Beyoncé's Choreographer JaQuel Knight Explains How "Beychella" Came to Be
Creating Beyoncé's internet-stopping Coachella performance required the utmost secrecy and lots of coordination, said the singer's longtime collaborator and creative director, JaQuel Knight.
"It's so much work that goes into it, from working with all the different departments, it's lighting, it's wardrobe, it's choreography, it's content, it's secrets, and keeping it on the hush." said Knight in an interview Tuesday on Cheddar. "So much time prepping in our small black hole, it felt like I was giving birth Saturday night to a baby that we had been creating for a long time now."
Knight, 28, has worked closely with Beyoncé for years: He led the team that put together her Coachella performance, which fans have dubbed Beychella, and he was the creative director and choreographer for her iconic 2008 ["Single Ladies"](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4m1EFMoRFvY) video. He also choreographed her two Super Bowl performances.
He started out as a dancer before becoming a choreographer, and said that some of the artists with whom he works are more involved than others in different aspects of the performance.
"You have artists that are more involved and it's like, 'OK what's next?' and 'how can we do this and this a little bit more?'" he said. "And then you have people that are like, 'great, let's do this.'"
Knight was named one of [Forbes' 30 Under 30](https://www.forbes.com/profile/jaquel-knight/?list=30under30-music) and is the first choreographer to be included on the list.
"Forbes was a big thing that I was going after this past year, just because it solidifies me not only as a creative, but as a businessman," said Knight.
He is now hard at work on Beyoncé and Jay-Z's "On The Run II" tour, which is scheduled for the summer.
For full interview, [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/jaquel-knight-shares-behind-the-scenes-secrets-from-beyonces-coachella-performance).
There's a new ETF designed to offer investors exposure to 'meme stocks.' Roundhill Investments launched it earlier this month and says the ETF is the first that is explicitly designed to track the performance of meme stocks. Roundhill Investments Vice President of Research Mario Stefanidis joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
Mobile bill payment application Papaya recently raised $50 million in a series B round led by Bessemer Venture Partners.
Papaya lets users take a photo of any bill, and the app's AI-powered 'bill understanding technology' pays the bill in seconds. The company says its goal is to help people spend more time on things that matter, by making bill-paying as painless and quick as possible. Papaya CEO and co-founder Patrick Kann joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
According to the CDC, Black women are three to four times more likely to die from pregnancy-related causes than white women. The grim statistic is one of the main reasons why two organizations came together to do something. The Bump and the National Medical Association are partnering to launch The Black Maternal Health hub. The online resource will help expecting mothers feel supported, informed, and empowered throughout pregnancy and the early days of parenting. Jennifer Lee at The Bump and Dr. Rachel Villanueva, a clinical assistant professor of OB/GYN and member of the National Medical Association join Cheddar News to talk about the initiative.
If you're looking for a date, 2022 might be your year. Online dating platform Bumble is buzzing with dating predictions from its latest survey. Shan Boodram, sex and relationships expert at Bumble, joined Cheddar to discuss some of the findings and what people can expect from the future dating landscape. Some of the results showed that public displays of affection are back on the rise as more people get vaccinated and that more users are opting for alcohol-free first dates. She also explained the trend of "explori-dating," a way that users are attempting to get out of their comfort zone. "People are willing to date outside of their city to get to that," she said.
Cheddar is looking back at the 12 biggest buzzwords of the year leading up to Christmas. The seventh term in the countdown is Transitory. Definition: (adjective) of brief gratification, not permanent.
On this episode of Cheddar Innovates: Omorpho Co-Founder explains the innovation driving gravity sportswear; Cool Beans CEO breaks down the science behind 'good mood food;' A look at Curiosity Stream's 'Building The James Webb Telescope.'
Stefan Olander, Co-Founder of Omorpho, joins Cheddar Innovates to discuss how they are bringing innovation into athleticwear by creating 'gravity sportswear.'
Tyler Mayoras, CEO of Cool Beans, joins Cheddar Innovates to discuss the science behind being a 'good mood food,' and what makes these burritos good for the environment.
