www.beyonceonline.com Beyoncé's autograph Beyoncé Giselle Knowles ( /biˈjɒnseɪ/ bee-yon-say; born September 4, 1981), known mononymously as Beyoncé, is an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child. Knowles rose to fame in the late 1990s as the lead singer of the R&B girl group Destiny's Child, one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time. During the hiatus of Destiny's Child, Knowles released her debut solo album, Dangerously in Love, in 2003, which spawned two number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100—"Crazy in Love" and "Baby Boy"—and became one of the most successful albums of that year, earning her a then record-tying five Grammy Awards.[2] Following the disbandment of Destiny's Child in 2005, Knowles released her second solo album, B'Day, ! in 2006, and included the top 10 singles "Déjà Vu", "Irreplaceable" and "Beautiful Liar" . Her third solo album I Am... Sasha Fierce, released in 2008, spawned four commercially successful singles—"If I Were a Boy", "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)", "Halo" and "Sweet Dreams". The album helped Knowles earn six Grammys in 2010, breaking the record for most Grammy Awards won by a female artist in one night.[3] Knowles released her fourth solo album, 4, in 2011, and became her fourth consecutive number-one album on the Billboard 200 as a solo artist. This made her the third artist in history to have her first four studio albums debut atop the chart. Apart from her work in music, Knowles has also launched a career in acting. She made her debut in the 2001 musical film Carmen: A Hip Hopera, prior to appearing in major films, including Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002), Dreamgirls (2006), which earned her two Golden Globe nominations, Cadillac Records (2008) and! Obsessed (2009). Knowles and her mother introduced their fami! ly's fashion line, House of Deréon, in 2005, and has also endorsed brands including, L'Oréal, Pepsi, Tommy Hilfiger, Nintendo and Vizio. In June 2010, she was ranked first on Forbes list of the 100 Most Powerful and Influential musicians in the world,[4] and second on its list of the 100 Most Powerful and Influential celebrities in the world.[5] Knowles' work has earned her numerous awards and accolades, including 16 Grammy Awards, 11 MTV Video Music Awards, 4 American Music Awards, a Billboard Millennium Award and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame with Destiny's Child. In 2009, Billboard named her the Top Radio Songs Artist of the 2000s decade,[6] and ranked her as the 4th overall Artist of the Decade (and as the First Female Artist of that period).[7] The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), also recognized Knowles as the Top Certified Artist of the 2000s.[8][9] As of May 2010, Knowles has sold over 11.2 million albums in the United States.[10] As o! f January 2012, she has sold over 30.4 million digital singles in the US.[11] Knowles has also sold 75 million records worldwide, which makes her one of the best-selling music artists of all time.[12] In 2010, VH1 included Knowles on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time.[13] Contents 1 Life and career 1.1 1981–96: Early life and career beginnings 1.2 1997–2001: Destiny's Child era and depression 1.3 2002–05: Films, Dangerously in Love and Destiny Fulfilled 1.4 2006–07: B'Day and films 1.5 2008–09: Marriage, I Am... Sasha Fierce, and films 1.6 2010–present: New management, 4 and motherhood 2 Artistry 2.1 Music and voice 2.2 Influences 2.3 Stage and alter ego 2.4 Public image 3 Legacy 4 Other ventures 4.1 House of Deréon 4.2 Products and endorsements 5 Philanthropy 6 Discography 7 Filmography 8 See also 9 References 10 External links Life and career 1981–96: Early life and career beginnings Knowles was born in Houston, Texas, the daughter ! of Mathew Knowles, a professional record manager, and Tina Knowles (né! e Beyincé), a costume designer and hair stylist. Knowles' father is African American. Her mother, a Louisiana Creole, has African, French, Native American, and Irish ancestry; she is a descendant of Acadian leader Joseph Broussard.[14][15] Knowles was baptized after her mother's maiden name, as a tribute to her mother.[14] She is the elder sister of Solange Knowles, a singer, songwriter and actress. Knowles was schooled at St. Mary's Elementary School in Texas, where she enrolled in dance classes, including ballet and jazz. Her talent in singing was discovered when her dance instructor began humming a song and she finished it, hitting the high-pitched notes.[16] Knowles' interest in music and performing began after participating in a school talent show. She sang John Lennon's "Imagine" and won the competition.[17][18] At age seven, Knowles started gaining attention from the press, having been mentioned in the Houston Chronicle as a nominee for the local performing arts awa! rd The Sammy.[19] In the fall of 1990, Knowles enrolled in Parker Elementary School, a music magnet school in Houston, where she would perform on-stage with the school's choir.[16] She also attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston[20] and later went to Alief Elsik High School, located in the Houston suburban munincipality, Alief.[14][21] Knowles was a member of the choir at St. John's United Methodist Church for two years, performing as a soloist.[16][22] At the age of eight, Knowles met LaTavia Roberson while in an audition for an all-girl entertainment group.[23] They, along with Knowles' childhood friend Kelly Rowland, were placed into a group that performed rapping and dancing.[24] Originally named Girl's Tyme, they were eventually cut down to six members.[16] West coast R&B producer Arne Frager flew into Houston to see them. He eventually brought them to his studio, The Plant Recording Studios, in Northern California, with Knowles' voc! als being featured.[16] As part of efforts to sign Girl's Tyme to a maj! or label record deal, Frager's strategy was to début them in Star Search, the biggest talent show on national TV at the time.[16] Girl's Tyme participated in the competition but lost it because the song they performed was not good, Knowles herself admitted.[25][26] Knowles had her first "professional setback" after that defeat but regained confidence after learning that pop stars Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake had also the same experience.[16] To manage the group, Knowles' father (who was at that time a medical-equipment salesman) resigned in 1995 from his job.[27] He dedicated his time and established a "boot camp" for their training.[28] The move reduced Knowles' family's income by half and her parents were forced to move into separated apartments.[14] Not long after the inclusion of Rowland, Mathew cut the original lineup to four,[16] with LeToya Luckett joining in 1993.[23] Rehearsing in Tina's Headliners Salon and their backyards, the group continued performing ! as an opening act for other established R&B girl groups of the time;[23] Tina contributed to the cause by designing their costumes, which she continued to do throughout the Destiny's Child era. With the continued support of Mathew, they auditioned before record labels and were finally signed to Elektra Records. They moved to Atlanta to work on their first recording, only to be cut by the record company in 1995. They returned home to start over again.[14] This eventually put a strain on the family, and Beyoncé's parents separated briefly when she was 14. In 1996, the family reunited, and shortly after, the girls got a contract with Columbia Records.[17] 1997–2001: Destiny's Child era and depression Main article: Destiny's Child Destiny's Child performing their 2000 hit single, "Say My Name". The group changed its name to Destiny's Child in 1993, based on a passage in the Book of Isaiah.[23] Together, they performed in local events and after four years on the road, the! group was signed to Columbia Records in late 1997. That same year, Des! tiny's Child recorded their major label début song "Killing Time" for the soundtrack to the 1997 film, Men in Black.[23][26] The following year, the group released their self-titled debut album,[25] scoring their first major hit "No, No, No". The album established the group as a viable act in the music industry, amassing moderate sales and winning the group three Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards for Best R&B/Soul Single for "No, No, No", Best R&B/Soul Album of the Year and Best R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist.[23] The group released their multi-platinum second album The Writing's on the Wall in 1999. The record features some of the group's most widely known songs such as "Bills, Bills, Bills", the group's first number-one single, "Jumpin' Jumpin'" and "Say My Name", which became their most-successful song at the time, and would remain one of their signature songs. "Say My Name" won the Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and the Best R&B Song at! the 43rd Grammy Awards.[23] The Writing's on the Wall sold more than eight million copies.[25] During this time, Knowles recorded a duet with Marc Nelson on the song "After All Is Said and Done" for the soundtrack to the 1999 film, The Best Man. Luckett and Roberson filed a lawsuit against the group for breach of contract. Michelle Williams and Farrah Franklin appeared in the music video of "Say My Name", implying that Luckett and Roberson had already been replaced.[23] Eventually, Luckett and Roberson left the group. Franklin would eventually fade from the group after five months,[25] as evidenced by her absences during promotional appearances and concerts. She attributed her departure to negative vibes in the group resulting from the strife.[23] During this time, Knowles had experienced depression from an accumulation of struggles:
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