Beyoncé may be notoriously elusive, but she always has an ear to the streets. On Wednesday (May 8), the Grammy winner shared two Instagram posts commemorating her visit to this year’s Coachella festivities, from supporting protégé Chlöe Bailey to joining in on the “II Hands II Heaven” dance challenge.
The first post, which Queen Bey used the official “II Hands II Heaven” sound for, consisted of a single reel that finds the “II Most Wanted” singer wearing a black cowboy hat, sparkly blue daisy dukes, a Willie Nelson T-shirt, platform boots and a fringe jacket doused in the print of the American flag. Both the Cowboy Carter banner and promotional hauler that were present during both weekends of Coachella also appear in the clip.
To top it all off, Beyoncé tried her hand at the viral “II Hands II Heaven” dance challenge, which began when a fan (X user @cuddapotato) posted a clip of Drea Kelly’s burlesque rehearsals with the Cowboy Carter standout in place of the original music (April 1). The video quickly went viral because of how well Kelly’s choreography fit to the “II Hands II Heaven” lyrics, “Pull my fit over these hips/ You grip, I grind/ Then taste this wine, I’ma taste what’s mine/ ‘Cause I’ma take what’s mine.”
The video’s virality kicked off a string of other Drea Kelly-meets-Cowboy Carter clips, including hilarious takes on album cuts such as “Desert Eagle,” “Riiverdance” and “Sweet * Honey * Buckiin’” (with Shaboozey). Queen Bey’s addition to the challenge, which she presumably shot during Coachella, is more stop-motion than a proper video, which only adds to its humor.
In her other post, Beyoncé flaunted her outfit some more and shared sweet pictures with Kelly Rowland and Bailey, who performed an electrifying Coachella set in anticipation for her forthcoming sophomore solo studio album, Trouble In Paradise. On April 20, the “Have Mercy” singer shared her own take on the “II Hands II Heaven” challenge via TikTok, which she shot backstage at Coachella.
Drea Kelly, choreographer, dancer and ex-wife of disgraced R&B singer R. Kelly, has already given the “II Hands II Heaven” challenge her approval.
“I have been doing that choreography almost two years now (and it) has been on my page,” she told Vibe. “But you know, I want this to be a testament to people. Your gifts will make a way for you. And I don’t care what anybody thinks. Don’t think you’re too old. Don’t think your content is too old. Something that you put on your page years ago, somebody can discover and it has a new life.”
Beyoncé dropped her Billboard 200-topping Cowboy Carter album March 29, scoring simultaneous No. 1 debuts on Top Country Albums and Top Americana/Folk Albums in the process. Led by the historic Billboard Hot 100-topping “Texas Hold ‘Em,” the album features appearances by several country music icons and rising stars, from Dolly Parton to Hot Country Songs chart-topper Shaboozey.
Watch Beyoncé take on the “II Hands II Heaven” dance challenge below.
