(Reuters) – Pop superstar Beyonce said on Wednesday that she and her husband, rap star and entrepreneur Jay Z, were expecting twins, sending social media into a meltdown.
“We would like to share our love and happiness,” Beyonce, 35, posted on her Instagram page. “We have been blessed two times over. We are incredibly grateful that our family will be growing by two, and we thank you for your well wishes.”
The announcement came with a photo of the “Crazy in Love” singer stripped down to her lingerie, caressing a noticeable baby bump, and wearing a veil over her head.
The news became the top trending item on Twitter with more than 500,000 tweets in the first hour.
The birth of the couple’s first baby, Blue Ivy, caused a paparazzi storm in 2012 with New York’s Lenox Hill hospital shutting down part of its maternity wing to accommodate music’s royal couple.
Beyonce did not say when the twins were due to be born nor did she give any details about her pregnancy.
The news came less than a year after the release of Beyonce’s album “Lemonade,” in which she appeared to address long-standing rumours of trouble in her eight-year marriage.
The lyrics of several songs spoke about being cheated on, and regretting being married. But Beyonce made clear in the final tracks of the album and in music videos featuring Jay-Z that she had decided to stay in the relationship.
The couple have never directly addressed the rumours
It was not clear whether the pregnancy would affect plans for the Grammy Awards on Feb. 10, where Beyonce has a leading nine nominations, mostly for “Lemonade,” and would be expected to perform.
She is also due to headline a concert at the Coachella music festival in southern California in April.
(Reporting by Leela de Kretser and Jill Serjeant; Editing by Jonathan Oatis and Meredith Mazzilli)
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