Beyoncé will appear with presidential candidate Kamala Harris at a rally in Houston on Friday, according to multiple news reports attributing sources close to the campaign.
The rally was already set to feature another Texas music icon, Willie Nelson (who, coincidentally, makes a cameo spoken-word appearance on Beyoncé’s latest album, “Cowboy Carter”).
Tina Knowles, Beyoncé’s mother, who has been particularly vocal in her Harris support this year, will be on the bill in Houston as well.
Although reports of Beyoncé stumping for Harris have been wrong before — a false alarm during the Democratic convention led to hysteria and then disappointment — news of her appearance this week is better-sourced and from several reputable publications. The Washington Post reported the news, attributing it to “people familiar with the planning who spoke on condition of anonymity to preview a performance that hasn’t been publicly announced.” It was also reported by NBC News, which cited three anonymous sources familiar with the plans. For its part, the New York Times attributed its reporting on Beyoncé’s appearance to two people briefed on the event.
Beyoncé has not formally issued a Harris-Walz endorsement to date, but her position has been little in doubt, from her mother’s campaign support to — especially — her giving her explicit permission for the campaign to use “Freedom” as its official song. The vice president has had the socially conscious 2016 “Lemonade” track as her entrance and exit music at nearly every appearance since becoming president Joe Biden’s successor as the Democratic candidate.
The move to bring in one of the world’s biggest music superstars comes on the heels of campaign appearances earlier this week by Bruce Springsteen and Eminem, and endorsements from Taylor Swift and Billie Eilish, among many others.
Beyoncé rarely ventures overtly into politics, but she is remembered for singing at a rally for Hillary Clinton in Ohio in 2016.
Texas is not believed to be in contention as a presidential swing state, but other races there are thought to be potentially in play, including the senate race between Republican Ted Cruz and Democrat Colin Allred — and the national publicity value of one of the two or three biggest pop stars in the world making a public appearance in her home state after some time out of the limelight is, of course, incalculable.
From Variety US