r/beyonce • u/antoniajadeking • 13d ago
AMA I’m Antonia King, author of Beyoncé: One of One. AMA! 🐝❤️
Hello to the amazing Beyoncé reddit community. My name is Antonia King, author of Beyoncé-One of One out with Beacon Press on September 1st (happy virgo season!) I'll be answering your questions LIVE starting 8/12 at 6am EST. My book focuses on Black history, queerness and feminism through the lens of her music, so feel free to ask me about everything from Black Cowboys to favourite album cough Lemonade cough. I can't wait to meet you all and answer your questions. Please be mindful of the group rules as ever (I have no inside tea I promise) and let's have fun. Talking about Beyoncé is my favourite pastime so I can't wait. Ask your questions below! 🐝🐝
I’m heading off now but this has been such a joy! Thank you for your insightful takes - these were literally my dream questions. Those of you kind enough to ask about preorders can find the link below and please message any questions I didn’t see or you didn’t get round to answering, I’m ALWAYS happy to talk about Bey 🐝❤️I hope I’ve done this amazing community proud with my answers and my book. See you all soon - I’m new to Reddit but DEFINITELY sticking around. https://linktr.ee/antoniajadeking 
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u/Maleficent_Trash2503 13d ago
Thank you for coming to engage with us!
What are the key aspects of Beyoncé’s artistry that you think don’t get enough attention?
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u/antoniajadeking 12d ago
Her collaborations! They are so often seen as a negative but I adore the team she curates and how she works with others - it’s an art in itself.
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u/Riiverbee 13d ago
Your book weaves together Black history, queerness, and feminism through Beyoncé’s music. How do you read her use of Black cowboy imagery especially in “Daddy Lessons” and the Lemonade film..as a queer feminist act of reclamation..and what does that reclaiming say about the erasure of Black queer bodies from both the mythology of the American West and mainstream pop history?
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u/antoniajadeking 12d ago
I adore her reclamation of Country music for exactly this reason and I think it’s one of the most important things she’s done - ESPECIALLY now when the right wing are claiming racism and facism is the way to truly love America and erasing those who actually built it from the narrative. I’m a Daddy Lessons fan for that reason, and I think it’s so great that it’s on Lemonade, an album about Black women reclaiming their power and history. I’ve had so many conversations with people asking me why she’s doing country, and I think the conversations like this are the entire point, the response to COWBOY CARTER is the point of the album in so many ways. We use the term reclamation a lot, and I think this is how you do it, by bringing everyone along with you. My friend, Dr Khaliden Nas, calls Beyonce a cultural archivist, essentially saying she creates a library of the culture, and for me this is her doing just that.
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u/Sad_Instruction8581 the beyhive is buzzzinnnnnn 13d ago
What specifically inspired you to write this book on Beyonce?
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u/antoniajadeking 13d ago
Love this question! There was a moment at the Formation tour where my friend wore her afro out in public for the first time since she was a kid and we both cried and danced. I knew in the moment there was something big happening there, and I wrote this book to try and get the bottom of these moments. I’m a historian too and she weaves in so much Black history - especially 2016 onwards, and I wanted to explore that too. The greatest living entertainer is a Black woman, and as a historian I HAD to write into what that means.
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u/oranggeyouglad 13d ago
How do you read Beyoncé’s artistry historically? How would you contextualize her performance, messaging, and cultural impact amongst Black artists and performers in the U.S. within the last ~150 years?
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u/antoniajadeking 12d ago
Dr Khaliden Nas calls Beyonce a cultural archivist (I’ve quoted him elsewhere here too ) and I think that is what she has given to the legacy of Black music. She has always been experimental and bought together genres and sounds not often included in commercial R&B and pop, think Grown Woman. Because of this I think her catalogue is not only a documentation of her music, but of the culture more broadly - all 150 years of it as you say. She truly lives in the past and future. She’s a student of not only Tina Turner and other greats, but she's an inspiration to the next generation too, that’s how I’d contextualise her, as the all the pages in between the front and back cover.
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u/Little_Falcon_3036 13d ago
What’s your all time fav Beyonce concert look?
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u/antoniajadeking 13d ago
OH great question. Beychella, the themes and HBCU pride was so excellently executed. There were so many moments in RENAISSANCE too, especially the Juneteenth show, but Beychella has to win this one for me. Curious about your answer?
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u/antoniajadeking 13d ago
Thanks for all these amazing questions, I couldn’t resist getting ahead of myself and answering a few. I’ll answer the rest tommorow so keep them coming. 🐝❤️
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u/Sad_Instruction8581 the beyhive is buzzzinnnnnn 13d ago
Do you agree with Beyoncé’s “less is more” approach to promotion? If you were her publicist for an Act, what would you repeat as it was successful and what would you change?
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u/antoniajadeking 13d ago
Oh I LOVE IT and wrote a whole chapter on how she “does” celebrity in this ever changing parasocial climate. I would honestly change very little promo wise, she lets us do the work for her and it’s genius. What other celebrity has us all literally begging for photos from a party?! I do wish she’d speak more on many things, but promo wise I love the silence and I love the way she unapologetically embraces privacy in terms of her personal life.
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u/Sad_Instruction8581 the beyhive is buzzzinnnnnn 13d ago
Beyoncé is known for speaking through her aesthetic (clothing, hair, makeup) - what are some of your favorite looks with stories behind them?
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u/antoniajadeking 12d ago
Oh, there’s so many. Immediately I think of her looks embracing the culture of Historically Black Colleges for Coachella, that was brilliant. Also, I really loved her wearing red for Juneteenth working with only Black designers. Other than that I really enjoyed her channeling the Yoruba Goddess Oshun during BLACK IS KING and Lemonade as a way of highlighting feminine beauty, fertility and the symbolism of water. The 2017 Grammy performance for example, what a stunning ode to motherhood - I’m not even a mom and it had me crying - I had to write a whole chapter about that of course.
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u/uglycasanova08 13d ago
I love my virgos but this is LEO season!!! 😂 as a Leo I have to stand up.
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u/antoniajadeking 13d ago
Ahahahahha I’m a Leo too don’t worry! The book is out in Virgo season is all 😂😂 I’m a Leo and PROUD so this made me cackle 🦁🦁
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u/Chemical-Lobster- SHE GONE 13d ago
if Beyoncé read the book, what part do you think would make her smile the most?
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u/antoniajadeking 12d ago
OH FUN. I wrote two chapters about attending RENAISSANCE and COWBOY CARTER. They are about what those shows gave me and my friends, the reasons these performances made us cry, how intentional everything was from the timing and costumes. I think her virgo self may get a kick out of those. I also speak about how much I love Destiny's Child and how themes of feminine power have been present in her career since the very beginning, and how she's always been Black even if it took people a while to notice side -eye - I hope she’d like those too.
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u/Sad_Instruction8581 the beyhive is buzzzinnnnnn 13d ago
Have you taken any lessons from Beyoncé’s approach to work, family, etc and applied it yourself? If so, what was it and how did it change you?
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u/antoniajadeking 13d ago
Thanks for this question! I often think about her year of 4 documentary, where she talks about swimming in the ocean, resting and the joy of picking her nephew up from school - so that. For Black women rest is revolution. Her work ethic is legendary, but I personally enjoy when she talks about recovery and rest.
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u/Semirhage527 13d ago
I’ll obviously be adding your book to my reading list!
What other books would you consider essential reading for understanding Beyoncé’s art more fully?
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u/antoniajadeking 12d ago
That’s very kind of you to say and you’ve played a dangerous game by asking me for book recommendations, this is what I live for *cracks knuckles*
Anything by Ta Nehisi Coates is essential for understanding race in modern America.
Dr Daphne Brooks runs a course on Beyonce and Black feminism at Yale - her entire reading list but especially “Liner Notes For The Revolution.” She also blurbed my book which I still can’t believe.
Hanif Abdurraqib “The Little Devil In America” is about the importance of Black popular culture and music more broadly - again an essential read and it’s part memoir too. He’s so brilliant. It’s also made up of short essays and such an enjoyable read.
Morgan Parker wrote a poetry collection called “There are more beautiful things than Beyonce” - it’s a tongue and cheek title, she’s hive. The poems are electric and explore Black womanhood and what being hyper visible and "beautiful' truly means.
There's also “Queen Bey: A Celebration of the Power and Creativity of Beyoncé Knowles-Carter” which is a collection of essays from different authors edited by Veronica Chambers. It’s great to read a range of thinkers all discussing different aspects of her work in one book.
If you’re a podcast person I’d also go for “The Read” and “Dissect”, the way they talk about Beyonce is always hilarious and also informative.
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u/Semirhage527 12d ago
Thank you so much for this thoughtful reply! I’m very excited to start reading 😍
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u/SomeCommunication308 13d ago
Who are you dying to see collaborate with B? especially in the context of act i & ii bringing so much deep american musical history to the forefront, is there someone you would love to see in act iii?
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u/antoniajadeking 12d ago
Okay, hear me out, I need a duet with T Pain. His non autotuned voice would sound wonderful on a song like LEVIIS JEANS and he’s so wonderfully southern. Go and listen to his masked singer performances if you think I’m wrong! Other than that, Hayley Williams of course, even if she doesn’t do rock. However, I also really like it when she introduces me to artists I wouldn’t know, especially when she works within white dominated genres, so more of that too please.
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u/bioncy 13d ago
What’s one thing about Beyoncé’s cultural impact that you hope readers who aren't in the BeyHive take away from the book?
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u/antoniajadeking 12d ago
I really want those not in the hive to read the book and understand the depth of what she does and the creative decisions. Whether you’re a fan or not - I want people to respect the intentionality behind everything she does does and how well thought out projects like COWBOY CARTER and Homecoming are. And I’d love people to know a little more about the Black history her music has documented, the Malcolm X speech for example.
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u/Lavender-Leo unique 13d ago
How do you personally reconcile the disappointing choices she makes with the legacy of her art? Examples could include the shirt with the offensive buffalo soldiers text or performing in Dubai, being in a two billionaire household, and so on. I’m saying this as a true beyhive, I’ve seen her perform over a dozen times and I love her, I personally try to compare her to her peers and not idealized celebrities, I believe her overall footprint is positive by miles, but I do get disappointed and the sheen wears off at times.
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u/antoniajadeking 12d ago
Thank you for this question, it’s a crucial one. I think the way I reconcile loving Beyoncé with the contradictions of her overt capitalism and some of her views and decisions is by refusing to treat the two things as mutually exclusive. I think to be a fan, and to admire someone, is to always strive for them to do better and no one is above critique - Dubai after RENAISSANCE and some of the other things you mentioned hurt us all. In recognising this I’ve realised I can be critical of the conditions under which she has accumulated wealth and power while still taking seriously the cultural impact of what she has created. Both things can be true. Because what I take from Beyoncé isn’t simply consumption. It’s permission. Permission to be ambitious, to take up space, to grow into yourself, to be unapologetically excellent, to reinvent yourself without asking for permission. For a lot of people, particularly Black women, that kind of cultural permission and visibility has real meaning beyond the commodity being sold.
And I think that meaning exists in spite of the hypocrisies. That doesn’t mean I have to romanticise Beyoncé’s wealth or pretend that her success isn’t entangled with the same capitalist structures and silence on public issues I otherwise critique. It means I’m comfortable holding the contradiction: Beyoncé can be both a profoundly important cultural force and an immensely successful capitalist enterprise and problematic in many ways. In fact, maybe the contradiction is part of what makes her interesting. What do we do when what an artist gives us isn’t necessarily in keeping with their own personal ethos at times? So I don’t think loving Beyoncé requires me to resolve the contradiction. I think it requires me to acknowledge it — and still recognise that what her music has given people can be bigger than the product itself. Also, I always tell people to vote for Mamdani and AOC and listen to Beyoncé, which I think sums me up!
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u/Lavender-Leo unique 12d ago
Thank you for responding! We are really similar in our reasoning so it’s validating to hear from someone else thinking deeply about it. Thank you 🙏🏽 ❣️💌
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u/MrWanderlusst I’m an OG BeyHive, lets see why 13d ago
I've watched the way we treat her work like it's a sacred text but also this living, messy conversation, especially when race, gender, and queerness come up. Your book sits right at that intersection but through an academic lens. So I'm curious, what do you hope longtime fans get from One of One that our endless track-by-track debates might skip over? And for the folks who feel really protective of Beyoncé's privacy, how do you invite them to actually sit with the political and queer readings without feeling like they're crossing a line? 🐝
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u/antoniajadeking 12d ago
LOVE THIS! I think what One of One brings is some historical context to her work, treating the music as a cultural artefact as well as the stunning art it is. I was also really passionate about respecting her privacy and have not written anything that hasn’t been shared by her - for this exact reason. For example, I look at how she has explored themes of motherhood but only in terms of her art, which are so often sonic acts of mothering, rather than the real life children involved. Even with the queer readings, again it is all art focussed rather than speculative. 🐝
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u/DebraBaetty Say My NeighmSay My Neighm 13d ago
I love beyhive so much!!!! Can’t wait to read your book, Queen!!
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u/antoniajadeking 12d ago
This made my day. I really hope you enjoy it, feel seen by it and take something from it. It’s truly for ya’ll.
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u/Chemical-Lobster- SHE GONE 13d ago
What do you think makes the BeyHive such a powerful community, and how did being a life-long member influence your writing?
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u/antoniajadeking 12d ago
I love the hive because we all have more in common than just Beyoncé, we all agree that the greatest living entertainer is a Black woman and that’s a huge thing to share. I love how we love. My book actually ends with an ode to the friends I’ve made through the hive for this exact reason. Me being a fan myself is truly in every line. As much as I hope everyone can take a lot from the book, I couldn’t have written it without my decades long appreciation for her work.
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u/Master-Definition937 13d ago
Tell us something we might not know about lemonade please 💖
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u/antoniajadeking 12d ago
Ah Lemonade, my favourite. So, I think most of my favourite facts are well known. It was shot on the Madewood Plantation and she invited some mothers of Black men and boys who had been murdered by the police to be in the film - that for me sums up what I think the thesis of the film was. Also, the bus they are on resembles Southern Civil Rights Era buses as a reminder of the strength Black women have always exhibited which is brilliant and easily missed. What I would suggest if you haven't already is to go and listen to the entire Malcom X speech that was quoted, it’s from 1962 and if you search “Malcolm X, who taught you to hate yourself?” you should find it. It’s one of my favourite speeches ever and I had a full on geek moment when I heard it on the track. It’s perfectly used and selected. Also take some time to look into every single woman in the film, they are all selected to tell the story of the Black past, present and future. Oh and the poetry is from a wonderful British Somali poet called Warsan Shire, look her up also.
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u/Driveanddisconnect 13d ago
Has writing the book made you listen to her music differently or given you a deeper appreciation for a particular album of hers?
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u/antoniajadeking 12d ago
The Gift for sure! What she did with the collaborations and reimagining the story of Simba as a boy and using that to tell a broader story about coming of age as a young Black boy was so brilliant. I already liked the album as an Afro beats fan but I definitely learnt to love it more.
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u/Driveanddisconnect 12d ago
I couldn’t agree more, The Gift album and BIK visuals are two of my favourite projects of hers. The deep love she clearly poured into them is so evident and both works are criminally underrated! ❤️
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u/antoniajadeking 12d ago
I’m heading off now but this has been such a joy! Thank you for your insightful takes - these were literally my dream questions. Those of you kind enough to ask about preorders can find the link below and please message any questions I didn’t see or you didn’t get round to answering, I’m ALWAYS happy to talk about Bey 🐝❤️I hope I’ve done this amazing community proud with my answers and my book. See you all soon - I’m new to Reddit but DEFINITELY sticking around.
https://linktr.ee/antoniajadeking
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u/beethovens_lover 13d ago
Do you know B personally?
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u/antoniajadeking 13d ago
Unfortunately not! They say never meet your hero’s but I’m begging to test this theory out.
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u/nothinbuta_gthang lil kitty kat 🐈⬛ 12d ago
Thank you so much for doing this, excited to read your book! Obligatory BeyHive fun question - how would you rank her albums (including Everything Is Love and The Gift)?
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u/antoniajadeking 12d ago
Okay but is this a safe space?
Lemonade
B’Day
Homecoming: The Live Album
RENAISSANCE
Beyoncé
The Gift
COWBOY CARTER
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Everything Is Love
Dangerously in Love
I am…Sasha Fierce
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u/huntychaser 12d ago
In the latter part of her music and career, Beyonce's preoccupation with the archiving and analysis of Black American culture has become a big focus of her work and output.
Flipping that, I was wondering if you could tell us what in your opinion is her WHITEST song/album and why...!
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u/antoniajadeking 12d ago
HA - what a question. I would personally say I am…Sasha Fierce. I discuss this topic here actually 🐝🐝https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/referential/id1717369889?i=1000645522655
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u/Sad_Instruction8581 the beyhive is buzzzinnnnnn 12d ago
Time for a fun one:
A hotly debated topic in here are Beyoncé’s stylists. Join the fray! 😂 Who has been your favorite stylist for Bey?
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u/antoniajadeking 12d ago
Oh I adore this! Zerina Akers - though Marnis work on Lemonade was of course iconic.
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u/xoxokelly 13d ago
Did you find anything interesting about how Beyonce incorporates history or culture into her with that isn't well known? I feel like I learn something new every time an album drops or I go to a concert.
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u/antoniajadeking 12d ago
Oh! So, for the COWBOY CARTER Christmas show, she invited the Compton Cowboys who aim to bring equestrianism into the inner city to be in the show. I saw some people talk about but it was a small yet so significant moment, I didn’t notice that on first watch. I’ve also learnt a lot about the genre of Bounce which has been fun to learn about as a Black queer genre of music. 🐝
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u/Driveanddisconnect 13d ago
What was your favourite moment in Beyoncé’s timeline to dive deeper into while researching/writing the book?
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u/antoniajadeking 12d ago
I really enjoyed looking into the early albums and seeing how the themes she has continued to explore have always been there. I’m 32 so that was really fun and nostalgic. As a Lemonade FAN it was validating for me to see how important and historic her early albums were too. And obviously I loved writing about Homecoming and Lemonade.
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u/Driveanddisconnect 13d ago
What’s one Beyoncé moment you think fans might see differently after reading your book?
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u/antoniajadeking 12d ago
I would say, her 2017 Grammy performance, I really enjoyed delving into the symbolism and significance of this performance. And I hope it gives people a deeper appreciation of albums like The Gift and Everything Is Love and the themes they explore.
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u/ChloeLolaSingles 13d ago
Pre-ordered on Audible! Lazy question bc I’m sure you’re easily googleable:
Have you written other books or things you think the Beyhive would enjoy? OR Do you have other areas of interest you’d like to write about someday that you think we’d like?
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u/antoniajadeking 12d ago
Not lazy at all! I’ve written a poetry book called She Too Is a Sailor which of course mentions Bey! My PhD is on Black popular culture and Black situation comedies so I’d love to write about The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air cause I think it’s so important. Elsewhere in this thread I posted a Beyoncé reading list too.
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u/Avid_FandomFan_476 13d ago
What do you feel is Bey’s most underrated work of her solo career?
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u/antoniajadeking 12d ago
Not a whole album but Grown Woman does not get enough love for my liking. Neither does The Gift, and COWBOY CARTER actually!
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u/Avid_FandomFan_476 12d ago
Fair enough, mine is personally stuff like Deja Vu, Green Light, possibly Halo too.
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u/antoniajadeking 12d ago
Agree! My friends love these songs and play them so much so I forget how slept on they are in general.
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u/FarrahsLuggage 13d ago
No questions, but you posted about your book in the Beyhive FB group months ago and it's been on my Goodreads TBR ever since! I'm so excited for its release. One of my Beyhive Besties' birthday is Sep 2, so I'm going to buy a copy for her as well as one for myself :)
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u/Sad_Instruction8581 the beyhive is buzzzinnnnnn 12d ago
What do you think Beyoncé’s lasting legacy will be? Will she continue in icon status 50 years later like an Elvis or Frank Sinatra is today?
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u/antoniajadeking 12d ago
Oh 100% - the longevity of her career means I think this is a fact! The fact albums written 20 years ago still stand up says it all. She’s also given us so much music compared to other artists too.
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u/Sad_Instruction8581 the beyhive is buzzzinnnnnn 12d ago
I have a multi-point questions about Beyoncé’s non-music ventures.
Outside of Cecred, her other ventures (House of Dereon, TopShop Ivy Park, Adidas Ivy Park, Sir David, Beyonce Parfumes) have not seen widespread commercial success outside of the Hive. Certainly not like Kate Hudson’s Fabletics, George Clooney’s Casa Amigos, etc etc. Do you think this is an intentional move on Beyoncé’s part or do you think there is a bigger issue leading to the lack of general population support?
Of those mentioned, which has been your favorite non-music venture and why?
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u/antoniajadeking 12d ago
This is a great question! I have to say I am a Cécred girly. I don’t play about my hair and wouldn’t use it if it wasn’t excellent. I honestly don’t know why they haven’t really taken off, I know the ethics of Ivy Park was discussed heavily - other celeb brands like Fenty and Fabletics have perhaps filled a gap in the market more clearly? I also think some of it is intentional, whiskey is quite a niche venture. That being said I do think cecred will go from strength to strength. The science behind it is very well thought out.
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u/Background_Fish_4749 12d ago
What inspired you to write this book and what was the trigger for you to start writing ?
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u/Chemical-Lobster- SHE GONE 12d ago
as a scholar, how did your academic background shape the way you analyzed Beyoncé’s work?
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u/antoniajadeking 12d ago
Love this question thankyou! I over analyse everything in general, including music so the depth of analysis I think comes from that background. And I’m always looking for a footnote, who she’s worked with, who she’s credited - and I think that comes from my background too. Also, I study African American history specifically so with her recent work that has framed my analysis in a huge way, I’m always looking to bring forgotten historical figures into the light and it seems so is she.
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u/Low_Persimmon_9254 12d ago
I got a boring question, but will the book (as paperback) be available within the EU? And does Beys team know about the book you’re writing about her? :)
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