Sit down, Beyoncé has spoken. On Oct. 25 — a mere 10 days before Election Day — Beyoncé joined Vice President Kamala Harris at a major campaign rally in Houston. The “Texas Hold ‘Em” singer took the stage with her fellow Destiny’s Child member Kelly Rowland to introduce Harris and officially endorse her for president. She told the crowd, “Please give a big loud Texas welcome to the next president of the United States, Vice President Kamala Harris.”
On Oct. 24, news broke that Beyoncé would attend Harris’s rally in Houston, leading many fans to believe she’d be performing. But Beyoncé didn’t perform at the Harris rally — instead, she gave a moving speech endorsing her for president. She told the crowd, “I’m not here as a celebrity. I’m not here as a politician. I’m here as a mother. A mother who cares deeply about the world my children and all of our children live in. A world where we have the freedom to control our bodies. A world where we’re not divided.”
Bey continued, “For all the men and women in this room and watching around the country, we need you. Your voice has power and magnitude. Your vote is one of the most valuable tools and we need you. Your freedom is your god-given right. Your human right.” She urged the crowd, “We’re all a part of something much bigger — we must vote.”
Beyoncé’s speech at Kamala Harris’ rally in Houston.
— Pop Base (@PopBase) October 26, 2024
Beyoncé ended her speech telling the crowd, “It’s time to sing a new song. A song that began 248 years ago. The old notes of downfall, discord, despair, no longer resonate. Our generations of loved ones before us are whispering a prophecy, a quest, a calling, an anthem. Our moment right now, it’s time for America to sing a new song. Our voices sing a chorus of unity. They sing a song of dignity and opportunity. Are y’all ready to add your voice to the new American song? Because I am.”
While lots of Queen Bey fans were upset about the lack of performance from the star (especially with her references to a “new American song,” others on Twitter/X pointed out that her calculated decision to speak instead of perform held a lot of weight. One fan wrote, “I absolutely love that Beyoncé and Kelly spoke tonight instead of performed — shows just how serious this is.” Another said, “Beyonce out here giving a speech instead of performing, oh she’s serious. My girl don’t do speeches, this means a lot to her.”
Since the start of her campaign, Harris has had strong ties with the BeyHive. On July 22, Harris walked out on stage for her first appearance as a presidential candidate to Beyoncé’s “Freedom.” Three days later, Harris released a campaign video featuring the same song. This meant Beyoncé gave the Harris team permission to use her song, which many fans saw as a sign of support for the candidate. However, Beyoncé stopped short of actually endorsing Harris during the majority of her campaign. With this rally appearance, though, there is no question about where Beyoncé stands in this election.
Despite being a notoriously private celebrity, Beyoncé has a history of being politically engaged. In 2012, Bey and her husband, Jay-Z, hosted a fundraiser for former President Barack Obama at their co-owned club, 40/40, during his presidential campaign. Beyoncé also wrote a note of endorsement to Obama on her Tumblr page during that election. During Hillary Clinton’s presidential campaign in 2016, just three days before Election Day, Beyoncé performed “Formation” at a Cleveland rally — an event that took place in Ohio, a key swing state. Then in 2020, on Nov. 2 — just a day before Election Day — Beyoncé made an Instagram post in support of President Joe Biden by wearing a Biden-Harris mask and calling on her fan base to go vote.
Beyoncé’s music has always been a gateway for her to share messages to the world about her views on current social events — from sampling the TED Talk “We Should All Be Feminists” by Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie in her 2013 song “***Flawless” to providing commentary on the intersection of feminism and racial injustice in her 2016 album Lemonade. This moment at the Harris rally just adds to her long track record of speaking up about her stances.