Beyoncé

Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter, born on September 4, 1981, is an American singer, songwriter, and businesswoman who has left an indelible mark as "Queen Bey" and a prominent cultural icon of the 21st century. Renowned for her artistry and performances, she has been lauded by Rolling Stone as one of the greatest vocalists of all time.

Beyoncé's journey began in her childhood when she participated in various singing and dancing competitions. She gained fame in the late 1990s as a member of the R&B girl group Destiny's Child, one of the best-selling girl groups in history. During the group's hiatus, Beyoncé launched her solo career with the debut album "Dangerously in Love" in 2003. Subsequently, she achieved US number-one solo albums with "B'Day" (2006), "I Am... Sasha Fierce" (2008), and "4" (2011). Establishing her own management company, Parkwood Entertainment, Beyoncé received critical acclaim for the experimental visual albums "Beyoncé" (2013) and "Lemonade" (2016), exploring themes such as feminism and womanism. With her queer-inspired dance album "Renaissance" (2022), she made history as the first female artist to debut her first seven studio albums at number one in the US.

Beyoncé's impact on the Billboard Hot 100 is profound, with hit songs like "Crazy in Love," "Baby Boy," "Check On It," "Irreplaceable," "If I Were a Boy," "Halo," "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)," "Drunk in Love," "Break My Soul," and "Cuff It." She holds the record as the only woman with at least 20 top 10 hits as a solo artist and at least 10 as a group member. Collaborations include "Everything Is Love" (2018) with her husband Jay-Z as the Carters, and the musical film "Black Is King" (2020), inspired by "The Lion King: The Gift" (2019). "Homecoming: The Live Album" (2019), documenting her 2018 Coachella performance, is celebrated for its historic tribute to multiple generations of Black music.

Beyoncé's influence extends beyond music into acting, with roles in films like "Austin Powers in Goldmember" (2002), "The Pink Panther" (2006), "Dreamgirls" (2006), "Cadillac Records" (2008), "Obsessed" (2009), and "The Lion King" (2019).

With a global record sales exceeding 200 million, Beyoncé stands as one of the best-selling music artists. Her remarkable list of accolades includes a record 32 Grammy Awards, 26 MTV Video Music Awards, 24 NAACP Image Awards, 35 BET Awards, and 17 Soul Train Music Awards—surpassing any other artist in the industry. Recognized by the RIAA as the Top Certified Artist of the Decade and Billboard's 4th best artist of the decade in the 2000s, she is the most successful black touring act in history. In 2021, she received the Pollstar Touring Artist of the Decade award. Time magazine included her among the 100 women who defined the 21st century. Beyoncé's impact and achievements continue to shape the landscape of music and culture.
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles was born on September 4, 1981, in Houston, Texas, to Celestine "Tina" Knowles (née Beyonce) and Mathew Knowles. Tina, a hairdresser and salon owner, is Louisiana Creole, and Mathew is African American. Beyoncé's younger sister, Solange Knowles, is also a singer and former backup dancer for Destiny's Child. They are the first sisters to both achieve number one solo albums.

Beyoncé's maternal grandparents, Lumas Beyince and Agnez Dereon, were French-speaking Louisiana Creoles with roots in New Iberia. Beyoncé is considered a Creole, inheriting this heritage from her grandparents. She is also a descendant of Acadian militia officer Joseph Broussard, who was exiled to French Louisiana after the expulsion of the Acadians.
Researching her ancestry, Beyoncé discovered that she is descended from a slave owner who married his slave. Her mother also has distant Irish, Jewish, Spanish, Chinese, and Indonesian ancestry.
Raised Methodist, Beyoncé attended St. John's United Methodist Church and St. Mary's Montessori School in Houston, where she enrolled in dance classes. Her singing talent was discovered during a dance class when instructor Darlette Johnson hummed a song, and Beyoncé effortlessly finished it. She showed early interest in music, winning a school talent show at age seven by singing John Lennon's "Imagine."

In 1990, Beyoncé enrolled in Parker Elementary School, a music magnet school in Houston, and later attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts and Alief Elsik High School. She was a member of the choir at St. John's United Methodist Church and sang her first solo there.

At eight years old, Beyoncé formed a group called Girl's Tyme with LaTavia Roberson after an audition. They performed on the talent show circuit in Houston and participated in Star Search but didn't win. In 1995, Beyoncé's father, Mathew, resigned from his job to manage the group, facing financial struggles.

The group underwent changes, and in 1996, Dwayne Wiggins's Grass Roots Entertainment signed them. The family reunited, and with the assistance of Columbia talent scout Teresa LaBarbera Whites, they secured a contract with Columbia Records, marking the beginning of Destiny's Child's recording journey.

In 1996, Destiny's Child adopted their name inspired by a passage in the Book of Isaiah. Their major label debut came in 1997 with the song "Killing Time" featured on the Men in Black soundtrack. The group gained prominence with the release of their debut single, "No, No, No," in November 1997. Their self-titled debut album, released in February 1998, solidified their presence in the music industry. The album received moderate sales but earned Destiny's Child three Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards, including Best R&B/Soul Album of the Year, Best R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist, and Best R&B/Soul Single for "No, No, No."

Destiny's Child achieved Multi-Platinum status with their second album, The Writing's on the Wall, released in 1999. The album featured hit songs like "Bills, Bills, Bills," the group's first number-one single, "Jumpin' Jumpin'," and "Say My Name," which became one of their signature songs. "Say My Name" won Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and Best R&B Song at the 43rd Annual Grammy Awards. The Writing's on the Wall sold over eight million copies globally.

During this period, Beyoncé collaborated with Marc Nelson, an original member of Boyz II Men, on the duet "After All Is Said and Done" for the soundtrack of the 1999 film The Best Man. Destiny's Child's success in the late 1990s set the stage for their continued rise in the music industry.

References

1.  Curto, Justin (April 30, 2021). "Yes, 'Harmonies by The Hive' is Beyoncé". Vulture. Archived from the original on October 27, 2021. Retrieved May 8, 2021.
2. ^ Gay, Jason (February 10, 2013). "Beyoncé Knowles: The Queen B". Vogue. Archived from the original on October 27, 2021. Retrieved October 18, 2021.
3. ^ Lewis, Brittany (July 9, 2013). "Beyoncé credited as 'Third Ward Trill' on Jay-Z's album, 'Magna Carta Holy Grail'". Global Grind. Archived from the original on October 27, 2021. Retrieved June 29, 2018.
4. ^ Wells, John C. (December 19, 2008). "Beyoncé". John Wells's phonetic blog. Archived from the original on August 10, 2022. Retrieved August 22, 2022.
5. ^ "Beyoncé Knowles' name change". The Boston Globe. December 23, 2009. Archived from the original on March 21, 2013. Retrieved March 8, 2013.
6. ^ Jump up to:
7. a b Trust, Gary (July 5, 2022). "Beyonce Joins Paul McCartney & Michael Jackson for This Hot 100 Milestone — As a Solo Artist & With a Group". Billboard. Archived from the original on September 20, 2022. Retrieved September 18, 2022.