“Remember Your 3 Words”: How Tina Knowles’ Note Saved Beyoncé’s 2013 Super Bowl Halftime Show

The 2013 Super Bowl XLVII Halftime Show remains one of the most celebrated live performances in modern pop history — a breathtaking mix of pyrotechnics, choreography, and powerhouse vocals that cemented Beyoncé as one of the greatest performers of her generation. Yet, behind the flawless execution and global acclaim, few knew the truth: just hours before stepping onstage, Beyoncé nearly canceled the show.

The reason wasn’t technical issues or logistics. It was stage fright — a resurgence of the same performance anxiety that had shadowed her since her early days with Destiny’s Child. And the only thing that stopped her from walking away was a handwritten note from her mother, Tina Knowles-Lawson, containing three simple, life-altering words.

The Pressure Before the Performance

By early 2013, Beyoncé was under immense scrutiny. It was her first major live appearance since giving birth to her daughter, Blue Ivy, and it followed a media storm surrounding her lip-synced rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner” at President Barack Obama’s inauguration just weeks earlier.

The stakes couldn’t have been higher. More than 110 million viewers were expected to tune in. The performance was being billed as both a comeback and a public test — proof that she was still, without question, Queen Bey.

But the pressure brought back an old companion: fear. In interviews years later, Beyoncé admitted that despite her commanding stage persona, she has long struggled with anxiety before major performances. As the Super Bowl show neared, those fears intensified to the point where she reportedly considered canceling altogether.

The Three Words That Changed Everything

It was at this critical moment that her mother, Tina Knowles-Lawson, intervened. A lifelong mentor and steadying presence, Knowles didn’t offer a long pep talk or last-minute coaching. Instead, she slipped her daughter a folded note containing just three words:

“Remember your 3 words.”

Those “three words” referred to a private mantra Beyoncé had used for years — “Control. Focus. Relax.”

Developed early in her career as a grounding exercise, the mantra was meant to remind her to take charge of her nerves, center her attention, and calm her body before every major show. Reading the note in her dressing room, Beyoncé later said, was the moment that changed everything.

“It brought me back,” she recalled in a later documentary. “It made me remember who I was, what I’d worked for, and why I loved performing.”

The Triumph That Followed

Minutes later, Beyoncé took the stage at New Orleans’ Mercedes-Benz Superdome and delivered a career-defining performance. From “Crazy in Love” and “Baby Boy” to the surprise Destiny’s Child reunion, the 14-minute set became an instant classic. Critics hailed it as one of the most electrifying halftime shows ever produced — confident, athletic, and deeply symbolic of her artistic evolution.

That night, Control. Focus. Relax. wasn’t just a mantra — it was a turning point.

A Legacy of Strength and Support

Tina Knowles’ note has since become part of Beyoncé’s legend, representing the strength of maternal guidance and emotional resilience behind the superstar’s polished public image.

Knowles, who helped shape Beyoncé’s early career by designing her costumes and managing her early performances, remains her daughter’s quiet anchor — a reminder that even the most powerful performers rely on moments of stillness and support.

Beyoncé’s 2013 halftime performance may have dazzled millions, but its real story lies in the quiet moment before the lights came on — a mother’s faith, three simple words, and a daughter’s courage to face the fear and take the stage anyway.