Twitch streamers, look out: Beyoncé might be coming for you.
Beyoncé, 42, starred in Verizon’s Super Bowl LVIII commercial, in which she attempted to “break the internet” in a series of increasingly bizarre stunts that failed to wreck Verizon’s 5G network. In an extended version of the spot that aired on Sunday, February 11, the “Break My Soul” singer donned cat-ear headphones and a pink hoodie, grabbed a large iced coffee and sat behind a gaming rig, transforming herself into Twitch streamer “IamSlayoncé” — and the Beyhive has already found a Twitch account under that name.
IamSlayonce hasn’t posted any videos yet, but fans are waiting to see if and when Beyoncé will broadcast. The account already has over 56,000 followers and sports a purple checkmark, indicating that Twitch has verified it, but its streaming schedule is blank.
Considering that the Verizon commercial also doubled as Beyoncé’s way to announce new music, fans have dissected the spot for any possible Easter eggs. Some of the names of the users in the Twitch chat are nods to her history — ImS@s@f and Sashaalover referencing her 2008 album, I Am … Sasha Fierce, while L3monadeLover! is a nod to her 2016 release, Lemonade.
At the end of the Super Bowl commercial, Beyoncé said, “OK, they ready. Drop the new music.” That’s exactly what happened: As the Kansas City Chiefs held off the San Francisco 49ers to win their third NFL championship in five years, two new Bey songs hit streaming services, ushering in Renaissance Act II, Beyonce’s upcoming country album.
Fans suspected that Beyoncé would embrace a country sound on the second installment of the three-act Renaissance project after she attended the 2024 Grammy Awards while wearing a western-inspired Louis Vuitton outfit. She’s also dabbled in country before, recording the twangy “Daddy Lessons” for Lemonade and performing that song with The Chicks at the CMA Awards in 2016.
After Beyoncé’s Act II announcement, her mother, Tina Knowles, said she’s been a fan of her daughter’s country music “for years” and is “so happy that you guys get to hear [it].”
Fans will now have to wait to see whether Tina will join her daughter on Twitch — assuming Beyoncé has time for a short Lethal Company session or some ranked Tekken 8 matches.
