Beyoncé Knowles

Beyoncé Giselle Knowles,  born September 4, 1981 often known by the mononym Beyoncé, is an American R&B recording artist, actress and fashion designer. 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 the number one hits "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. Following the group's disbandment in 2005, Knowles released her second solo album, B'Day in 2006. It debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and included the hits "Irreplaceable" and "Beautiful Liar". Her third solo album I Am... Sasha Fierce was released in 2008, and included the anthemic "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)". The album earned Knowles six Grammys at the 52nd Grammy Awards, breaking the record for most Grammy Awards won by a female artist in one night.

Apart from her work in music, Knowles has also launched a career in acting. In 2001, she made her debut in the musical film Carmen: A Hip Hopera, prior to appearing in major films, including Dreamgirls (2006), which earned her two Golden Globe nominations, and Cadillac Records (2008). In 2004, Knowles and her mother introduced their family's fashion line, House of Deréon, and has also endorsed brands such as Pepsi, Tommy Hilfiger, Armani and L'Oréal. In June 2010, Knowles was ranked second on Forbes list of the 100 Most Powerful and Influential celebrities in the world, and first on its list of the Most Powerful and Influential musicians in the world.

Public image

Knowles has stated, "I like to dress sexy and I carry myself like a lady," but she has said that the way she dresses on stage is "absolutely for the stage". The media often use the term "Bootylicious" (a combination of the words booty and delicious), to describe Knowles because of her curves. The term was made widely known by the Destiny's Child hit song of the same name, and has been added to the Oxford English Dictionary. As someone who is fond of fashion, Knowles combines its artistic elements with her music videos and performances. According to Italian fashion designer Roberto Cavalli, she uses different styles and tries to harmonize it with the music while performing. The B'Day Anthology Video Album showed many instances of fashion-oriented footage, depicting classic to contemporary wardrobe styles. People magazine recognized Knowles as the best-dressed celebrity in 2007. Knowles' mother wrote a 2002-published book, titled Destiny's Style: Bootylicious Fashion, Beauty and Lifestyle Secrets From Destiny's Child, an account of how fashion had an impact on Destiny's Child's success.

As one of the most media-exposed black celebrities in the United States, Knowles has often received criticism that some believe is due to racism and sexism. Toure of Rolling Stone stated that since the release of Dangerously in Love, "[Beyoncé] has become a crossover sex symbol a la Halle Berry. In 2006, the animal rights organization, PETA, had criticized Knowles for wearing fur coats and using fur in her clothing line, House of Deréon. The organization said they had previously attempted to reach Knowles through faxes, letters and rallies outside her concerts. However with no reply, PETA confronted her at a dinner in New York. During the release of pop singer Rihanna's second album, A Girl Like Me, many critics felt that her image was too heavily similar to Knowles'. Some media even claimed that Jay-Z fashioned her to be a replica of Knowles. Amina Taylor of The Guardian, noted her as the "Bajan Beyoncé". In 2007, Knowles was featured on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, the first non-model and non-athlete woman to pose on the issue and the second African American model after Tyra Banks. In the same year, Knowles appeared on billboards and newspapers across the United States showing her holding an antiquated cigarette holder. Taken from the back cover of B'Day, the image provoked response from an anti-smoking group, stating that she did not need to add the cigarette holder "to make herself appear more sophisticated". Knowles has several wax figures of herself at Madame Tussauds Wax Museums in major cities around the world, including New York, Washington, D.C., Amsterdam, Bangkok and Hollywood.

Life and career

Early life and career beginnings

Knowles was born in Houston, Texas, the daughter of Mathew Knowles, a professional record manager, and Tina Knowles (née Beyincé), a costume designer and hair stylist. Knowles' father is African American and her mother is of Creole (African, Native American, and French) descent. Knowles was baptized after her mother's maiden name, as a tribute to her mother. She is the elder sister of Solange, 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. Knowles' interest in music and performing began after participating in a school talent show. She sang John Lennon's "Imagine" and won the competition. 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 award The Sammy. 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. She also attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston and later went to Alief Elsik High School, located in the Houston suburban munincipality, Alief. Knowles was a soloist in the choir of her church, in St. John's United Methodist Church. She only lasted in the choir for two years.

Destiny's Child era and depression

The group changed its name to Destiny's Child in 1993, based on a passage in the Book of Isaiah. 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, Destiny's Child recorded their major label début song, "Killing Time", for the soundtrack to the 1997 film, Men in Black.[ The following year, the group released their self-titled debut album, 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". 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. The Writing's on the Wall sold more than eight million copies. 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.

Destiny's Child reunion, films, and B'Day

In 2004, Knowles planned to release a follow-up to Dangerously in Love, which would feature some of the left-over recordings. However, her musical aspirations were put on hiatus due to conflicting schedules, including her recording with Destiny's Child for what would be their final album. After a three-year journey that involved concentration on individual solo projects, Knowles rejoined Rowland and Williams for their final album, Destiny Fulfilled in November 2004. The album peaked at number two on the Billboard 200, and reached the top-ten in eight charts worldwide. The album spawned three hit singles, "Lose My Breath", "Soldier" and "Cater 2 U". In support of the album, Destiny's Child embarked on the 2005 Destiny Fulfilled ... And Lovin' It world tour, which began in April 2005; culminating in September of that year. During the Barcelona, Spain stop of their tour, Rowland announced they would disband after the end of their final North American leg in September 2005. In October 2005, Destiny's Child released a compilation album, #1's, which included all of their number-one hits and most of their well-known songs. It also included three new tracks, including "Check on It" featuring Slim Thug. The song reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, giving Knowles her third number one on the chart as a solo artist. #1's debuted at number one on Billboard 200 and certified platinum by the RIAA. In March 2006, Destiny's Child reunited to accept a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

Marriage, I Am... Sasha Fierce, and films

In 2002, Knowles began dating American rapper Jay-Z, with whom she has collaborated several times. Rumors began to circulate about their relationship after Knowles was featured on his song, "'03 Bonnie & Clyde. In spite of persistent rumors , they remained discreet about their relationship. They married on April 4, 2008 in New York City. Knowles did not publicly début her wedding ring until the Fashion Rocks concert on September 5, 2008, in New York City. Before they were married, Knowles and Jay-Z were listed as the Most Powerful Couple for Time magazine's 100 Most Influential people of 2006. In January 2009, Forbes ranked them as Hollywood's top-earning couple, with a combined total of $162 million. They also made it to the top of the list the following year, with a combined total of $122 million between June 2008 and June 2009.

Knowles released her third studio album, I Am... Sasha Fierce on November 18, 2008. Upon its release, it received generally mixed to positive reviews from most music critics; according to the music review aggregation of Metacritic, the album received an average score of 62/100. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, giving Knowles her third consecutive number one album in the US.Eventually, she became the third female artist of the 2000s decade to have her first three albums debut at the top spot of the chart. To date, I Am... Sasha Fierce has sold seven million copies worldwide.

2010–present: 4

In January 2010, Knowles was interviewed by USA Today and announced plans to take a break from music in 2010. She stated, "it's definitely time to take a break, to recharge my batteries. ... I'd like to take about six months and not go into the studio. I need to just live life, to be inspired by things again. During this time, a 60 Minutes segment aired, revealing Knowles was homeschooled as a child and prays before every performance. In February 2010, she featured on Lady Gaga's song, "Telephone". The song reached number one on the U.S. Pop Songs chart, thus becoming the sixth number-one on the chart for both Knowles and Gaga. With this, they both tied with Mariah Carey for most number-ones since the Nielsen BDS-based Top 40 airplay chart launched in 1992.It received a Grammy nomination for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals at the 53rd Grammy Awards.

In November 2010, Knowles revealed that she had begun work on her fourth studio album, 4, and was writing and producing new material. She explained that she was using live music to create her own music genre. She later clarified the statement, "Well, I wouldn't say I'm inventing a new genre... I'm mixing every type of genre that I love and I'm inspired by every type of genre... It's not R&B. It's not typically pop. It's not rock. It's just everything I love all mixed together in my own little gumbo of music. Knowles revealed that the album was inspired by several musicians, including Fela Kuti, The Stylistics, Lauryn Hill, Stevie Wonder and Michael Jackson. Producers and songwriters working on the album include Jim Jonsin, Ne-Yo, Sean Garrett, The Dream, Symbolyc One, Diplo, Switch, Derek Miller and Frank Ocean. 4 will be released on June 28, 2011. Its lead single, "Run the World (Girls)" was released on April 21, 2011.

Influences

Knowles has cited various artists who have influenced her musical style. One of her major influences is Michael Jackson, who she credits as the reason why she does music. Knowles has also named Diana Ross as another one of her influences because "she's an all-around entertainer: a great actor, a good singer, and a beautiful, elegant woman. She's one of the few singers able to cross over into really good movies.Her other musical influences include Tina Turner, Prince, Lauryn Hill, Aaliyah,[Mary J. Blige, Whitney Houston, Janet Jackson, Anita Baker and Rachelle Ferrell. Knowles credits Mariah Carey's singing and her song "Vision of Love" as influencing her to begin practicing vocal runs as a child, as well as helping her pursue a career as a musician. She also cites Oprah Winfrey as an influence to her music because she is "the definition of inspiration and a strong woman. When I'm around her, I want to stand up straight, pronounce my words right, and articulate.

Clothing lines

Knowles and her mother introduced House of Deréon, a ready-to-wear contemporary women's fashion line, in 2005. The concept is inspired by three generations of women in their family, with the name Deréon paying tribute to Knowles' grandmother, Agnèz Deréon, who worked as a seamstress. According to Tina Knowles, the overall style of the line best reflects Knowles' taste and style. Launched in 2006, products of House of Deréon received public exhibitions during the group's shows and tours during the Destiny Fulfilled era. The store, which is available across the United States and Canada, sells sportswear, denim along with fur, outerwear and accessories including handbags. Knowles also teamed up with House of Brands, a local shoe company, to produce a range of footwear for House of Deréon.

In 2004, Knowles and her mother founded their family's company Beyond Productions, which provides the licensing and brand management for House of Deréon. In early 2008, they launched Beyoncé Fashion Diva, a mobile game with an online social networking component, featuring House of Deréon. In July 2009, Knowles and her mother launched a new junior apparel label, Sasha Fierce for Deréon, for back-to-school selling. The collection, which is inspired by Knowles' stage presence, consists of sportswear, outerwear, handbags, footwear, eyewear, lingerie and jewelry. The clothing line was picked up by department stores including Macy’s and Dillard’s and specialty stores, Jimmy Jazz and Against All Odds. In May 2010, Knowles teamed up with clothing store C&A to release her Deréon clothing line labeled, Deréon by Beyoncé for C&A. The collection was only made available in Brazilian C&A stores.

Awards and achievements

Throughout her career, Knowles has received numerous awards and achievements. In 2007, she became the first female artist to be awarded the International Artist Award at the American Music Awards.[198] At the 2008 World Music Awards, Knowles was honored the legend award for Outstanding Contribution To The Arts. She was also honored with a Billboard Millennium Award at the 2011 Billboard Music Awards, for recognizing her career achievements and influence in the music industry. Knowles is one of the most honored artists by the Grammys, and third among female artists, with a total of 16 Grammy Awards— 13 as a solo artist and 3 as a member of Destiny's Child. Her début studio album, Dangerously In Love, was listed as one of the top 200 definitive albums in music history by the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

In December 2009, Billboard listed Knowles as the most successful female artist and the top radio artist of the 2000s decade. Billboard also ranked her the 4th artist of the decade, and the 15th top 25 R&B/Hip-Hop artist of the past 25 years (1985–2010). BET also recognized Knowles as the second most influential artist of the decade. In February 2010, the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) listed Knowles as the top certified artist of the decade, with a total of 64 certifications, including albums, digital songs, master ringtones and music videos. In August 2010, VH1 listed her at number 52 on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. As of September 2009, Knowles has sold 75 million records worldwide as a solo artist, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time.
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