As Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter tour draws to a close, Blue Ivy emerges as a star

Beyoncé, center left, and her daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, perform during halftime of an NFL football game between the Baltimore Ravens and Houston Texans Wednesday, Dec. 25, 2024, in Houston. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)

“Who they came to see?” Beyoncé asks as she performs her 2023 single “My House” during the Cowboy Carter tour. For many, the answer has been Blue Ivy.

Blue Ivy Carter, the Grammy-winning artist’s 13-year-old daughter, is more present than ever on stage, and fans are impressed by the growth from her first performance years ago to now.

Isabella Kerr, 15, has admired Beyoncé for years, but said she attended the Cowboy Carter tour specifically to experience Blue Ivy’s moves in person.

“People are saying, “Oh, she’s a mini Beyoncé,” but no, I think she’s the first Blue. Everything about her when she’s on stage is electrifying,” said Kerr.

The Cowboy Carter tour concludes Saturday in Las Vegas. The tour’s 30 previous shows have had fans buzzing that Blue Ivy is well on her way to being a next generation powerhouse.

Blue Ivy’s stage presence grows on Cowboy Carter tour

Blue first graced the stage at 11 years old during her mother’s 2023 Renaissance tour, appearing during the legacy-celebrating anthems “My Power” and “Black Parade.” Supporters anticipated her performance at each stop.

She performed again during “Beyoncé Bowl,” the NFL Christmas Day Halftime Show that was just nominated for four Emmy Awards. She danced alongside the icon as she performed songs from the “Cowboy Carter” album for the first time.

“Even the difference between the Renaissance Tour and now, you can tell she’s really grown in her confidence,” said fan and artist Olivia Ellis. “You can tell she has a different vibe about her.”

On the Cowboy Carter tour, she can almost be mistaken for one of Beyoncé’s professional dancers. She is on stage for nearly every song and has a solo recreating her mother’s choreography from her 2006 “Déjà-vu” music video, a nod to the undeniable similarities between the two.

An inherited professionalism

Online videos of Blue display professionalism comparable to her mother’s during the Cowboy Carter tour. During a rainy New Jersey stop, she brought out towels to dry her area of the stage before nailing her “America Has a Problem” choreography.

In another unexpected moment during a Chicago show, her earring got caught on Beyoncé’s hair. Blue remained calm, removed the jewelry and motioned to the singer that it was safe in her hand as they both seamlessly continued.

“It’s the family business,” said Kinitra D. Brooks, an academic and author of “The Lemonade Reader,” a collection that explores the nuances of Beyoncé’s 2016 visual album, “Lemonade.” “She is literally studying under the best person doing it out there today. Why wouldn’t she take advantage of that opportunity?”

Blue Ivy’s fans dub themselves as the ‘Ivy League’

In “Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé,” fans were given a behind-the-scenes look at the decision-making process the first time Blue was allowed to perform. Beyoncé expressed how nervous she was about her child being in front of thousands of people made her, revealing she initially said no.

“I did not think it was an appropriate place for an 11-year-old on a stadium stage,” she said in the documentary. “I made a deal with her, and I said, ‘If you practice and you show your commitment, I’ll let you do one show.’” Blue Ivy fulfilled her end of the deal, and a fan base was formed: the “Ivy League.”

Kerr says Blue’s accomplishments inspire her to work harder to achieve her own dreams. “She worked to be on stage, and look at her now. If I work to what I want to be, I can be killing it like her.”

At last month’s Cowboy Carter Paris stop, members of the Beyhive and Ivy League finally got what they had been asking for — Blue Ivy merchandise. Shirts with the teen’s face and the phrase “Déjà Blue” plastered on the front were available for purchase.

Prior to that, fans were creating their own custom pieces that highlighted Blue and Beyoncé’s connection.

At the MetLife Stadium show, Ellis wore a custom corset top she painted, showcasing Blue Ivy and her 8-year-old sister, Rumi Carter, on stage with Beyoncé during “Protector,” a track from the “Cowboy Carter” album that Rumi is featured on.

“I thought that would just be a really fun moment to highlight on a corset,” she said. “It’s just really cool to see her as a mom because we’ve all grown up with Beyoncé, and now it’s like her show is kind of like a family affair.”

Mother-daughter duos resonate with Beyoncé and Blue Ivy’s bond

Blue Ivy’s confidence and professionalism are not only a testament to her hard work, but Beyoncé’s motherhood.

Mother-daughter duos around the globe filled stadium seats, excited to watch Beyoncé and her daughter display their strong bond for the world to see. In many cases, the mothers have been Beyoncé fans for years and are excited for their daughters to grow up with Blue Ivy, a high-flyer for their generation.

Tanazha Baylis took her now 11-year-old daughter, Aria Brown, to the Renaissance tour, where she did not miss a beat dancing along to Blue Ivy’s “My Power” choreography.

Brown was so determined to attend the Cowboy Carter Tour that she started selling popular toys, such as slime and Squishmallows, and saving her money.

“She literally was like, ‘Mom, I don’t know what you’re going to do, but I have to go to this concert,’” said Baylis. “I just had to make it happen after that.”

Brown became a Beyoncé fan after participating in a dance recital with a theme centered around the superstar’s career throughout the years. Baylis, who says she has always been a big fan, is happy to share these experiences with her daughter.

“It just showed her a cool mom and daughter, and it’s just something that she can do as well. Beyoncé is a little older but, with seeing Blue there, it made it tangible for her.”

Although there is no solid answer for what the future holds for Blue Ivy, it is widely recognized that the possibilities are limitless.

“We couldn’t imagine that Beyoncé would do all of these things that she could do. All we saw were people trying to put limitations on her,” said Brooks. “I think one of the things that Beyoncé wants us to do and what she wants for Blue is for us to not put those limitations on Blue.”

Sarah Jones-smith, The Associated Press