Beyoncé has some pretty memorable MTV VMA moments under her belt. The amazing performance of nearly every song on Lemonade stole the show last year. And she committed a similar act of larceny during a medley of songs from her self-titled album in 2014. But I still feel extremely confident declaring that there has been one, and only one person to ever upstage Queen Bey at the VMA’s.
That person is her daughter, Blue Ivy Carter. At only five-and-a-half years old, Blue has been to more award shows than I will probably ever get to attend in my life. And yet, she's been the star of the show without presenting a single award or performing at all. Every time Blue Ivy has been at the VMAs, it’s been truly unforgettable.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
It’s not likely that Queen Bey will attend this year’s event: She just had twins and doesn’t have any new material to promote. And although Blue Ivy's father, Jay-Z, recently released his own album, 4:44, he wasn’t nominated for this year’s awards. Not even her aunt Solange got a nod for her groundbreaking project, A Seat At The Table. (I need to speak to someone at MTV about this.) So we might miss out on a Blue Ivy appearance this year.
But in the meantime, let’s take a moment to revel in all of her appearances.
2016
We didn’t see much of Blue during the actual show at these VMAs. Her mother lit up the stage for nearly 15 minutes and I don’t really remember what else happened. But I do recall the matching gowns Blue and Bey wore as they walked the red carpet before the show began. Blue, the first American princess I acknowledge, was completely unbothered by all of the ado and preferred private, hushed conversations with her mum — which resulted in some pretty hilarious memes.
2014
This was the year that we learned talent runs in the Knowles-Carter blood, or that Blue secretly choreographed her mom’s set. While Queen Bey performed “***Flawless” from her self-titled album, Blue sat on her dad’s lap and danced along. Maybe it’s just me, but I swear it looked like she was counting steps as if she made up the moves herself. Even Jay looked surprised.
2011
Proving that she's capable of doing things other humans simply cannot, Blue Ivy’s first big “moment” at the VMAs happened before she was even born. Beyoncé announced her pregnancy to the world after a phenomenal performance of “Love On Top” where she did not miss a beat. A beaming Jay-Z, an even happier Kanye, and Lady Gaga in drag sat front row while the rest of us literally broke a record tweeting about it.
AdvertisementADVERTISEMENT
It was certainly a sign of the greatness that was to come.