On Tuesday, Beyoncé’s Homecoming—a documentary about her headlining 2018 Coachella performance—earned six Emmy nominations, including outstanding variety special (pre-recorded), outstanding directing (for Beyoncé and co-director Ed Burke), outstanding music direction, outstanding writing for a variety special, outstanding production design, and outstanding costumes. It’s a strong, expected turnout for the engrossing Netflix special, and for Beyoncé herself—who has been nominated for Emmys in the past, but has yet to win one. With the combined power of Homecoming and the upcoming Lion King remake set to hit theaters (and, later, the film-awards race) this week, one thing is certain—Beyoncé just might become a dominant force during this year’s awards season.
Let’s back up and start with Homecoming. This is Beyoncé’s fourth time tangling with the TV Academy, after past Emmy-nominated efforts including her 2013 Super Bowl Halftime Show, her HBO special, On the Run Tour: Beyoncé and Jay-Z, and her visual album, Lemonade, also released on HBO. Surprise-released in April, Homecoming is a behind-the-scenes look at Beyoncé’s creative process leading up to Coachella, splicing never-before-scene concert footage with illuminating rehearsal clips and vulnerable narration. It’s also a Netflix release, which means that—presumably!—the special will be getting a robust push from the aggressive, awards-hungry streamer.
What that means for Beyoncé in terms of campaigning remains to be seen, as the performer is famously opposed to interviews and media appearances unless she is curating them herself. Perhaps she’ll reinvent the awards-season scramble, skipping interview opportunities in favor of tasteful FYC events and strategic releases—like, say, a previously unreleased song from the Homecoming era or a new music video—around the time the Emmys’ voting window starts to close.
At the very least it seems possible that Beyoncé might actually attend this year’s Emmys. Considering the strong nomination haul for Homecoming, there’s potential for the Grammy-winning singer to pick up her first statuette, though the Coachella special faces some tough competition in certain categories (perennial variety-category winners like James Corden and specials like the Oscars are in this year’s mix).
But strategically speaking, an appearance at the Emmys might also serve a dual purpose for the Grammy-winning entertainer. The high-profile September awards show will flow neatly into the fall campaigning circuit for The Lion King, which will certainly be part of this year’s Oscar race. While the film’s chances at categories like best picture or best animated feature remain to be seen (this is a remake of a movie everyone’s already seen, after all), it seems highly likely that Beyoncé’s new song for the film, “Spirit,” will be a best-original-song contender. The Grammy winner has never won an Oscar before, but with her lead role as Nala, her new song, and her accompanying Lion King album—titled The Lion King: The Gift—this is her biggest swing since Dreamgirls for an Academy Award. As with the Emmys, it’s unclear if Beyoncé will actually pop up at all the usual pitstops on the awards circuit, but she will probably figure out her own Bey-esque ways to fend off the competition.
It probably wouldn’t surprise anyone if Oscar producers are already figuring out a way to get Beyoncé to perform at the awards show. If last year’s ceremony—which opened with a performance by Queen and Adam Lambert, and peaked with a swoon-worthy performance from Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper—proved anything, it’s that big musical numbers can be a ratings savior. Landing a performance from the biggest musical star on the planet for the 2020 Oscars, if possible, is a next-step no-brainer.
This is also to say nothing of the Grammys, which take place the month before the Oscars. As Beyoncé is the most-nominated female performer in Grammy history with 23 wins and 66 nominations total, it’s just about guaranteed that her Lion King and Homecoming offerings will yield a few statuettes. They should probably start engraving trophies now, just to be safe.
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