From the creators of 'Making Obama,' WBEZ Chicago presents 'Making Beyoncé'

CHICAGO, Nov. 15, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Before there was a Beyhive, before she put a ring on it, before she was a wife and mother, and before she was Queen Bey, there was Beyoncé Knowles. From her roots in Houston, Beyoncé got her first taste on stage in singing and dancing competitions and rose to lead one of the best-selling girl groups of all time, Destiny's Child.

Starting today, Nov. 15, a leading podcast producer WBEZ Chicago explores these emergent years in Making Beyoncé. This three-part bio-podcast series takes an inside, detailed look at Beyoncé's early career to tell the story of how the biggest name in modern music became the biggest name in modern music.

WBEZ Chicago was granted access to the Knowles' family archives of home video recordings that document Beyoncé's formative years.  The podcast includes interviews with Mathew Knowles, Beyoncé's father and a record executive best known as manager of Destiny's Child, as well as key producers, dance instructors, and engineers who were there at the very beginning. The podcast also explores the conflicts and disappointments Beyoncé encountered on her journey to stardom.

Making Beyoncé is hosted by Jill Hopkins, singer, storyteller, self-proclaimed Beyoncé super fan, and host of The Morning AMp on Chicago's urban music alternative station, Vocalo.

"I've been a fan of Beyoncé's as long as Destiny's Child has been on our radios. To be able to take people back to the time when she was a young girl, back to the 80s and 90s, is such a pleasure," said Hopkins. "We get to know her journey, and see that it wasn't all pre-determined. Beyoncé has been about talent, hard work, and dedication since most of us were just into Legos." 

Making Beyoncé is the next documentary-style bio podcast from WBEZ Chicago's acclaimed Making series. Previous series included Making Obama and Making Oprah.

"Our Making series explore the relationships, the experiences and the pivotal years that shaped these cultural icons before they were the larger-than-life household names they are today," said Kevin Dawson, managing director of content development for WBEZ Chicago and executive producer of the podcast.

"Season one of Making told the story of how Oprah built a media empire. Our last season looked at President Obama's path to becoming the first African-American president. Making Beyoncé explores Beyoncé's first years on stage and how she emerged as one of the world's most significant entertainers," he added.

New episodes of Making Beyoncé will be released Fridays from Nov. 15 to Nov. 29, on WBEZ's website and app, Pocket Casts, Apple Podcasts, or wherever listeners get their podcasts. In addition to Hopkins and Dawson, the production team behind Making Beyoncé includes executive producer Brendan Banaszak and producer Joe DeCeault.

About WBEZ Chicago

WBEZ, Chicago's NPR news station, serves the community with fact-based, objective news and information. WBEZ's award-winning journalists ask tough questions, dig deep for answers and expose truths that spark change and foster understanding. In addition to its local and national news programming, WBEZ Chicago is home to a growing portfolio of popular podcasts, including the "Making" series of Making Obama and Making Oprah; a new investigative series, Motive; 16 Shots: A podcast about the fatal police shooting of Laquan McDonald; Nerdette; and Sound Opinions. WBEZ Chicago has a legacy of innovation as the birthplace of nationally acclaimed programs such as This American Life, and Wait Wait…Don't Tell Me! and the ground-breaking podcast, Serial. Download the WBEZ app, available in the App Store and Google Play. Learn more about WBEZ Chicago and its award-winning programming and on-demand digital content at wbez.org or on Facebook or Twitter.

SOURCE WBEZ Chicago

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