Advertisement

Is 'Swarm' About Beyhive? The Real Life Beyoncé Rumour That Inspired The Series

Swarm is finally out on Prime and fans are now wondering if the show is based on a true story and if Beyoncé was involved. Is Swarm about Beyhive? Here is the answer for you.
Prime Video’s Swarm begins with an unusual disclaimer (or, anti-disclaimer). “This is not a work of fiction,” reads a card at the start of the series, which dropped on March 17. “Any similarity to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events, is intentional.” Naturally, the text invites viewers to compare the show to real-world pop culture. Some surprising references appear later in the series, but there’s a pretty big one introduced within the first few minutes. Swarm’s protagonist is Dre, a super-fan of Ni’Jah, a pop star with many similarities to Beyoncé.

#1. Is Swarm about Beyoncé? Is it a true story?

Source: Insider

The majority of Swarm is fictional but parts are based on true events that actually happened. Talking to Shondaland about it, Swarm creator Janine Nabers revealed: "The pilot episode is based on a true event that existed on the internet. We started the story from there and kind of built off it with real events that happened in America between about 2016 and 2018."
Explaining the event, Janine said: "In April of 2016, Lemonade was released. On the same night, there was a rumour about a woman named Marissa Jackson who committed suicide after watching this visual album because it basically confirmed that a very powerful man was cheating on one of the most incredibly beautiful and successful pop stars of our time."

Source: Netflix Life

Janine added: "I’m from Houston, Texas, and my very best friend’s last name is Jackson. There was a lot of texting between Houstonians being like, “Yo, who is this Marissa Jackson? Is this a true story?” And that existed on the internet for a while, and people were tweeting really horrible things about this woman who had killed herself and making fun of her."
Janine ended by saying: "It was a little bit of the catalyst to this show, and that’s when I researched all the crazy stories that we’ve heard online or that have existed in the real world revolving around this particular musician and how could we bring those issues to life and make them our own."
In other words, Dre is not an actual person but her character and actions were inspired by real-life stories.

#2. Is Swarm About Beyhive? 

Source: Distractify

The show follows Dre, a young woman who bonds with her sister and roommate, Marissa, over their mutual love of a fictional pop superstar named Ni'Jah as members of the Swarm—a nod to Beyoncé's BeyHive.
Interestingly, the show begins in Houston, Texas, in April 2016 — a pretty significant setting for Beyoncé fans. The “Break My Soul” singer is famously from the Texas city, and she began her Formation World Tour in April 2016. Dre is seen trying to score tickets to Ni’Jah’s Evolution Tour, which shares a similar thematic name.
The opening scenes of Swarm are intercut with clippings of Ni’Jah’s media coverage, furthering the comparison to Beyoncé. One article titled “World Dominion” features a photo of “global music power couple” Ni’Jah and Caché, posing a lot like Beyoncé and Jay-Z in their “Apesh*t” video, down to the coordinating outfits.

Source: Distractify

There are even quicker, blink-and-you-miss-it Easter eggs that you might miss on a first watch. For example, an on-screen Spotify bio page reveals that Ni’Jah was discovered on a talent show called Star Seek and helmed the R&B group XLLENT before going solo. Beyoncé, of course, performed on Star Search with Girls Tyme, which later evolved into Destiny’s Child. Ni’Jah is also listed as the No. 32 artist in the world — and Beyoncé is, too. The artists even joined Twitter at the same time: April 2009.
The episode names are significant nods to Queen Bey, too. “Stung” and “Honey” evoke Beyhive imagery, as does the buzzing of bees that can be heard (and sometimes seen) throughout the show. Of course, the very title of the show, Swarm, is also very Beyhive-coded. Later, some episode names are more overt references to Beyoncé’s discography, like “Girl, Bye”.
These Easter eggs are just the beginning, though, and you’ll likely discover more as you watch Swarm. Janine Nabers, who co-created the series with Donald Glover, told Entertainment Tonight that the show “is 100% taken from real events and real internet rumors and real other things.”
Aubtu.biz is a website that provides you with sport updates and Entertainment news to brighten your day. Don’t hesitate to visit our site to know more about TV & Movies.
Share this article
Advertisement
 
Advertisement