More than 100,000 Beyoncé fans are set for a fun weekend when the singer performs Aug. 11, 12 and 14 at Atlanta's Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

Many concertgoers paid hundreds of dollars for a glimpse at the superstar or to just be in the building.

But Christopher "Tricky" Stewart is one of the only folks in town who might be able to see Beyoncé Knowles-Carter's show from any vantage point inside the venue he chose. That's because the Atlanta-based artist (originally from Markham, Ill.) is not only one of the producers on the global superstar's Grammy-nominated Album of the Year, Renaissance, and Grammy-winning single "Break My Soul," but also is a longtime Beyoncé associate.

Stewart and Beyoncé go back to 2008 when he and fellow songwriters The-Dream, Thaddis "Kuk"  Harrell and Beyoncé unleashed the hit with the inescapable hand-gesture, "Single Ladies (Put A Ring On It)."

Anyone who knows anything about the most awarded artist in Grammy history — yes, that's Queen Bey — knows she is careful and strategic about what she shares with the public. Which is why Stewart even surprised himself after he offered GPB this bit of insider Beyoncé info about the writing of her 2022 smash, "Break My Soul": The as of-the-moment track actually originated pre-pandemic.

"Did I really say that?" Stewart said, laughing. "Did I really tell you that?"

Christopher "Tricky" Stewart

Christopher "Tricky" Stewart

Credit: Courtesy of Christopher "Tricky" Stewart

Stewart paused, then continued.

"Yeah, it started before the pandemic, and we finished during that period."

The song captured the vibe of the COVID-19 lockdowns.

"I know, that's one of the things that's amazing about how it hit," Stewart said. "She's singing 'I just quit my job' as people are talking about The Great Resignation. People were, like, at their wit's end after having to be inside, forced to reckon with a pandemic.

"And here she comes with the remedy. The anthem: 'You won't 'Break My Soul.'"

"Renaissance is my favorite [Beyoncé] album, personally; and not because I got to work on it," Stewart continued. "She's made a lot of really good music up until this. But from start to finish, she delivers on every track. Real soul music. She's at her highest level musically, in her performance, her writing — which I still don't think she gets enough credit for, as big as she is."

"I'm just so proud we got another hit together," he said.

How Beyoncé thanked Stewart and The Dream for their first No. 1 collaboration, "Single Ladies"

[Laughs] "I mean, I don't really talk about Beyoncé," Stewart said. "Not really. I don't really talk, period. But let's just say me and Dream, well, there was a series of celebrations ... a celebration every day of every week that it was No. 1 on the [Billboard Hot 100] charts. And it went for like 10 weeks. The partying was extensive ... After a while we thought we were gonna die," he laughed.

"[Our songwriting team] has done that for every No. 1 [song]," Stewart said. "We've had four No. 1s (including "Break My Soul," Rihanna's "Umbrella" and Mariah Carey's "Touch My Body") and three No. 2s — but they pay like No. 1s! You just don't get that stat."

 

Why Stewart won't be at The Benz this weekend

"I'm just going to be out of town," he said, adding that, unfortunately, his schedule has not aligned with the Renaissance tour dates since its launch in Stockholm, Sweden on May 10.

No worries, the producer said. Not only has Tricky Stewart seen Beyoncé up-close many times, but also he has been instrumental in bringing out some of her most popular performances on record.

Now the fans get to hear those performances live in Atlanta.



For more information about this weekend's concerts at Mercedes-Benz stadium, click here.

Tags: Music  concert  Beyonce  Mercedes Benz Stadium  renaissance  Georgia  Atlanta