As Beyoncé's Cowboy Carter tour draws to a close, Blue Ivy emerges as a
star
[July 26, 2025]
By SARAH JONES-SMITH
“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
previously stops have 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.”
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 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.”
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