Page 3 Profile: Beyoncé R’n’B megastar

Ahem, I thought i didn’t do celebrity?

Well, having smashed album sales records, hoovered up Grammys, buddied up to Obama and earned a few gazillion dollars along the way, Beyoncé has transcended mere celebrity status to be chosen as the cover star for Time magazine’s “100 Most Influential People” issue.

How so?

Her entry on the annual list is accompanied by a glowing explanation from Facebook executive Sheryl Sandberg, with whom Beyoncé recently collaborated on a high-profile campaign to ban the use of the word “bossy” to describe women in the workplace. “Beyoncé doesn’t just sit at the table,” said Sandberg. “She builds a better one. She raises her voice, both on and offstage, to urge women to be independent and lead.”

Who did she beat to the cover slot?

Pope Francis is on the list, profiled by Barack Obama (who also makes the cut), while Hillary Clinton, Robert Redford, Edward Snowden and Pharrell Williams also feature.

Any Brits in there?

Yes. Steve McQueen, the director of 12 Years A Slave, and Sherlock actor Benedict Cumberbatch, who is hailed by Colin Firth as “alarmingly talented”. i imagines that David Cameron will be a little peeved by his absence, given that Angela Merkel, Vladimir Putin and Kim Jung-un are all included.

So what is it about Beyoncé?

Put simply, she’s a phenomenon. Bursting into the limelight from a humble background in 1997, she has headed in only one direction since – up – with sell-out world tours, film roles, a fashion line, marriage to rapper Jay-Z and motherhood.

Her secret?

According to Sandberg: “Hard work, honesty and authenticity.” And her answer to “what would you do if you weren’t afraid?” appears to be: “Watch me. I’m about to do it … You can, too.”