"I get nervous when I don't get nervous. If I'm nervous I know I'm going to have a good show"
About this Quote
The subtext is control. She isn’t confessing fear so much as describing how she metabolizes it: anxiety becomes a ritual indicator that the machinery is working. The line suggests a performer who’s learned to treat adrenaline as fuel rather than a threat, reframing vulnerability as professionalism. It also subtly rebukes the myth of effortless greatness. If the most polished pop star on earth still shakes before a show, then the “born confident” narrative collapses into what it actually is: rehearsal, pressure, and responsibility, repeating nightly.
Context matters because Beyonce’s brand is precision - choreography that hits like a metronome, vocals delivered while sprinting, a visual world as engineered as a film set. When that’s the expectation, “not nervous” would be strange. It would imply the work has become routine, the performance reduced to product. Her line reassures fans that the performance is still live in the deepest sense: something that can go wrong, something worth sweating for.
It’s also a quiet flex. Only someone who reliably delivers can afford to claim nerves as a sign of an impending “good show.” The fear isn’t of failure; it’s the price of excellence.
Quote Details
| Topic | Music |
|---|---|
| Source | Help us find the source |
| Cite |
Citation Formats
APA Style (7th ed.)
Knowles, Beyonce. (2026, January 14). I get nervous when I don't get nervous. If I'm nervous I know I'm going to have a good show. FixQuotes. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-get-nervous-when-i-dont-get-nervous-if-im-136203/
Chicago Style
Knowles, Beyonce. "I get nervous when I don't get nervous. If I'm nervous I know I'm going to have a good show." FixQuotes. January 14, 2026. https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-get-nervous-when-i-dont-get-nervous-if-im-136203/.
MLA Style (9th ed.)
"I get nervous when I don't get nervous. If I'm nervous I know I'm going to have a good show." FixQuotes, 14 Jan. 2026, https://fixquotes.com/quotes/i-get-nervous-when-i-dont-get-nervous-if-im-136203/. Accessed 12 Feb. 2026.








