Stormzy says Beyoncé inspired him to become “superhuman on stage”
Stormzy has credited Beyoncé with inspiring him to improve his stage presence.
The London rapper was reflecting on his 2019 Glastonbury performance in a new interview with Men’s Health UK.
His headline slot came three months after the release of Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé, the documentary concert film that tracked the journey to the singer’s acclaimed Coachella comeback show in 2018.
Stormzy shared that watching the film inspired him to undergo a physical transformation ahead of his stint at Worthy Farm, saying: ‘There’s a part in Beychella where she talks about her diet, and I was thinking, ‘Yeah, now I want a nutritionist’.
“I want to be someone who is able to deliver a live set for 90 minutes with full energy and not stutter on my vocal, not be out of breath, not need to take a break, just be almost like a superhuman on stage, the same as I’ve seen Beyoncé,” he continued.
The rapper added that he was trying to “get into a shape I’ve never been in in my life,” adding: “I’m not someone who grew up super fit. I’ve always just been kind of bog standard.
“I was taking my body and my nutrition to this entirely new place, while also trying to create this flipping iconic, legendary set. I had headlined Wireless, but this was a whole new beast. This was pulling all the stops out.”
In other Stormzy news, the rapper recently teamed up with Adidas for the next phase of #Merky Football Careers partnership – this time launching a new online platform to help Black youth find careers in football.
First established in 2022, the project was built to address racial equity in the football industry and provide opportunities for UK Black Heritage Youth to access jobs in the sector. Since its launch, the movement has added 63 roles to the UK football industry for young people of UK Black Heritage, with 39 roles retained for extended periods.
Elsewhere, the artist was recently announced as the first headliner for Roskilde Festival 2025, with the Danish non-profit festival returning for its 53rd edition between June 28 and July 5 next year. Before then, the rapper told Vince Staples that he’s working on new music in a recent Q&A.
As for Beyoncé, in November she became the most-nominated musician in Grammy history. She previously tied Jay-Z with 88 nominations apiece, but has since been nominated for a whopping 11 awards at next year’s Grammys, all for ‘Cowboy Carter’. She now holds a record-breaking 99 nominations and in 2023 broke the record for most Grammy wins, taking home a total of 32 trophies.
She’ll also soon headline the NFL’s Christmas-day game Halftime Show, which will be broadcast live on Netflix.
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Laura Molloy
NME
