The secrets behind that EPIC Beyoncé & Kendrick Lamar BET Awards performance

29 June 2016 - 13:58 By Kyle Zeeman
subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now

US music stars Beyoncé and Kendrick Lamar stole the show at the BET Awards recently with a heart-stopping performance. But how exactly did the stars pull off one of the biggest surprise performances of the year?

The name of Beyonce's new active wear line has been revealed.
The name of Beyonce's new active wear line has been revealed.
Image: ©AFP PHOTO / ROBYN BECK

The performance had fans around the world on the edge of their seats, marvelling at the spectacle which included fire, water and a whole lot of emotion. Their performance soon trended globally as fans hailed it as one of the best in the awards show's history.

Talking to Billboard US following the performance, BET chairman/CEO Debra Lee revealed some of the logistics and challenges it took to ensure the surprise performance was perfect.

  •  

"She (Beyoncé) committed several weeks ago. We had four tons of water that we had to get on the stage and then clean up after her performance. We were worried about electricity and other things that could go wrong. But we wanted her to have the performance she wanted," she said.

Lee said that she thought it would be important to have Bey perform at the event, following the release of her latest album, but she only learnt a few hours before the show that the performance would include Kendrick.

"I thought it was important for her to be there. She has a show in England tomorrow (Tuesday) night, so it was great of her to agree to stay because it wasn’t the perfect timing. I saw the rehearsal the night before the show and that’s when I first learned that Kendrick Lamar was part of it," she said. 

  •  

Debra explained that it was Beyoncé's wish to have a male artist perform with her.

"She does the water dance in her concert but with all women. But Beyoncé thought it was important to have men and women of color come together. She wanted this to be a performance she’d never done before. She wanted it to be epic, and it was," she added.

Keeping Bey's secret

She explained that the performance needed to be kept secret and much of the rehearsals happened late at night behind closed (and guarded) doors.

"We threatened people within an inch of their lives to keep the secret. Beyoncé wants to do it her way; I respect her for that. And she didn’t want people to know she was going to be on the show. So we told very few people on the team. I was a nervous wreck until the day of the show because I was like, 'If this leaks out, this may not happen'. All of her rehearsals were closed. You had to have special permission to get in. Beyoncé would rehearse late at night for hours," Debra added.

subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now