Matthew Knowles Says Beyonce Might Have Benefited From Having Light Skin
On Wednesday, Matthew Knowles discussed race relations in the music industry during an interview, and he specifically talked about how his daughter, Beyonce may have benefited from having light skin.
“In the music industry, there’s still segregation,” Knowles said. “Programmers, especially at pop radio, [have] this imagery of what beauty looks like. They wanted that imagery to be the same as singing those records.”
During the interview, Knowles was asked if his megastar daughter had benefited from not being a darker complexion and the music executive said that she had, according to Vibe.
“I think it would have affected her success,” Knowles said before mentioning Destiny’s Child member, Kelly Rowland, and explaining how colorism plays a role in an artist’s success.
LAS VEGAS – FEBRUARY 18: Singers Beyonce Knowles (L) and Kelly Rowland talk as they watch the 2007 NBA All-Star Game February 18, 2007 at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images)
“I use Kelly Rowland as an example. She’s a great example,” Knowles explained.
“But you know, the great thing is Kelly did exceptional outside of America, especially in Australia. Kelly sold over four million records.”
Glennisha Morgan is a Detroit-bred multimedia journalist and writer. She writes about intersectionality, hip-hop, pop culture, queer issues, race, feminism, and her truth. Follow her on Twitter.
