boots at the event.
“A good time was had by all !!!” Knowles captioned the video on Instagram. “Thanks to the supportive group of positive people that attended and thank you for all the love that we have gotten. Since the time since we launched! The product is really groundbreaking. ❤️❤️.”
Then, at the 2024 Grammys, Jay-Z brought his daughter on stage to accept the 2nd annual Dr. Dre Global Impact Award that he received at the event.
In his acceptance speech, he gave Blue Ivy a shout-out, saying, “Thank you very much. I used to say it was a sippy cup for Blue, but Blue’s grown up now she doesn’t take sippy cups and she has her own Grammys.”
Other than winning Grammys for her musical talent, Blue Ivy is also taking a stab at acting. On April 29, Disney announced that Blue Ivy will be a part of Disney’s new live-action prequel “Mufasa: The Lion King.”
Blue Ivy will voice cub Kiara, the daughter of King Simba and Queen Nala, while her mom will voice Nala.
Blue’s grandmother, Tina Knowles, spoke to E! News in August about another one of her granddaughter’s talents.
“She’s self-taught and she sounds like a concert pianist,” Knowles said. “She paints, she draws, she does poetry. She’s just an artistic soul.
“I’m really, really proud of her. I can’t wait until the world gets to really hear.”
Rumi and Sir Carter, 6
Beyoncé’s twins, Rumi and Sir Carter, were born on June 13, 2017, and their zodiac sign is Gemini. In Beyoncé’s 2019 Netflix documentary, “Homecoming,” she opened up about the “extremely difficult pregnancy” that she went through when she had them.
“My body went through more than I knew it could,” she said in the documentary.
Beyoncé suffered from preeclampsia, which is a “serious blood pressure condition that develops during pregnancy,” per Cleveland Clinic. She told Vogue in August 2018 that she was 218 pounds the day that she gave birth to Rumi and Sir.
“I was swollen from toxemia and had been on bed rest for over a month,” she said. “My health and my babies’ health were in danger, so I had an emergency C-section. We spent many weeks in the NICU. My husband was a soldier and such a strong support system for me.”
“After the C-section, my core felt different. It had been major surgery. Some of your organs are shifted temporarily, and in rare cases, removed temporarily during delivery,” she added.
Beyoncé noted that during her recovery she became a vegan and started to accept that her body became more curvier.
“To this day my arms, shoulders, breasts, and thighs are fuller. I have a little mommy pouch, and I’m in no rush to get rid of it,” she said at the time. “I think it’s real.”
Beyoncé’s twins have since been featured in a few projects that she’s worked on like her “Black is King” visual album where they made an appearance. Rumi was also in the music video for “Brown Skin Girl,” along with her sister.
In October 2023, the “16 Carriages” singer shared a rare glimpse of her twins when she released a video announcing her 2023 flick “Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé.”
At one point in the short, 2-minute trailer — available on YouTube — the mom of three can be seen kissing her son, Sir. Another clip shows Beyoncé holding Sir while on a golf cart.
Sir’s twin sister and Beyoncé’s youngest daughter, Rumi, can be seen stretching near her mom and big sister, Blue Ivy.
Not only that, but Rumi also took center stage in Beyoncé’s new “Cowboy Carter” album. In the singer’s song, “Protector,” Rumi is heard asking her mom, “Can I hear the lullaby please?” at the beginning of the song.
The song appears to be a tribute to her children, with Beyoncé singing about motherhood.
She says, “I first saw your face in your father’s gaze / There’s a long line of hands carryin’ your name, mm / Liftin’ you up, so you will be raised / Even though I know someday you’re going to shine on your own / I will be your projector, yeah.”
Here’s the meaning behind Blue Ivy, Rumi and Sir’s names
In an interview that Jay-Z did with “Rap Radar” hosts Elliott Wilson and Brian Miller that was posted on his streaming service, Tidal, he explained how he and Beyoncé came up with the names Rumi and Sir.
“Rumi is our favorite poet, so it was for our daughter,” he said, per ABC News. As for Sir? “Sir was like, man, come out the gate. He carries himself like that. He just came out, like, Sir,” he said.
While the Carters have never explained the significance of Blue Ivy’s name, fans think her middle name, Ivy, may be a reference to the couple’s favorite number, four.
The number has a significance in their lives. She was born on Sept. 4. Jay-Z was born on Dec. 4. They were married on April 4. Blue Ivy’s name may be a reference to the Roman numerals for 4, IV.
This article was originally published on TODAY.com
