Zendaya attends The Gothams 2024 Film Awards at Cipriani Wall Street on Dec. 2, 2024 in New York City. Michael Ostuni/Patrick McMullan via Getty Images
Zendaya learned a lesson the hard way at a Beyoncé concert back when the Euphoria actress was 13.
While speaking to W as part of the publication’s best performances package, which went live Friday (Jan. 3), Zendaya revealed that she didn’t have many celebrity crushes as a tween — but she did “have a Beyoncé poster on my wall, because I went to her concert for my 13th birthday,” she said.
The Challengers star went on to share a humbling memory from the show. “I was devastated that she didn’t sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to me, because I guess it was close to her birthday and she was singing to the audience,” Zendaya continued. “My dad was like, ‘Do you want me to put you on my shoulders?’ I was like, ‘No, that’s so embarrassing.’”
“Then, after, I was like, ‘Damn, I should have let him put me on his shoulders so she would’ve seen me,’” the Golden Globe winner added. “Thirteen-year-old me was very devastated that Beyoncé didn’t sing ‘Happy Birthday’ to her.”
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The “Break My Soul” singer may not have noticed 13-year-old Zendaya that day, but Bey certainly would in the future. In 2016, the Dune actress appeared alongside the 32-time Grammy winner in the latter’s Lemonade album film, and Bey’s mom, Tina Knowles, even said in April that Z reminds the matriarch of her famous eldest daughter.
In addition to the concert, Zendaya also opened up about another experience from her teens that she’s still a little salty about: coming in second place on season 16 of Dancing With the Stars. The then-16-year-old performer — whose dance partner was Val Chmerkovskiy — lost out to Kellie Pickler and Derek Hough in 2013, something which Zendaya said she’s “still harboring a little animosity.”
“I felt that loss,” she told W. “I was only 16 years old, and it was highly stressful. Being on live television every week? It’s so scary. I took it very seriously, which, in retrospect, I wish I didn’t. I wish I’d enjoyed it a little bit more and just was like, ‘Eh, whatever.’ You know what I mean? But I was stressing myself out. I really went through it on that.”
See Zendaya on the cover of W below.
