Move over, Oprah. Beyoncé is now the most powerful Black woman in the world

OPINION: The Renaissance Tour and upcoming concert movie ticket sales further prove Beyoncé is a cultural phenomenon unlike any we’ve ever seen before. 

Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own. Read more opinions on theGrio.

Before I even begin, I should say from the outset that I am not a member of the Beyhive. 

I happen to like Beyoncé a lot. I enjoy her music. I love watching her perform. I have a great amount of respect for the way she carefully curates her image; we only get the Beyoncé that Beyoncé wants us to see. 

She keeps her business to herself. She is (as far as we can tell) unproblematic. She is a legend in her own time, and she built that from the ground up, so you have got to respect it. 

When I say I am not a member of the Beyhive, I want to make that clear because whenever we start to talk about the impact someone has made on the culture or the people as a whole, the first thing people want to say to discredit you is, “Oh, you must be a stan.”

I am in fact not a Beyoncé stan. 

My respect and admiration for Beyoncé grew in the aftermath of Beychella. 

My friend and I went over to my cousin’s house for a smoke session, and he had us watch the Beychella performance in its entirety and then had us watch the visuals from the Beyoncé album. 

I was awestruck. 

Queen Bey just finished her Renaissance World Tour on Oct. 1. She sold more than 2.7 million tickets worldwide and gave 56 performances in 39 cities, racking in a record $579 million in ticket sales, and that makes hers the highest-grossing tour by a female artist and the seventh highest grossing tour of all time. She edged out the legendary Rolling Stones to earn that latter title. 

And if putting on her spectacular tour was not enough, a concert film of the tour will arrive in movie theaters Dec. 1, and people are already planning what they are going to wear to the movie theaters in the same way they planned what to wear to her shows. According to Deadline, when tickets went on presale last week, it is estimated that those ticket sales exceeded $6-7 million. 

Move over, Oprah. Beyoncé is now the most powerful Black woman in the world.

This is not an Oprah diss, either. Oprah herself was overcome with emotion and had a complete fangirl moment after seeing Beyoncé live this year because even she knows who holds the power. 

Remember when Oprah used to do that thing on her show where she would give everyone in the audience her favorite things, and one time she gave everyone cars?

Let me ask you this: Has Oprah ever injected $4.5 billion into the economy through a world concert tour? Reportedly Beyoncé has. 

When the Queen puts on a spectacle like the Renaissance tour, it is expected that those in attendance are going to dress accordingly, and the fans understood the assignment. They spent money, hunty, and the looks were out there. People traveled to different cities to see her, buying airfare and spending money on hotel rooms across the globe. 

This isn’t just about ticket sales. 

It’s about the impact of a woman who has carved out a lane for herself where she stands tall and no one is even coming close to what she is accomplishing, regardless of the way the Recording Academy continues to play in her face every single chance they get. 

We know who had the real Album of the Year this year, and it wasn’t some dude who starred in a movie I watched twice but still didn’t understand what I was looking at. 

We are talking about a Black woman who is the heir apparent to the throne Tina Turner left vacant. 

When Turner died in May 2023, Beyoncé wrote on her website, “My beloved queen, I love you endlessly. I’m so grateful for your inspiration, and all the ways you have paved the way. You are strong and resilient. You are the epitome of power and passion. We are all so fortunate to have witnessed your kindness and beautiful spirit that will forever remain. Thank you for all you have done.”

Beyoncé has cited Turner as her inspiration and her idol, and the two performed together at the 2008 Grammys ceremony. 

It was after that night of watching all of her videos and the Beychella performance that I first said she was this generation’s Tina Turner, and I believe that still holds true. 

From her electrifying performances to her intense work ethic, Beyoncé seems unstoppable. 

Fans are still experiencing the Club Renaissance hangover just as they prepare to experience it all over again in movie theaters. 

I wouldn’t be surprised if the concert film showed up on Netflix (or some other streamer) as well. 

We can debate all day long about her level of singing versus x artist or her dancing versus y performer, but at the end of the day, this is Beyoncé. 

Remember when Tyler Perry said he knows couples where the woman is super powerful and the man knows how to stay in his place?

Imagine you are one of the biggest rappers of all time, and even you take a backseat to your wife.

That’s not a shot at Jay-Z. That’s praising him for knowing how to respectfully bow out when it’s Bey Time. 

And it’s definitely Bey Time. 

I did not attend the Renaissance Tour. I’ve seen Beyoncé live three times prior, and I will definitely go see the concert film when it hits theaters in December. 

I’m not Beyoncé’s biggest fan, but I am a fan.

Being drawn to her is contagious, and I’m OK with that. 

Monique Judge is a storyteller, content creator and writer living in Los Angeles. She is a word nerd who is a fan of the Oxford comma, spends way too much time on Twitter, and has more graphic t-shirts than you. Follow her on Twitter @thejournalista or check her out at moniquejudge.com.

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