Beyoncé has revealed she ‘couldn’t afford calling cards’ in her early days dating her husband Jay-Z, as she lifted the lid on navigating the progress of new technologies, privacy, and parenthood.

The singer, 43, told how she was raised in a very different world than her own kids.

‘We live in a world of access. We have access to so much information – some facts, and some complete b******t disguised as truth. Our children can FaceTime and see their friends at any given moment,’ she told the October edition of GQ.

But she was quick to compare it to the old days, adding: ‘My husband and I? We used calling cards and Skype when we were falling in love.

‘I couldn’t afford the international hotel bills, so I literally would get international calling cards to call him. Just recently, I heard an AI song that sounded so much like me it scared me. It’s impossible to truly know what’s real and what’s not.’

Beyoncé revealed she ‘couldn’t afford calling cards’ in her early days dating her husband Jay-Z, as she lifted the lid on navigating the progress of new technologies, privacy, and parenthood

‘My husband and I? We used calling cards and Skype when we were falling in love. I couldn’t afford the international hotel bills, so I literally would get international calling cards to call him.

Therefore the music icon has ‘worked extremely hard’ to ensure her family’s lives are not too effected by the spotlight.

‘It’s very easy for celebrities to turn our lives into performance art. I have made an extreme effort to stay true to my boundaries and protect myself and my family.

‘No amount of money is worth my peace,’ she added.

The favourite couple’s 12-year old daughter Blue-Ivy Carter became a regular fixture at the performer’s live sets during her epic Renaissance world tour. 

The tour moved from mainland Europe to the United States between March and September 2023.

But the superstar admitted she was reluctant to allow her eldest child onstage prior to her first appearance at Stade De France in Saint Denis on May 26, where she surprised fans by dancing with her mother during renditions of My Power and Black Parade, a song released in response to the 2020 murder of George Floyd.

So often keen to separate her life as a working mother from life as an international star, Beyoncé reflected on the rare decision to let one of her children take centre-stage in the most public of arenas.

The R&B superstar, also a parent to six-year old twins Rumi and Sir, admitted her daughter’s presence on tour was facilitated by a pre-arranged decision to perform 56 shows across a five month period that covered her children’s school holidays.

‘It’s very easy for celebrities to turn our lives into performance art. I have made an extreme effort to stay true to my boundaries and protect myself and my family. No amount of money is worth my peace,’ the hitmaker said

The favourite couple’s 12-year old daughter Blue-Ivy Carter became a regular fixture at the performer’s live sets during her epic Renaissance world tour – across Europe to the United States between March and September 2023

The R&B superstar admitted her daughter’s presence on tour was facilitated by a pre-arranged decision to perform 56 shows across a five month period that covered her school holidays

The full interview is available to read in the October edition of GQ magazine, out now

‘I try to only tour when my kids are out of school,’ she said. ‘I always dreamt of a life where I could see the world with my family and expose them to different languages, architecture, and lifestyles.

‘Raising three kids isn’t easy….I love it. It’s grounding and fulfilling. My kids come with me everywhere I go. They come to my office after school, and they are in the studio with me. They are in dance rehearsals.’

The singer is currently two albums into a sprawling conceptual odyssey that has so far documented black influence on disco in 2021 release Renaissance and country in 2023’s groundbreaking Cowboy Carter.

How she ends the trilogy is on a need to know basis, at least for the time being, but she admits the countdown will begin when she retreats from the spotlight that continues to shine following Carter’s surprise omission from the recently announced Country Music Awards nominations.

The singer is currently two albums into a sprawling conceptual odyssey that has so far documented black influence on disco in 2021 release Renaissance and country in 2023’s groundbreaking Cowboy Carter

The Texas-born singer failed to receive a single nomination, despite latest album Cowboy Carter proving to be a cultural phenomenon upon its release.

The album’s absence among this year’s slate of nominees was conspicuous: Texas Hold ‘Em, its first single, soared to the top of the charts, including the country list, and the album was widely considered a smash.

The full interview is available to read in the October edition of GQ magazine, out now.