Whenever Beyonce does anything, it’s big news, but every so often a story comes along that showcases just how much cultural impact the superstar singer really has. Case in point: Multiple outlets have reported on speculation that the Lemonade singer and one-half of the best-selling duo The Carters will be given creative control over the cover of the upcoming September issue of Vogue magazine.
While the initial report was broken by Page Six, which revealed that the singer would be the subject of the upcoming cover after previously gracing it in 2015. The Huffington Post followed up with its own reporting, confirming that per sources who could not be revealed due to agreements between the star and the famed publication, Beyonce would not only appear on the cover but also chose her own photographer, 23-year-old Tyler Mitchell.
Mitchell would be the first Black photographer to shoot a cover for Vogue in the publication’s 126-year history. According to HuffPost’s sources, “The reason a 23-year-old black photographer is photographing Beyoncé for the cover of Vogue is because Beyonce used her power and influence to get him that assignment.” The sources say that the magazine’s longtime editor-in-chief, Anna Wintour, would normally never concede such an important position to a relative newcomer, but is “contractually obligated” to allow Beyonce her pick of the photos and their captions. In her 2015 appearance, she notably declined to be interviewed, making her one of the first subjects to do so for years.
