Why Beyoncé Changed the Lyrics to Her Songs at Kobe Bryant’s Memorial

On Monday, Beyoncé paid tribute to Kobe Bryant with a performance at his public memorial held at Staples Center.

Beyoncé kicked off the memorial by performing her songs “XO” and “Halo.” Before singing “XO,” she said, “I'm here because I love Kobe and this one of his favorite songs.”

She made sure to change some of the lyrics in “XO” from her 2013 self-titled album. Instead of singing “And I'm crashing into you,” she changed the words to “And I'm laughing into you.” Another key change was “You kill me boy XO” to “Just kiss me boy XO.”

When Beyoncé sang “We don't have forever,” it was clear that even she was moved by the words.

Beyoncé also made some minor additions to the end of her hit song “Halo.” Referencing both Kobe and Gianna, she sang, “He will be your, she will be your halo.”

Throughout the memorial, Beyoncé was seen comforting Kobe's wife Vanessa.

Beyoncé wanted to keep a low profile at the memorial and not take the spotlight away from Kobe and Gianna. Page Six reports that photographers were not allowed to take photos while she was performing.

Days after Kobe and Gianna were killed in a helicopter crash, Beyoncé wrote on Instagram, “I will continue to diligently pray for your Queens. You are deeply missed beloved Kobe.”