Dionne Warwick Says Beyonce Is Not An Icon…Yet: “It’s A Long Road [Ahead]”

Dionne Warwick says #Beyoncé has yet to gain icon status.

#Beyhive keep your cool, but actress and singer #DionneWarwick says Queen Bey is remarkable but not an icon. Warwick sat down for an interview with Essence to discuss her upcoming album “She’s Back.” When asked if the music today has classics, Warwick sternly and with a laugh replied, “Not yet.”

“I don’t know if 10 years from now, anybody can actually sing the songs of our babies today. That’s not, as you guys say, ‘throwing shade,’ it’s looking at it with reality.” Warwick confirmed she is a fan of the Houston-native but says Yoncé isn’t quite an icon yet. “Watching her grow has been quite refreshing. It’s wonderful to see how she’s been able to create what and who she wanted to be and who she is…very proud of that, I really am,” she said. “Now, sustaining and becoming a big icon that Gladys Knight, or Patti LaBelle, or Johnny Mathis, or Frank Sinatra, or Sammy Davis Jr. is? I doubt that.”

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She continued, “And I love her to death and can appreciate her talent. But that iconic status? It’s a long road [ahead].” When it comes to making history and breaking records, Beyoncé has surely achieved both. Mrs. Carter has won the most BET Awards, MTV Video Music Awards and Soul Train Awards. She has a total of 23 awards and 66 nominations from the Grammy Awards as both a solo artist and member of Destiny’s Child, as well as being the most nominated woman and the second-most-awarded woman in Grammy history. Additionally, she’s been nominated for several Emmy and Golden Globes.

When it comes to making history, Beyoncé has blazed trails. Beyoncé’s iconic performance at Coachella in 2018 made her the first Black woman ever to perform. According to iHeart Radio, she’s the first artist to have her first 6 albums debut at No. 1. She was also the first Black female recording artist to cover Vogue’s September issue – hiring the first Black photographer to shoot her cover. Bey was previously the highest-paid black artist, and was first Black entertainer to cover Sports Illustrated and the second Black woman to grace the cover behind #TyraBanks. Not to mention, her social media posts are expensive. She was the first person ever to receive over $1 million per social media post. The 37-year-old has sold over 118 million solo albums, and 60 million with Destiny’s Child, making her one of the highest-selling artists of all time.

What do you think about Warwick’s comments?