The singer is one of 40 people – including LeBron James and Cate Blanchett — who will be added to the new edition of the Larousse dictionary

Beyoncé. PHOTO: MASON POOLE/PARKWOOD MEDIA/GETTY

Beyoncé’s name is about to go down in French history.

According to reports from U.K. newspaper The Times and French outlet France 24, the renowned singer, aged 42, has been included in the Larousse dictionary, alongside 39 others. Notably, her name emphasizes her Louisiana Creole background. Identified as a proper noun in the dictionary, Beyoncé’s entry succinctly describes her as an “American singer of R&B and pop.” This recognition in the 2024 update of the encyclopedic dictionary Petit Larousse Illustré, first published in 1905, places her among several notable French and foreign figures.

Beyoncé performs at the MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.KEVIN MAZUR/WIREIMAGE

The selection process involves a jury that annually compiles a list of 150 words and individuals recognized among French-speaking communities. This year, over 150 new words have been added to the Larousse dictionary, reflecting current concerns, developments, and significant movements, according to Sky News. Carine Girac-Marinier, the head of dictionaries and encyclopedias at Larousse, highlighted that many of these new additions mirror the year’s prominent themes. She emphasized the importance of aligning the chosen individuals with the values upheld by the Petit Larousse, notably excellence and the promotion of French culture, as reported by The Times.

Beyoncé at the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards.MICHAEL BUCKNER/BILLBOARD VIA GETTY

Meanwhile, other names who are included in the new update include actress Cate Blanchett, NBA player LeBron James and Oppenheimer director Christopher Nolan.

Beyoncé’s name was originally spelled “Beyincé” as it was the surname of her maternal grandparents. However, her mother Tina Knowles’ maiden name was spelt as “Beyoncé” after the hospital misspelled it on her birth certificate and refused to change it.

“I think me and my brother Skip were the only two that had B-E-Y-O-N-C-E,” Knowles said in an episode of In My Head with Heather Thomson in 2020.

“It’s interesting — and it shows you the times — because we asked my mother when I was grown. I was like, ‘Why is my brother’s name spelled B-E-Y-I-N-C-E? You know, it’s all these different spellings,’ ” she added. “And my mom’s reply to me was like, ‘That’s what they put on your birth certificate.’ “

“So I said, ‘Well, why didn’t you argue and make them correct it?’ ” Knowles continued. “And she said, ‘I did one time. The first time, and I was told be happy that you’re getting a birth certificate because, at one time, Black people didn’t get birth certificates.”

Mufasa: The Lion King Director Explains Why Casting Beyoncé and Blue Ivy Carter ‘Absolutely Worked’

Beyoncé and Blue Ivy Carter play mother-and-daughter lions in Barry Jenkins’ ‘Mufasa: The Lion King,’ in theaters Dec. 20

(Left-right:) Beyoncé and Blue Ivy Carter on Feb. 4; “Mufasa: The Lion King”. PHOTO: FRANCIS SPECKER/CBS VIA GETTY; COURTESY OF DISNEY

For director Barry Jenkins, Mufasa: The Lion King will be remembered as a “time capsule” for two of its biggest stars.

In selecting Blue Ivy Carter to star alongside her mother Beyoncé in the upcoming prequel, set to hit theaters on December 20th, the director explains his decision as rooted in the beauty of having a mother and daughter collaborate on-screen. He expresses to PEOPLE, “I thought there was something really lovely about having this mother and daughter get to play together, to work together.” Beyoncé, aged 42, will reprise her role as Queen Nala from the 2019 Lion King remake, while her 12-year-old daughter Blue Ivy will voice the character’s daughter Kiara. Jenkins, the Oscar-winning director of Moonlight, anticipates the impact of their collaboration, describing their scenes together as potentially “really impactful.”

Notably, the director reveals that Beyoncé and Blue Ivy embarked on their voiceover journey earlier in the production process, which spanned several years. Jenkins points out that their involvement predates the release of Beyoncé’s Renaissance album, indicating that the film’s development began around 2020 or 2021, coinciding with Beyoncé’s Renaissance tour.

Blue Ivy Carter (left) and Beyoncé Knowles-Carter in Atlanta on Aug. 11, 2023.KEVIN MAZUR/WIREIMAGE

“I feel like Blue grew quite a bit over the course of that tour,” he says of the actress-singer, who frequently appeared onstage around the world with her mother. “The movie is kind of like this snapshot, this time capsule of a moment in their lives that I think is really beautiful. And it absolutely worked for the film.”

The return of Beyoncé to the Lion King cinematic universe — alongside other voiceover stars from the 2019 movie including Donald Glover, Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen — “was very important” to Jenkins, screenwriter Jeff Nathanson and the filmmaker team. “She is Nala, and she was down to work,” says the director, calling her “the queen.”

The singer-songwriter’s 2020 visual album Black Is King, which was inspired by and coincided with the previous Lion King movie, is “evidence,” Jenkins adds, of Beyoncé’s connection to “this mythic thing, this fictional thing that in some way does reflect something of culture on the continent [of Africa].”

“She is a performer and an actor who had been a part of this world,” he continues. “And the biggest thing was framing her in a context of [motherhood] and watching her, both on the screen and behind the screen, get to be a mother.”

It also helped that Blue Ivy’s voice fit Jenkins’ perception of lion cub Kiara perfectly. “The quality of her voice, I just thought it felt like this character,” says Jenkins, who heard her work on the audiobook recording of Matthew Cherry’s Oscar-winning short film Hair Love.

‘Mufasa: The Lion King’.DISNEY

In discussing the casting for the pivotal roles of Mufasa and Scar, director Jenkins reflects on the contributions of Aaron Pierre and Kelvin Harrison Jr., both known for their roles in Genius: MLK/X. He notes that these actors understood the depth and complexity of their characters, emphasizing the importance of revealing new dimensions to the audience. While the characters of Mufasa and Scar are well-known, Jenkins highlights the significance of their portrayal in uncovering fresh perspectives.

Beyond the leads, the cast of Mufasa includes Thandiwe Newton, Mads Mikkelsen, Keith David, and Anika Noni Rose. When asked about the potential reunion of Rose and Beyoncé from Dreamgirls, Jenkins clarifies that the casting was not intentional. Instead, he explains that it was more about reuniting Rose and David, who previously starred together in Princess and the Frog.

Teasing a pivotal moment in the film, Jenkins hints at the importance of Rose and David’s characters, Afia and Masego, in carrying one of the most significant scenes.

Barry Jenkins at the 2017 Academy Awards. JORDAN STRAUSS/INVISION/AP

His lips are similarly sealed about composer Lin-Manuel Miranda’s original songs for the movie, which follow the 1994 animated original’s tunes from Elton John, Tim Rice and Lebo M.

“Lin did this really wonderful job of coming in a situation where typically the music comes first, and [instead] figuring out where the music can really elevate the story that we’re telling — knowing that the music that we’re chasing is iconic,” he explains.

And mum’s the word on any musical contributions from Beyoncé. “I keep saying in these interviews, ‘Do not get me fired!’ ” quips Jenkins. “Because I cannot say much about the songs.”

Mufasa: The Lion King is in theaters on Dec. 20.