Beyoncé

**Beyoncé** (married name **Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter**, born **Beyoncé Giselle Knowles**; September 4, 1981) is a Louisiana Creole-American/African-American singer-songwriter, dancer, actress, producer, businesswoman & director. She is a mezzo soprano and has a vocal range of four octaves. She performed in various singing and dancing competitions as a young child and rose to fame in the late 1990s as the lead singer of the popular R&B girl-group: Destiny's Child managed by her dad, Mathew; the group became one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time. Their hiatus saw the release of Beyoncé's debut album, Dangerously In Love (2003), which established her as a solo artist worldwide; it sold 12 million copies, earned five Grammy Awards and featured the Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles: Crazy in Love & Baby Boy.

Following the Destiny's Child disbandment in February 2006, she released her second solo album, B'Day (2006), which contained hits: Deja Vu, Irreplaceable & Beautiful Liar. Beyoncé also ventured into acting, with a Golden Globe-nominated performance in Dreamgirls (2006), and starring roles in The Pink Panther (2006) and Obsessed (2009). Her marriage to rapper Jay-Z in 2008 and portrayal of Etta James in *Cadillac Records* (2008) influenced her third album, I AM... SASHA FIERCE (2008), which saw the birth of her alter-ego, Sasha Fierce and earned a record-setting six Grammy Awards on 2010, including Song of the Year for Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It). Beyoncé took a hiatus from music on 2010 and took over management of her career; her fourth album, 4 (2011) was subsequently mellower in tone, exploring 1970s funk, 1980s pop, and 1990s soul. Her critically acclaimed fifth studio album, BEYONCÉ (2013) was distinguished from previous releases by its experimental production and exploration of darker themes.

A self-described "modern-day feminist", Beyoncé Jackson creates songs that are often characterized by themes of love, relationships, and monogamy, as well as female sexuality and empowerment. On stage, her dynamic, highly choreographed performances have led to critics hailing her as one of the best entertainers in contemporary popular music. Throughout a career spanning 18 years, she has sold over 118 million records as a solo artist, and a further 60 million with Destiny's Child, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time. She has won 22 Grammy Awards and is the most nominated woman in the award's history. The Recording Industry Association of America recognized her as the Top Certified Artist in America during the 2000s decade. In 2009, *Billboard* named her the Top Radio Songs Artist of the Decade, the Top Female Artist of the 2000s and their Artist of the Millennium in 2011. *Time* listed her among the 100 most influential people in the world in 2013 and 2014. Forbes magazine also listed her as the most powerful female musician of 2015. Her sixth album, Lemonade (2016) also received widespread critical acclaim, with many referring to it as her most personal and political work to date, and subsequently became the best-selling album of 2016. She released a collaborative album with her husband, Jay-Z called EVERYTHING IS LOVE (2018) as THE CARTERS. A year since her 2018 Coachella concert she released a live album from the whole experience and a documentary about what she went through to do it, called HOMECOMING (2019). And in July 2019 she also released her lead single Spirit from her upcoming seventh album inspired and based of the movie The Lion King, named The Lion King: The Gift, featuring many African artists and some of whom she'd worked with already, such as her husband, Jay-Z and Kendrick Lamar. In 2022, Beyoncé received continued acclaim for her seventh studio album, RENAISSANCE, which experimented with disco and house music, and took inspiration from ball culture; she obtained her first solo number-one since 2008 with the album's lead single, BREAK MY SOUL.

### Trivia

* Beyoncé was named after Tina's maiden name, Beyoncé.
* Beyoncé's middle name, Giselle means pledge in French.
* Beyoncé was 4 when Solange was born.
* Beyoncé was 19 when she & Jay began dating.
* Beyoncé was 26 when she & Jay got engaged and when she married Jay.
* Beyoncé was 28 when Tina & Mathew split and when Nixon & Koi were born.
* Beyoncé was 29 when Gena & Mathew began dating.
* Beyoncé was 30 when Tina & Mathew got divorced, when Gena & Mathew got engaged and when she gave birth to Blue.
* Beyoncé was 31 when Tina & Richard began dating and when Gena & Mathew got married.
* Beyoncé was 33 when Tina & Richard got engaged and when Tina & Richard got married.
* Beyoncé was 35 when she gave birth to Rumi & Sir.
* Beyoncé has been a occasional model of L'Oreal and appeared in several commercials of the brand, mostly involves its hair dyes.
* Beyoncé was a fan of Michael Jackson as a kid.
* Before meeting Kelly and LaTavia, Beyoncé didn't have friends. Her mother recalled that when she was picking up Beyoncé at a playground, a girl disliked Beyoncé and refused to play with her, which made Beyoncé sad.
* Beyoncé was shy and nervous as a child.
* Throughout her education, Beyoncé went to St. Mary's and Cynthia Ann Parker Elementaries, Louie Welch Middle, Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, and Alief Elsik High School.