Beyoncé
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. Known for her vocal ability, artistic reinventions, and live performances, she is widely regarded as one of the most culturally significant figures of the 21st century. Credited with shaping popular music, Beyoncé is often deemed one of the greatest entertainers of all time.
Beyoncé rose to fame in the late 1990s as the lead singer of Destiny's Child, one of the best-selling girl groups of all time. Her debut solo album, Dangerously in Love, became one of the best-selling albums of the 21st century. After Destiny's Child disbanded in 2005, Beyoncé released the funk-imbued B'Day and starred in the drama film Dreamgirls. Her marriage to rapper Jay-Z and portrayal of Etta James in the biopic Cadillac Records influenced her pop-oriented double album I Am... Sasha Fierce. Through the 2000s, Beyoncé garnered the US Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles "Crazy in Love", "Baby Boy", "Check on It", "Irreplaceable", and "Single Ladies ".
After forming the management company Parkwood Entertainment, Beyoncé embraced traditional R&B and soul on 4. The electronic-influenced Beyoncé popularized surprise and visual albums, inspiring the setting of Friday as Global Release Day, while the eclectic Lemonade sparked sociopolitical discourse and was the best-selling album of 2016. Her ongoing trilogy project—consisting of the queer-inspired dance album Renaissance and the Americana-rooted country record Cowboy Carter —has highlighted the overlooked contributions of Black pioneers to American musical and cultural history, spawning the US number-one singles "Break My Soul" and "Texas Hold 'Em".
Beyoncé is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with estimated sales of over 200 million records. She is the most RIAA-certified female artist and the only woman whose first eight studio albums each debuted atop the US Billboard 200. One of the most-awarded artists in popular music, she is the recipient of a record 35 Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Peabody Award. Beyoncé is the most-awarded artist of the BET Awards, MTV Video Music Awards, NAACP Image Awards, and Soul Train Music Awards. The first woman to headline an all-stadium tour, she is the highest-grossing Black live act of all time.
Life and career
Early life
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles was born in Houston, Texas, on September 4, 1981. Her mother, Tina Knowles, was a hairdresser and salon owner, while her father, Mathew Knowles, was a sales manager at Xerox. Mathew is African-American, while Tina is Louisiana Creole with African, French, Irish, Breton, Norman, and Native American ancestry. Beyoncé's younger sister, Solange, is also a singer and actress. They are descendants of Acadian militia officer Joseph Broussard, who was exiled to French Louisiana after the expulsion of the Acadians. Both sisters also have Belgian ancestry from Hainaut Province, Wallonia.Beyoncé was raised within multiple religious traditions, attending both St. John's United Methodist Church and St. Mary of the Purification Catholic Church in Houston. Her first job as a child was sweeping hair and occasionally performing for customers at her mother's hair salon. Beyoncé began her education at St. Mary's Catholic Montessori School, where she also took dance classes. Her vocals were discovered by her dance instructor, who began humming a song that Beyoncé completed.
Beyoncé's interest in music and performing grew after she won a school talent show at the age of seven by singing John Lennon's "Imagine", winning against older competitors aged fifteen and sixteen. In 1990, a nine-year-old Beyoncé enrolled in Parker Elementary School, a music magnet school in Houston, where she performed with the school's choir. She later attended the Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts and subsequently Alief Elsik High School. Beyoncé was also a member of the choir at St. John's United Methodist Church, where she sang her first solo and was a soloist for two years.
1990–2001: Early career and Destiny's Child
In 1990, Beyoncé met singer LaTavia Roberson while in an audition for an all-girl entertainment group. Joined by Kelly Rowland two years later, the trio was placed in Girl's Tyme, a group that performed rap and dance routines on Houston's talent show circuit. In 1993, the group was entered in Star Search, the largest national talent show on television at the time. Competing in the show's singing category, the group lost the competition, which Beyoncé attributed to a poor song choice. After LeToya Luckett joined in 1993, Girl's Tyme continued performing as an opening act for established R&B girl groups. In 1995, Mathew left his job to manage the group, which halved the Knowles family's income, leading to them moving into separate apartments. The group was briefly signed by Elektra Records and later dropped; ensuing tensions led to a six-month separation of Beyoncé's parents. The Knowles family later reunited and the group secured a contract with Columbia Records, aided by talent scout Teresa LaBarbera Whites.The group adopted the name Destiny's Child in 1996, based upon a passage in the Book of Isaiah. In 1997, following an appearance on the soundtrack for the film Men in Black, they released their debut single and first major hit, "No, No, No", which preceded their debut album, Destiny's Child, a moderate success. The group's second album, The Writing's on the Wall, was released in July 1999 and peaked at number five on the US Billboard 200, later achieving multi-platinum status in the country. The record spawned the singles "Bills, Bills, Bills", "Say My Name", and "Jumpin', Jumpin'"; the former two both peaked atop the US Billboard Hot 100. "Say My Name" won Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and Best R&B Song at the 2001 Grammy Awards. The Writing's on the Wall became one of the best-selling R&B albums of all time, having sold 13million copies worldwide.
Following several lineup changes, Destiny's Child's final lineup comprised Beyoncé, Rowland, and Michelle Williams. In early 2001, while the group were completing work on their third album, Beyoncé secured a leading role in the MTV made-for-television film Carmen: A Hip Hopera, an interpretation of the 19th-century opera Carmen. Destiny's Child's third studio album, Survivor, was released in May 2001; it debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 663,000 copies in its first week. The album produced the Billboard Hot 100 number-ones "Independent Woman Part I" and "Bootylicious", as well as the title track, which peaked at number two. "Survivor" earned the group a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. Following the release of their holiday album, 8 Days of Christmas, Destiny's Child announced a hiatus to allow each member to pursue solo careers.
2002–2007: ''Dangerously in Love'' and ''B'Day''
In July 2002, Beyoncé made her theatrical film debut, portraying Foxxy Cleopatra in Austin Powers in Goldmember. She released "Work It Out" as the lead single from the film's soundtrack. Her breakthrough as a solo artist came when she featured on Jay-Z's track "'03 Bonnie & Clyde" from his album The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse. The single peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100. Beyoncé appeared as Jay-Z's girlfriend in the music video for the song, fueling speculation about a relationship. She later shared that they began dating when she was nineteen, after a year and a half of friendship.In May 2003, Beyoncé released "Crazy in Love", the lead single from her debut solo studio album, Dangerously in Love. The song featured Jay-Z and became Beyoncé's first number-one single as a solo artist on the US Billboard Hot 100, topping the chart for eight weeks. On June 14, 2003, Beyoncé premiered songs from Dangerously in Love, during her first solo concert, which was broadcast as a pay-per-view television special. Released ten days later, the album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 317,000 copies in its first week. The single "Baby Boy" topped the Billboard Hot 100 for nine weeks, while "Me, Myself and I" and "Naughty Girl" both reached the top five. Dangerously in Love earned Beyoncé five awards at the 46th Annual Grammy Awards, including Best Contemporary R&B Album and Best R&B Song for "Crazy in Love". Since its release, the album has sold more than 11million copies globally.
Beyoncé starred alongside Cuba Gooding Jr. in the musical comedy The Fighting Temptations, portraying a single mother and the love interest of Gooding's character. In November 2003, she embarked on the European Dangerously in Love Tour and North American Verizon Ladies First Tour alongside Missy Elliott and Alicia Keys. On February 1, 2004, she performed "The Star-Spangled Banner", the national anthem of the US, at the Super Bowl XXXVIII. In November 2004, Destiny's Child released their final album, titled Destiny Fulfilled. The record peaked at number two on the Billboard 200, spawning the US top-five singles "Lose My Breath" and "Soldier". In 2005, Destiny's Child embarked on a global concert tour titled Destiny Fulfilled... and Lovin' It. The group announced that they would disband at the end of the tour. Destiny's Child released their first compilation album, #1's, in October 2005 and were honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in March 2006.
Beyoncé released "Déjà Vu" as the lead single from her second studio album, B'Day, in June 2006. A collaboration with Jay-Z, the song reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100. B'Day was released internationally on September 4, 2006, to coincide with her twenty-fifth birthday. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, with 541,000 copies sold in its first week. "Irreplaceable" was released as the second international single, and topped the Billboard Hot 100 for ten weeks. B'Days other singles—"Ring the Alarm", "Get Me Bodied", and "Green Light"—each saw moderate chart success. At the 2007 Grammy Awards, B'Day and some of its songs received five nominations, winning Best Contemporary R&B Album. At the 2008 Grammy Awards, songs from the album garnered two more nominations, including Record of the Year for "Irreplaceable".
Beyoncé's first acting role in 2006 was in the comedy film The Pink Panther. She performed "Check on It" as its theme song, which was included on #1's and on the European deluxe version of B'Day. "Check on It" peaked atop the Billboard Hot 100 for five consecutive weeks. Later that year, she starred in the drama film Dreamgirls, a cinematic adaptation of the 1981 Broadway musical; Beyoncé portrayed a pop singer modeled after Diana Ross. In support of B'Day, Beyoncé embarked on the Beyoncé Experience in 2007, her first worldwide concert tour, which visited 97 venues. Simultaneously, B'Day was re-released with additional tracks, including her duet with Shakira, "Beautiful Liar", which peaked at number three in the US. In December 2007, Beyoncé and Jay-Z became engaged.