Beyonc Explains Why She Can Come Across As 'Closed Off' To Fans

Beyoncé , who turns 40 next month, looked back on her life and career during an interview with Harper’s Bazaar  released Tuesday. 

In the cover story, the singer said she can come across as “closed off” because of a conscious decision she made years ago.

“I’m grateful I have the ability to choose what I want to share,” she told the magazine. “One day I decided I wanted to be like Sade and Prince. I wanted the focus to be on my music, because if my art isn’t strong enough or meaningful enough to keep people interested and inspired, then I’m in the wrong business. My music, my films, my art, my message — that should be enough.”

Beyoncé said she has intentionally set boundaries between her public persona and personal life.

“My family and friends often forget the side of me that is the beast in stilettos until they are watching me perform,” she said.

“Those who don’t know me and have never met me might interpret that as being closed off,” she said, adding that “the reason those folks don’t see certain things about me is because my Virgo ass does not want them to see it. ... It’s not because it doesn’t exist!”

Beyoncé also said she found new ways to practice self-care during the pandemic, including using CBD to help alleviate soreness and insomnia — which has led to her planning to grow her own hemp and make her own honey.

“I’ve even got hives on my roof,” she said.

Read the full Harper’s Bazaar interview here .