<p id=”par-1_55″>In the early days of her career, <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/tag/beyonce/?swcfpc=1″>Beyoncé</a> said that being <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/does-beyonce-still-identify-as-alter-ego-sasha-fierce.html/”>labeled a diva</a> hurt her deeply. She denied ever behaving that way. In later years, though, she learned to embrace the descriptor. She shared what being a diva meant to her, and the other stars who led her to want to be this way.</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-beyonce-shared-why-she-embraced-being-a-diva”>Beyoncé shared why she embraced being a ‘diva’</h2>
<p id=”par-2_22″>Ahead of her 2011 <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/beyonce-said-headlining-glastonbury-2011-feel-real-rockstar.html/”>performance at Glastonbury</a>, Beyoncé and her musicians and backup dancers gathered together to get control of their nerves.</p>
<p id=”par-3_78″>“We all got together, said our prayer,” she said in an interview on <em><a target=”_blank” href=”https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/pmt/date/2011-06-27/segment/01″ rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Piers Morgan Live</a>. </em>“We took our breath and tried to exhale all the negativity and I just had to tell myself, I deserve it. I’m a diva. I’ve worked hard. And I psyched myself up, and once you hear the crowd and you get past the first couple of minutes, then it’s time to rock. It’s time to have a good time and enjoy it.”</p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-1″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Beyonce-7.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”Beyonce wears a silver bodysuit and stands on a stage with two backup dancers behind her.” class=”wp-image-3771227″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Beyonce | Kevin Mazur/WireImage for Parkwood</figcaption></figure>
<p id=”par-4_7″>She shared what “diva” meant to her.</p>
<p id=”par-5_28″>“Graceful and talented and strong and fearless and brave and someone with humility,” she said, “and I think, you know, it’s an appropriate time to be a diva.”</p>
<p id=”par-6_29″>While many people try to avoid the descriptor at all costs, Beyoncé embraced it with open arms. She said meeting two iconic singers led her to feel this way.</p>
<p id=”par-7_31″>“Well, I’ve met what a diva is supposed to be,” she said. “And I’ve met Patti LaBelle and I’ve met Tina Turner and I’ve met these incredible women that are graceful.”</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-beyonce-once-denied-being-a-diva”>Beyoncé once denied being a diva</h2>
<p id=”par-8_54″>Years before this interview, Beyoncé was far less comfortable with people calling her a diva. Former Destiny’s Child members LeToya Luckett and LaTavia Roberson sued the group after they were fired. Beyoncé bore the brunt of the public backlash, with people describing her as cutthroat and willing to do anything to further her career.</p>
<p id=”par-9_60″>“I am not a diva and never have been,” she said in 2003 (per <a href=”https://www.spin.com/2021/01/beyonce-july-2006-cover/” target=”_blank” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Spin Magazine</a>), adding, “I would never say that I was grateful for the controversy, because it really was hell, but it certainly kept us newsworthy. I just remember being <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/beyonce-unable-bed-harsh-backlash-destinys-child-firings.html/”>unable to get out of bed</a> while it was all happening, and just crying the whole time.”</p>
<h2 class=”wp-block-heading” id=”h-she-used-her-alter-ego-sasha-fierce-to-embrace-this-side-of-herself”>She used her alter ego, Sasha Fierce, to embrace this side of herself</h2>
<p id=”par-10_33″>Beyoncé said she becomes a diva when she gets onstage to perform. She is a relatively reserved person in her daily life. In front of an audience, however, a change comes over her.</p>
<p id=”par-11_44″>“It’s kind of like doing a movie. When you put on the wig and put on the clothes, you walk different,” she told <a target=”_blank” href=”https://www.oprah.com/oprahshow/beyonces-alter-ego/all” rel=”noreferrer noopener”>Oprah Winfrey</a>. “It’s no different from anyone else. I feel like we all kind of have that thing that takes over.”</p>
<figure class=”wp-block-image size-full” id=”emb-2″><img decoding=”async” src=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/Beyonce-shape-1.webp?strip=all&quality=80″ alt=”Beyonce wears a yellow sweatshirt and denim shorts. She holds a microphone.” class=”wp-image-3771232″><figcaption class=”wp-element-caption”>Beyonce | Kevin Winter/Getty Images for Coachella</figcaption></figure>
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<p id=”par-12_12″>Her nerves fall away and she becomes <a href=”https://www.cheatsheet.com/entertainment/beyonces-mom-said-singer-became-alter-ego-sasha-fierce-acting-crazy-person.html/”>her alter ego, Sasha Fierce</a>.</p>
<p id=”par-13_38″>“Usually when I hear the chords, when I put on my stilettos. Like the moment right before when you’re nervous,” she said. “Then Sasha Fierce appears, and my posture and the way I speak and everything is different.”</p>