Our favorite girl turns 40 today so it’s only right that as she celebrates this milestone birthday, we look back at the moments we’ve shared with her over the years.
On June 20, 2003, Beyoncé dropped her solo album, Dangerously in Love, and that same summer she made her debut on the cover of ESSENCE for our August 2003 issue. The then-22-year-old gave us a fresh look at her life post-Destiny’s Child as she began her ascent to becoming one of the greatest entertainers of all time.
Six more covers followed, including the most epic of them all in July 2011 when Yonce celebrated her Texas roots within our pages. She said at the time, “Whenever I work with ESSENCE, it feels like home. The collaboration is always smooth and the concept of the rodeo took me back to my days growing up in Houston, Texas. I had a pair of pink cowboy boots that you’d think were glued to my feet. My mama begged me to take them off! Memories like these I’ll cherish forever.”
The intimate moments of Beyoncé’s life that she’s chosen to share with us, not only through her music but in interviews with other Black women at this publication always make us feel at home with her as well.
Take a look back at our covers with Beyoncé over the years as we dedicate this day to our number one Virgo.
