Beyoncé performed a stirring rendition of “Take My Hand, Precious Lord” Sunday night the 57th Grammy Awards, where she took home three trophies.
In the aftermath of her performance, Queen Bey has released a documentary-style rehearsal footage revealing her reason for covering the celebrated gospel hymn.
“The first time I heard ‘Precious Lord,’ I was a kid and my mother sang it to me, and my mother played me Mahalia Jackson’s version,” Beyoncé said. “She sang the song with her eyes closed, and she was a vessel … it was like God speaking … using her body to speak and to heal.”
Beyoncé continued to describe her inclusion of an all-male black choir to back her up during her Grammy performance.
“I wanted to find real men that have lived, that have struggled, have cried. I felt like this was an opportunity to show the strength and vulnerability in black men,” Beyoncé said.
She later opened up about the racism her family has endured for generations.
“My grandparents marched with Dr. King and my father was part of the first generation of black men that attended an all-white school. My father has grown up with a lot of trauma from those experiences,” Beyoncé confessed. “I feel like now I can sing for his pain. I can sing for my grandparents’ pain. I can sing for some of the families that lost their sons.”