Entertainment Movies Documentaries All the Highlights from Beyoncé's 'Homecoming' Netflix Documentary Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé is streaming now on Netflix By Jeff Nelson Jeff Nelson Jeff Nelson is the Senior Music Editor at PEOPLE. He has been with the brand since 2014, editing, writing and reporting across entertainment verticals. People Editorial Guidelines Published on April 17, 2019 09:45AM EDT Photo: Courtesy of Parkwood Entertainment Beyoncé‘s Netflix special dropped overnight — and unsurprisingly, it’s flawless. Early Wednesday morning, the music icon, 37, unleashed Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé. Part concert movie, part behind-the-scenes documentary, Homecoming presents Beyoncé’s historic 2018 Coachella appearances, where she became the first black woman to ever headline the festival. The doc also offers a rare glimpse into Beyoncé’s family life with husband JAY-Z, 49, their daughter Blue Ivy, 7, and their twins Rumi and Sir, who turn 2 in June. Below, all the highlights and revelations in Homecoming. Netflix The Show-Stopping Performances Homecoming is, first and foremost, a concert movie that celebrates Beyoncé’s artistry and musicianship. If you weren’t lucky enough to head to Indio, California, for one of Queen Bey’s two headlining sets, you’re in luck: The Netflix special features footage from both weekends, where she performed all her show-stopping hits (“Crazy in Love”! “Single Ladies”! “Formation”!), in addition to bringing out husband Jay, sister Solange and Destiny’s Child band mates Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams for special appearances. RELATED VIDEO: Beyoncé Celebrates Birthday by Reflecting on Her ‘Monumental’ Year in Heartfelt Letter A lot of hard work and sweat went into the flawless showing. “There was a four-month period of rehearsals with … the band before we started the four months of dance rehearsals,” she says. Beyoncé Drops Surprise Live Coachella Album Alongside Homecoming Documentary Beyoncé and Blue Ivy. Netflix The Kids Make Cameos Since becoming a mother, Beyoncé has kept her family life under wraps, save for some posts on Instagram and her website. However, Blue and the twins appear throughout Homecoming. Beyoncé and her team spent months and months rehearsing for the festival, and she opens up about balancing parenting with performing. “Just internally, my body was not connected — my mind was not there. My mind wanted to be with my children,” she says. “What people don’t see is the sacrifice. I would dance and go off to the trailer and breastfeed the babies, and the days I could, I would bring the children.” Netflix Later, she adds: “Just trying to figure out how to balance being a mother of a 6-year-old and of twins that need me—and giving myself creatively and physically, it was a lot to juggle. It’s not like before when I could rehearse for 15 hours straight. I have children. I have a husband.” The film successfully shows that balance, though. At one point, during rehearsal, a sitter brings the twins in to say hello, and Beyoncé’s face glows with joy as she greets and holds her kids: “Hi, my babies!” JAY-Z and daughter Rumi. Netflix And at the end of the doc, there’s an adorable clip that shows how Blue takes after her mother. After Blue sings for her mom in front of the camera, Beyoncé praises her: “Beautiful job! You sound so pretty!” Blue responds: “I wanna do it again! ‘Cause it feels good!” Beyoncé, without skipping a beat, encourages her: “Oh, you wanna do it again? You’re like Mommy, huh? Okay, go, lift your voice and sing!” On Making History “It’s hard to believe that after all these years I was the first African-American woman to headline Coachella,” she says. “It was important to me that everyone that had never seen themselves represented felt like they were on that stage with us. As a black woman, I used to feel like the world wanted me to stay in my little box, and black women often feel underestimated.” Beyoncé. Courtesy of Parkwood Entertainment She adds: “I wanted us to be proud of not only the show but the process, proud of the struggle, thankful for the beauty that comes with a painful history and rejoice in the pain, rejoice in the imperfections and the wrongs that are so damn right. And I wanted everyone to feel grateful for their curves, their sass, their honesty — thankful for their freedom. It was no rules, and we were able to create a free, safe space where none of us were marginalized.” How She Paid Homage to Black History “When I decided to do Coachella, instead of me pulling out my flower crown, it was more important that I brought our culture to Coachella,” she says. “I went to battle of the bands. Because I grew up seeing those shows and that being the highlight of my year. So I studied my history, I studied my past, and I put every mistake, all of my triumphs, my 22-year career into my two-hour Homecoming performance.” Therefore, Beyoncé’s homecoming-themed Coachella was a celebration of historically black colleges and universities. Beyoncé. Courtesy of Parkwood Entertainment “I always dreamed of going to an HBCU. My college was Destiny’s Child; my college was traveling around the world, and life was my teacher. I wanted a black orchestra. I wanted the steppers. I needed the vocalists. I needed different characters; I didn’t want us all doing the same thing,” she says. Beyoncé adds: “The amount of swag is just limitless. The things that these young people can do with their bodies and the music they can play and the drum rolls and the haircuts and the bodies — it’s just not right; it’s just so much damn swag, it’s gorgeous, and it makes me proud. I wanted every person that has ever been dismissed because of the way they look to feel like they were on that stage killin’ it.” Beyoncé. Courtesy of Parkwood Entertainment She Gets Real About Her Pregnancy Challenges “I was supposed to do Coachella the year prior, but I got pregnant unexpectedly, and it ended up being twins, which was even more of a surprise. My body went through more than I knew it could. I was 218 lbs. the day I gave birth,” Beyoncé reveals of carrying twins Rumi and Sir. “I had an extremely difficult pregnancy. I had high blood pressure. I developed toxemia, preeclampsia, and in the womb, one of my babies’ heartbeats paused a few times, so I had to get an emergency C-section.” Beyoncé Says Her Pregnancy with Twins Sir and Rumi Was ‘Unexpected’ and ‘Extremely Difficult’ Beyoncé. Courtesy of Parkwood Entertainment How She Got Back in Shape to Hit the Stage In Homecoming, Beyoncé reveals she struggled to focus on work after delivering the twins, saying: “I had to rebuild my body from cut muscles. It took me a while to feel confident enough to … give my own personality.” “It’s my first time back home on the stage after giving birth; I’m creating my own homecoming, and it’s hard,” she says. “There were days that I thought I’d never be the same. I’d never be the same physically, my strength and endurance would never be the same.” The film shows clips of the singer having difficulty with the choreography — and even joking that she would like to remove some of the harder moves that make her winded: “It’s fast: That’s why I said to take it out! … I’m like gonna pass out!” Kevin Mazur/Getty She adds: “This is grounding. No matter who you are, you get in here, and this is real. That’s why people don’t like to rehearse. You gotta be humble. You gotta be willing to look awkward. You gotta study; you gotta be a student.” As for the lifestyle adjustments Beyoncé made to hit the stage? “In order for me to meet my goal, I’m limiting myself to no bread, no carbs, no sugar, no dairy, no meat, no fish, no alcohol. And I’m hungry!” she says. She continues: “I have to take care of my body. I definitely pushed myself further than I knew I could. And I learned a very valuable lesson. I will never, never push myself that far again. I feel like I’m just a new woman in a new chapter of my life, and I’m not even trying to be who I was. It’s just so beautiful that children do that to you.” Beyoncé Went on a Vegan, Alcohol and Sugar-Free Diet to Lose the Baby Weight: ‘I’m Hungry!’ JAY-Z and Blue Ivy. Netflix Inside Her Private World with JAY-Z Like any couple, Beyoncé and JAY-Z have had their ups and downs, but they’re stronger than ever now. In the movie, Jay is constantly at rehearsals supporting Bey. The doc shares some tender moments between the longtime couple. At one point, when Beyoncé learns that she fits back into a stage costume just months after giving birth, she FaceTimes Jay to give him the news and show off her hard work, and he shares some encouragement. Later in the doc, Jay looks on as Bey gives her creative team notes from a Coachella rehearsal. The singer is frustrated by the progress as the festival approaches and offers a speech — then ends her remarks by revealing, “It’s my anniversary,” and leaves with her husband!