Beyoncé has been declared the honorary mayor of Santa Clara, California ahead of her headline show in the city.
The “Cuff It” singer is set to perform at the city’s Levi’s Stadium as part of her Renaissance World Tour on Wednesday (30 August).
Ahead of her sold-out show, Beyoncé, 41, was announced as the temporary mayor of Santa Clara to mark the occasion on Tuesday (29 August).
The former Destiny’s Child star did not attend the ceremony. Instead, her publicist Dr Yvette Noel-Schure accepted the honour on her behalf, as well as a silver key to the city.
“Immense gratitude on behalf of Ms Carter to all who made the decision to honour her here in Santa Clara and in the state of California,” Noel-Schure told the crowd.
“I have worked with Beyoncé now for close to 27 years, and it gives me great joy to see her still being recognised for her contribution to the arts and to society at large.”
Dr Noel-Shure continued: “She has spent a great amount of time honing her craft, not just to create memorable anthems – ‘Run the world? (Girls)’ – but also mantras to boost confidence to get the strength to get up in the morning.
“To enter a room proud of who you are, whose you are, where you come from and who you love.”
Prior to this, Santa Clara had bestowed the same honour on Taylor Swift during her two-night stint there as part of her Eras tour.
Beyoncé has previously performed at the city’s Levi’s Stadium four times, most recently in 2018 as part of the On the Run II tour with her husband, Jay Z.
In a statement, Santa Clara’s full-time mayor Lisa M Gillmor shared her excitement on behalf of the city in welcoming Beyoncé and her fans to town.
Beyoncé— (Getty Images)
“As one of the most decorated artists in history, we are thrilled to have Beyoncé back here in Santa Clara as she contributes to the economic vitality of our city,” Gillmor stated.
“Beyoncé demonstrates an incredible dedication to economic equity and championing marginalised communities through her service to communities globally. In recognition of her artistry and humanitarianism, we are proud to present Beyoncé a key to our city along with the title of honorary mayor.”
In May, The Independent gave the Cardiff leg of Beyoncé’s Renaissance tour four stars – you can read the review in full here.
