Beyoncé, Turning 40, Gets Sexy, Channels Cowgirls on New Covers of ‘Harper’s Bazaar’

HOUSTON'S FAVORITE SUPERSTAR is lighting up social media this week, as multiple versions of her new September Harper's Bazaar cover zip around cyberspace at record pace.

"After more than two decades in the spotlight, Beyoncé has become much more than a pop icon," gushes the magazine about H-Town's favorite daughter. "She's a cultural force who has routinely defied expectations and transformed the way we understand the power of art to change how we see ourselves and each other."

The songstress may be turning 40 next month, but that certainly didn't stop her from posing provocatively for photographer Campbell Addy, with shots in sexy cleavage-bearing getups. There's also a Houston-nodding Western feeling in some images, with one featuring a cowboy hat and fringe, and another highlighting denim chaps and a large belt buckle.

Many pieces were pulled from her own Ivy Park clothing line, whose new collection is said to to be inspired by "Black cowboys and cowgirls and their influence on the American rodeo," reports Fashionista website.

Among the revelations from Beyoncé in the magazine's lengthy Q&A is that, as a child growing up in Third Ward, she was very shy. "The first decade of my life was dedicated to dreaming," she tells Harper's. "Because I was an introvert, I didn't speak very much as a child. I spent a lot of time in my head building my imagination. I am now grateful for those shy years of silence. Being shy taught me empathy and gave me the ability to connect and relate to people. I'm no longer shy, but I'm not sure I would dream as big as I dream today if it were not for those awkward years in my head."

She also notes some of the challenges, and the motivation, that came from being a childhood performer at a time with the arena was dominated by white kids. "When I was on the stage, I felt safe," the mega-star says. "I was often the only Black girl, and it was then that I started to realize I had to dance and sing twice as hard. I had to have stage presence, wit, and charm if I wanted to win. I started taking voice lessons from an opera singer at nine. By 10 I had already recorded at least 50 or 60 songs in the recording studio."

Beyoncé goes on to note how careful she has been as an adult to keep her feet on the ground, despite her massive celebrity and carefully curated sex appeal. "I've been intentional about setting boundaries between my stage persona and my personal life," she says. "My family and friends often forget the side of me that is the beast in stilettos until they are watching me perform."

The star's fans on social media seem to approve the shoot. "She is the moment," says @jmnteiro on Instagram.

"Queen," simply notes _gabriellsousa_.

The September edition is Harper's Bazaar's Icon Issue. The story also notes that Beyoncé and husband Jay-Z have recently been named brand ambassadors for Tiffany.