Beyoncé will take the stage alongside Kamala Harris at a Houston rally on Friday night, Vanity Fair has learned. The powerhouse musician is a Houston native, and has supported Democratic candidates in the past, signaling, but not outright showing before now, that she would lend her voice for Harris. The appearance follows rampant rumors that Bey would be a surprise performer at the Democratic National Convention back in August.
Asked by Vanity Fair whether the Grammy Award winner, whose track “Freedom” has become something of a personal theme song for the candidate, would be at the Friday rally, a Harris campaign spokesperson would only say, “We can’t confirm.” They did not, however, issue a denial.
A different source outside the campaign familiar with plans for Friday’s rally told VF that Beyoncé will appear at the event. She is expected to perform “Freedom.”
Over the summer, rumors around that DNC performance that never was broke out of political gossip circles and into the mainstream, catching the attention of fans who typically wouldn’t turn to CNN for must-see TV content. An anonymous X (formerly Twitter) account purportedly run by a former White House staffer teased that they’d “been sworn to secrecy,” but that a surprise guest planned for the DNC’s final night would blow even Oprah’s unannounced appearance out of the water. “Just wait,” they wrote. The DNC was already a ratings coup, with roughly 14% higher viewership than its Republican counterpart earlier in the summer, but curious viewers tuned in to see if Bey would show.
As history (and oodles of disappointed fans) can attest, she did not.
Beyoncé and her husband, fellow Grammy Award winner Jay-Z, have supported Democratic candidates in past elections, including endorsements for Hillary Clinton in 2016 and for Joe Biden and Harris in 2020, both campaigns running against Donald Trump’s Republican ticket. The singer reportedly gave her personal blessing for the Harris campaign to use “Freedom” on the trail just days after she stepped into Biden’s shoes and launched her light-speed presidential campaign, and reportedly threatened the Trump campaign with a cease-and-desist order after it posted a video using the same song.
Texas isn’t even close to a swing state, politically speaking, but Democrats hope to shore up their voter support in Houston and its surrounding metropolitan areas to make headway in the traditionally red state. Harris is expected to focus on Texas’s near-total abortion ban, a result of a Trump-appointed Supreme Court overturning Roe v. Wade, rallying voters on reproductive freedom, a signature campaign issue for her. Beyoncé is not only a global musical superstar but a native daughter of Houston, with an enthusiastic fanbase (to say the least) that’s sure to attract attention.
Fellow musician Willie Nelson, as well as Beyoncé’s mom, Tina Knowles, who has already voiced her support of Harris, are also expected to be at Friday’s rally, as is Democratic Rep. Colin Allred, who is running against Republican incumbent Sen. Ted Cruz for one of the state’s Senate seats. Harris will travel from Atlanta, where she is campaigning Thursday, to Houston Thursday evening, according to communications from the White House.
A representative for Beyoncé did not respond to Vanity Fair’s request for comment.
