Apart from all the sports entertainment, the Super Bowl is also known for its commercials, which are known for their high production budgets, creativity, and entertainment value in turn. Even if we omit trailers for upcoming Hollywood blockbusters, the Super Bowl still serves as one of the biggest days in advertisement, with many premiere brands aiming their big-budget commercials at audiences that count tens, perhaps even hundreds of millions of viewers. These companies often use humor, celebrity endorsements, and cutting-edge special effects to make their ads more memorable.
This year, one of the most talked about Super Bowl commercials was, and still is, Verizon’s commercial featuring Beyoncé. In the commercial, Queen Bey attempts to “break the internet” in a series of increasingly bizarre stunts that fail to wreck Verizon’s 5G network. She even donned cat-ear headphones along with a pink hoodie and fired up her Twitch account under the name ‘iamSlayonce’, where she apparently streams without lag or buffering.
Of course, the Beyhive buzzed and stampeded to their own Twitch accounts to check that their collective eyes did not deceive them. Whether finely-honed marketing ploy or Mrs. Carter’s official reveal as an avid gamer, Beyoncé’s Twitch Stream was more than promo, and it is indeed oh so real.
Admittedly, the account has zero past broadcasts, and it lacks the acute accent on the ‘e,’ but it has a verified tick next to its name, and it leads to the official Beyoncé website. iamSlayonce currently has nearly 70,000 followers waiting to see if Queen Bey will actually use the channel to stream.
The username, iamSlayonce, might also be a nod to Sasha Fierce, Beyoncé’s alter ego who was revealed in 2008 when Beyoncé announced the title for her upcoming double album, I Am… Sasha Fierce. The singer, songwriter, and businesswoman explained that she would be going by Sasha Fierce, which allows her to separate her confident on-stage persona from her more timid personality. Thus, the “Slayonce” part of the username definitely fits. However, a significant portion of the Beyhive is actually questioning whether the star is really behind the username.
Sure, the account has a verified mark on it, but it’s not unheard of for celebrities to hire social media managers and work with official fan websites and communities, so it’s entirely possible that someone hired by Beyoncé is acting on her behalf. But on the other hand, celebrities have increasingly been turning to platforms like Twitch to connect with their fans in a more personal and unfiltered way. If Beyoncé really ends up giving Twitch a go, she will join the growing list of celebrities trying out the platform.
Other celebrities, like Drake, Doja Cat, Mike Shinoda, Snoop Dogg, Steve Aoki, and Nicki Minaj, have also been on Twitch for various reasons. Some were just playing games, while others used the opportunity to promote their content. At one time, LeBron James even speculated that he could be the next celebrity to start streaming, which prompted both Twitch and its main competitor, Kick, to bid for his services. Likewise, the start of Beyoncé’s streaming career could trigger a massive bidding war among the platforms.
Admittedly, it’s really hard to imagine Beyoncé gaming, especially after the Internet’s gamers have pointed out — and some of them were quite rude about it —that Beyoncé’s fingers aren’t even on the WASD keys. However, that doesn’t mean that Beyoncé couldn’t use Twitch to promote other content. While imagining Beyoncé strafing in CoD or Rage Quitting with the elegance of Snoop Dogg in Madden might not be the easiest thing to conjure up, one thing we can’t take away from the Single Ladies songstress is her sharp business acumen, ability, and willingness to engage with and leverage her Hive. It’s entirely possible for Queen Bey to provide exclusive previews, interviews, and even upcoming song snippets for future albums and collaborations on her Twitch account and exclusively for her Twitch audience.
Fans are, quite reasonably, ecstatic about the possibility of watching Beyoncé live on Twitch. The platform, known for its gaming content, has been expanding its horizons, and having Beyoncé on board would undoubtedly be a game-changer. Imagine the possibilities: behind-the-scenes looks at her creative process, casual chats, or even live performances! Something similar did happen following the now-famous Super Bowl commercial. Right at the end of the commercial, Queen Bey said “OK, they ready. Drop the new music,” as her final weapon against Verizon’s seemingly unassailable 5G network.
And that’s precisely what happened; two new Bey songs have hit the streaming services, ushering in Renaissance Act II, Beyoncé’s upcoming country album scheduled to release on March 29, 2024. The two new country singles, “Texas Hold’ Em” and “16 Carriages,” admittedly didn’t crash Verizon’s network but have pointed at the possibility of Beyoncé’s upcoming album being oriented towards acoustic country music, with the star dipping into her Texan roots — some fans even theorized that her cowgirl-esque outfit at the Grammys is an apparent Renaissance promotion.
As for Beyoncé’s Twitch account, it would appear that it’s the real deal. It’s most certainly a massive boost for Twitch, and while the account may be just a placeholder to prevent name-squatting for the sake of future projects, the possibility of Beyoncé becoming a Twitch streamer didn’t really break the internet, but it most definitely sent ripples across the Twitch-verse and beyond.