Nepo babies or superstars in waiting?

While most 13-year-olds were spending their Monday evening stressing over homework, awkward school crushes and what to post on TikTok, Blue Ivy Carter was performing in front of a crowd of 70,000 people alongside her mother Beyoncé on the opening night of her Cowboy Carter tour.

Her numerous cameos throughout the show – particularly her solo dance during Déjà Vu – were highly praised.

“She must be one of the most self-disciplined 13-year-olds in America,” Variety’s Chris Willman wrote. On social media, fans said the child prodigy was the “greatest nepo baby of all time” as they marvelled at her flawless dance routines.

Being a nepo baby – shorthand for the children of celebrities who often find themselves fast-tracked into industries such as film, fashion, and music – may have been scorned at in the past, but Blue Ivy’s performance may have complicated the narrative.

The teen had access to a stage that most could only dream of, but she also delivered a performance that fans and critics agreed was very impressive, which raises the question: Is this just another example of a celebrity child given an unearned spotlight, or could Blue Ivy be a genuine star in her own right?

This is also not the first time Blue Ivy has performed in public – she joined her mother on stage two years ago on the Renaissance tour and last year voiced the character of Kiara in The Lion King prequel Mufasa: The Lion King.

But music journalist Caroline Sullivan says Blue Ivy’s trajectory to stardom “has very little to do with her and everything to do with the parent”.

“It’s about how much we like or dislike the parent – Beyoncé is well liked so fans will praise Blue Ivy,” she explains. “Of course, it helps that she’s good at what she does but even if she wasn’t, she’d be given an easier ride.”

Sullivan also says that the authenticity of Blue Ivy wanting to perform instead of being forced to do it by her mother adds to how we perceive her.

Speaking to the BBC last month, Beyoncé’s mother, Tina Knowles, said Blue Ivy and her siblings were being nurtured to do “anything that they want for themselves… but definitely not pushed into show business”.

She added that her granddaughter had had to “work for” her role in The Lion King prequel and she “worries about the fame” impacting her grandchildren.

Blue Ivy is hardly the first child to have performed on stage with a famous parent. Madonna’s 17-year-old daughter played the piano on her mother’s Celebration tour in 2023, Dave Grohl’s 19-year-old daughter has often sung with him on stage and Phil Collins’ son was the drummer on his 2019 tour.

“It’s not because he’s the boss’s son that he’s playing the drums, it’s because he’s good enough,” the former Genesis drummer said in 2019 as he defended his decision to take his 17-year-old son on his world tour.

Sullivan says it can often be “naff and cringy” if a musician brings their child on stage “just for the sake of it”, but if done right, it can be “incredibly sweet and show a lot of love”.

Many critics, including Tomas Mier from the Rolling Stones, said Beyoncé’s youngest daughter Rumi joining her on stage for Protector was “one of the most heartwarming moments of the evening”.

Kim Kardashian and Kanye West’s 11-year-old daughter, North West, has also forged the beginnings of a music career, recently delivering a rap verse in Japanese on FKA Twigs’ single Childlike Things.

Twigs said she chose to collaborate with North West because her “energy is so inspiring” and she was “so confident”.

“I wasn’t that confident when I was a kid. I was so shy, I was scared of the dark, I was very different to the other kids at my school. It suddenly occurred to me that I would have loved to have a friend like North, who could speak up for themselves.”

North West also appeared as Young Simba in the Hollywood Bowl’s The Lion King 30th anniversary concert last year but her singing was criticised on social media.

“Given how controversial her parents are, I think North West will struggle to break away from the nepo baby claims because unless she is unbelievably talented, she will be slated,” Sullivan says.

In December 2022, New York magazine’s cover story on nepo babies caused a stir in the showbusiness industry.

The cover featured the faces of famous actors including Dakota Johnson, Jack Quaid, Zoë Kravitz and Lily Rose-Depp edited onto the bodies of babies, with the headline: “She has her mother’s eyes. And agent.”

The story claimed that “a nepo baby is physical proof that meritocracy is a lie” and that “today, they’re not only abundant – they’re thriving”.

It was met with backlash by many stars who claimed the label was unfair and diminished their hard work.

Gwyneth Paltrow, a nepo baby herself as the daughter of actress Blythe Danner and film director Bruce Paltrow, said the term was an “ugly moniker” and that children of famous people should not be judged negatively because “there’s nothing wrong with doing or wanting to do what your parents do”.

Similarly, Zoe Kravitz told GQ that it was “completely normal for people to be in the family business”, while Stranger Things actress Maya Hawke said a famous family name “definitely gives you massive advantages in this life but the chances will not be infinite; so you have to keep working and do a good job. If you do a bad job, the chances will stop”.

Almost Famous star Kate Hudson, daughter of actors Goldie Hawn and Bill Hudson, said in a 2022 interview with the Independent that “people call it whatever they want”, but the idea that children will follow in the footsteps of their parents is “not going to change”.

Hudson was right that, in the three years since New York magazine’s cover story caused so much controversy, nepo babies haven’t slunk off into the background. In fact, they continue to thrive, particularly those with real talent.

Pam Lyddon, a PR executive in the entertainment industry says that there’s “no denying that being well-connected can absolutely help you succeed in the industry” but “while connections might get you noticed, you do still need genuine talent, hard work, and resilience to stay in the game – results speak for themselves and reputations are everything.”

She explains that for the new wave of nepo babies, talent is even more important as the “scrutiny is more intense and people are more media savvy” so you can’t get away with mediocrity.

As fans and critics continue to praise Blue Ivy, it seems that the credibility of nepo babies hasn’t been damaged by the nepo baby backlash, and if you have the star factor, your parents being Beyonce and Jay-Z is only going to help you fly.