Beyoncé Jams in Jakarta
Beyoncé Knowles on her world tour and how her music crosses cultures.
JAKARTA, Indonesia, Nov. 5, 2007 — -- Pop star Beyonce cruises by in a black car, led by police escort, through the crowded streets of north Jakarta. She's on her way to unleash "The Beyonce Experience" to a sold-out crowd in a largely conservative country and the world's most populous Muslim nation.
Beyonce arrives at the artist entrance of the Jakarta International Exhibition Center, Thursday, dressed in a sparkling white tank minidress. The multi-Grammy winner, who has sold more than 50 million albums worldwide, whisks through the side door in full preparation mode — wearing headphones, covered with silver gems, isolating her from the whirlwind world of her entourage, crew, security and back-up dancers.
The venue, the Mangga Dua Square complex in the Indonesian capital, is brimming up with more than 5,000 amped-up fans — some wearing head scarves and others wearing miniskirts. The chatter of Bahasa, the local language, flows freely in the air.
Backstage, the green room is white. The space reserved for VIPs is lined with airy white curtains, soft lighting and is filled with cream-colored furnishings, including a white heart-shaped pillow. Chandeliers are installed on the ceiling.
With a little more than an hour before she is to go on stage, Beyonce appears from behind her hair and makeup area and casually takes a seat to talk to ABC News. She looks gorgeous.
"Is that too loud?" said Beyonce, a camera-savvy professional, referring to the volume of the conversation in the next room. It is. One of her people slips outside, a friendly "shhhh" followed by a closing door is heard and Beyonce laughs as she crunches through her cough drop before the interview begins. Her smile captivates the room.
We ask her how she communicates and bonds with audiences — in many cases over a language and cultural gap, not just in Jakarta, but throughout her world tour.
"Well every time I'm new in a country or a city, especially when they don't speak English, I'm always a little nervous because I don't know how they are going to respond. I don't know what to expect," she said. "It's really fascinating how music … goes so beyond the language and it's so universal and even if you don't know exactly what I'm saying. … We are so expressive. I think they can absolutely figure it out."
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