The music legend says that although he and Beyoncé are friends, the cover was a surprise to him.
Beyoncé’s Instagram Story was once an empty, arid land, but after the singer dropped her “Before I Let Go” single, a cover Frankie Beverly & Maze’s classic hit, she’s been sharing dozens video clips from fans. Bey recently surprised the world by releasing Homecoming: The Live Album, a record that documents her live 2018 Coachella performance. The album also had a few additions, including Beyoncé’s remix-slash-cover “Before I Let Go” that has created a challenge where dancers follow the singer’s verbal instructions as they come up with their own fancy moves.
“Before I Let Go” is written and performed by Frankie Beverly, and during his current tour with Maze, Billboard caught up with the music legend to get his thoughts regarding the Lemonade singer re-popularizing the single. “She’s a great friend mine, but I didn’t know she was going to do this,” he said. “I was hearing stuff, but I didn’t even want to approach her about it. She kept it quiet until her people called me one day, maybe a week or two ago. When they played it, that’s when I heard the first draft it, and I was blown away.”
“It’s a blessing,” he continued, “It’s amazing how she works, she’s very smart. I’m caught f guard, but in a beautiful way. She’s such a sweet person too. She’s a very sweet, religious kind person. Then the way she just released it, it’s f the chain. She’s done so much, this is one the high points my life.”
Beverly also shared how and when he first met Beyoncé. “We met years ago. I think she was in her teens at the time, if that,” he explained. “I guess she really liked Maze and the song even then, so her mother brought her to our show at the Houston Rodeo. I met her then for the first time but didn’t know much about her. She wasn’t a big hit star then, but we wound up working together a few times since and she’s always been very, very nice to me. This cover was just like she is. She didn’t make a big deal out doing this song, and that’s just the way she works. I love the way she does her thing.”