Beyoncé opens up about ‘fantastic’ daughter Blue Ivy, 12, as pre-teen gets ready for next venture

Beyoncé is getting ready for another milestone moment in the public eye with her firstborn, Blue Ivy Carter, 12, as the release date nears for their first film together, Mufasa: The Lion King.

This will likely see them step out together on the red carpet in just a few months time, before December 20, when the film will be shown in cinemas.

It’s clear the pair are incredibly close and that Beyoncé is in awe of her daughter, who she recently said was “an artist”.

She praised the pre-teen during a rare interview about family life with GQ, telling the publication: “Blue is an artist. She has great taste in music and fashion. She is a fantastic editor, painter, and actress. She has been creating characters since she was three.”

The award-winning singer went on to discuss Blue’s involvement in her Renaissance World Tour in 2023, which saw her come out on stage each night to dance.

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She said: “She’s a natural, but I did not want Blue onstage. Blue wanted it for herself. She took it seriously and she earned it. And most importantly, she had fun! We all watched her grow more and more every night before our eyes.”

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Blue’s grandmother, Tina Knowles, previously opened up about her granddaughter’s creative talents, revealing that she was “self-taught” pianist too.“She’s self-taught and she sounds like a concert pianist. She paints, she draws, she does poetry. She’s just an artistic soul,” she said.

In December, fans will see Blue star alongside her mom in Mufasa: The Lion King, where she will voice the role of Kiara, Nala’s daughter. 

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Beyoncé voiced Nala in the first Lion King adaptation that came out in 2019.Blue’s acting skills have been highly praised by the film’s director Barry Jenkin, who told ET: “There are some things she does in this film that are really emotional. She’s a thespian.”

He also made it clear that Blue was picked for her own talents, and that it had nothing to do with her famous family. “It had nothing to do with mom and dad. She was the right young woman for the job,” he said. 

Blue is the oldest child of Beyoncé and Jay-Z, who are also parents to seven-year-old twins, Rumi and Sir.Despite their level of fame, the couple are notoriously private when it comes to their family life and have worked hard to ensure that their children benefit from normality.

Talking to GQ, Beyoncé explained: “One thing I’ve worked extremely hard on is making sure my kids can have as much normalcy and privacy as possible, ensuring my personal life isn’t turned into a brand. 

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“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.”