CELEBRITY INTERVIEW: TYRESE GIBSON & BEYONCE

A TREAT FOR YOU, MY BELOVED READERS. I HAVE A CELEBRTIY DOUBLE FEATURE FOR YOU. THANKS TO UPSCALE MAGAZINE I HAVE INTERVIEWS WITH TWO OF HOLLYWOOD’S SEXIEST, TYRESE GIBSON & MRS. CARTER, OR, AS YOU MAY KNOW HER, BEYONCE. CHEERS, & ENJOY. YOU CAN THANK ME LATER.

Truly Beyoncé

Words by Isoul H. Harris

“I am my biggest critic,” says Beyoncé, while taking a rare break from the rigorous rehearsals in New York for her upcoming world tour. A pop superstar feigning self-critique for greater public endearment isn’t novel, but in her case it’s probably genuine. Why else would someone so successful continue to work and produce at such a dizzying pace? Her infinite drive has been ceaselessly documented and written about: there is no argument that this young, black girl from Houston has worked for her reported $315 million net worth (and—gasp!—that’s without hubby Jay-Z). But what truly keeps her going?

“I stay motivated and I don’t get jaded because I love what I do. If you love what you do, you just want to work harder and do more. I always feel I could have done something better,” says the notorious workaholic. Despite her ridiculously successful career so far—which includes more than 50 million albums sold with Destiny’s Child, three successful solo albums, countless endorsements from Tommy Hilfiger and Armani perfumes to L’Oreal and even DirecTV, a string of high-profile movie roles and sold-out worldwide tours—she still feels the need to upgrade. Diddy won’t stop out of a craving for relevancy; Tina still tours selectively because she’s wanted; but Beyoncé is fueled by the fear of mediocrity.

She has been in rehearsals for the tour since February, and in true Beyoncé fashion, she is determined for perfection. “I always want to challenge myself to do something new and better and I feel this tour will be the best I have ever done,” she interjects.

From the new routines showcasing songs from her third solo outing, I Am…Sasha Fierce (a mixed bag of languid ballads and beat-driven anthems) to the costumes designed by legendary Parisian atelier Thierry Mugler, the former core of Destiny’s Child knows what it takes to thrive as an artist in a time when people are more concerned with their house and car notes than paying to hear musical ones. Her last tour was a critical and commercial triumph: she could have been Diana Ross at Caesar’s Palace circa 1979. “My all-female band and my dancers are amazing. My mother (Tina Knowles) introduced me to Thierry Mugler and we brought him on as creative advisor. Visually and musically, I want this to be an incredible experience,” she says easily. But then, she allows a little vulnerability to seep in. “But,there is always pressure to do better than the last time

TYRESE GIBSON

Made Man

Words By Billy Johnson Jr.

Something happened at Mariah Carey and Nick Cannon’s one-year anniversary party in April at the Palms Casino and Resort in Las Vegas that left Tyrese Darnell Gibson feeling dazed. After the dinner, he went back to his hotel room to change clothes. A friend noticed that his mood seemed down and asked him if something was bothering him. It took him a second to figure it out.

“It finally hit me,” the 30-year-old says via phone two days later, while in Louisville at his first Kentucky Derby. “I miss being married. I missed that feeling of just having someone to call my own. Even though there are lot of random things running around, you still want that solid foundation at home. So I just had a moment when I seen them hitting glasses and toasting…I just had a moment like, ‘Damn.’”

Interestingly, many did not know that Tyrese even had a wife until he filed for a divorce from Norma Mitchell last October after being married for just 10 months. And though he won’t get into the specifics of the split, he does offer this much: “I filed for divorce. I’m not perfect. I’ve made some major mistakes in the past and she has too. Sometimes marriages just don’t work out.”

Still, he maintains that the divorce won’t stop him from being a great father to their daughter, Shayla Somer Gibson. He thinks that too many parents allow their personal conflicts with their exes to get in the way of their relationships with their children.

“There’s gonna be moments where the energy is funky and uncomfortable, but do your part,” Tyrese argues. “There’s a lot of people in your life that you do not necessarily get along with or are not on the same page with, and you’re still in their life. So do what you have to do so that you can do what you want to do, which is spend time with your child.”