Also known as : Beyoncé
Birthdate : September 4, 1981
Birthplace : Houston, Texas, United States
Genre(s) : R&B
Occupation(s) : Singer-songwriter, record producer, actress
Years active : 1990–present
Label(s) : Columbia
Associated acts : Destiny's Child, Jay-Z, Solange, Sean Paul
Influences Anita Baker, Mary J. Blige, Whitney Houston, Diana Ross, Donna Summer, Tina Turner, Luther Vandross
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles (born September 4, 1981), commonly known as Beyoncé, is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts school there, and was exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child.
Knowles started her musical endeavors alongside her childhood best friends, and rose to fame in the late 1990s as the lead singer of the R&B girl group Destiny's Child. Although they experienced public turmoil, including lawsuits and lineup changes, Destiny's Child successfully dominated the music industry and was eventually recognized as the world's best-selling female group of all time. In June 2003, after a series of commercial successes with the group, Knowles released her debut solo album Dangerously in Love, which became one of the most successful albums of the year. It also spawned the number-one singles "Crazy in Love" and "Baby Boy", earning Knowles five Grammy Awards in a single night in 2004. The disbandment of Destiny's Child facilitated her continued pursuit as a solo artist. She released her second album, B'Day in 2006, which spawned the UK number-one singles "Déjà Vu" and "Beautiful Liar", as well as the worldwide hit "Irreplaceable".
The success of her albums established her as one of the most marketable artists in the industry. Knowles branched out to the film industry, starring in such Hollywood films as the 2006 comedy The Pink Panther and the 2006 musical film Dreamgirls. The latter earned her two Golden Globe Award nominations: one for acting and another for the Dreamgirls soundtrack, "Listen". She has launched her family's own company and products, including House of Deréon. She has also signed lucrative commercial deals, including one with Pepsi. These business ventures have benefited her charity works. Aside from co-producing songs, Knowles is recognized as one of the most successful female song-writers.[citation needed] Her involvement on her career, alongside her fashion and image, however, are often a subject of public scrutiny. She has been with long-time boyfriend Jay-Z since 2002, though they have been discreet to the media about their relationship. They married on April 4, 2008.
Early life and career beginnings
Knowles was born on September 4, 1981 in Houston, Texas to Tina Beyincé, a costume designer and hair stylist of Louisiana Creole descent with an established salon in Houston, and Mathew Knowles, a successful African American record manager and former salesman. The baby girl was baptized with her mother's maiden name, as Tina had decided on the name, even before she bore a daughter, as a tribute to herself and because only a few of Beyincé males carry that name and it, according to her, would eventually become extinct. Her maternal grandparents, Lumis Albert Beyincé and Agnéz Deréon (a seamstress), were French-speaking Louisiana Creoles. She is the older sister of Solange Knowles, an actress and singer-songwriter, and cousin to Angela Beyincé, her former personal assistant and a song co-writer.
Knowles was schooled at St. Mary's Elementary School in Texas, where she enrolled in dance classes, including ballet and jazz. Her talent was discovered when her dance instructor started humming a song and she finished it, hitting high-pitched notes. Although her parents had not recognized her as a singer, her teacher proved to them otherwise. Though considered a shy girl, her interest in music and performing unexpectedly began after joining a school talent show. Once she had a moment on the stage, she overcame her shyness and wanted to become a singer and performer. By age seven, Knowles entered to her first talent show; she won the contest, singing John Lennon's "Imagine", and honored with standing ovation. In the fall of 1990, Knowles enrolled in Parker Elementary School, a music magnate school in Houston. She would perform on the stage of the Parker's auditorium, together 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, in the Houston neighborhood of Alief. Knowles was a soloist in the choir of her church—St. John's United Methodist Church and was attending every weekend. She lasted in the choir for two years because she was preoccupied to her newfound career.
At eight, not long after she was active on performing arts school, Knowles met LaTavia Roberson while in an audition for a girl group. They were joined to the group that would perform rapping and dancing; Knowles' cousin Kelly Rowland joined them. Originally named Gyrl's Time, they were eventually cut down with remaining six members. With Knowles and Rowland, Gyrl's Time attracted audience nationally; west coast R&B producer, Arne Frager, flew in Houston to see them. He brought them to his studio—The Plant Recording Studios—in Northern California, with Knowles' vocals being focused because Frager thought she has personality and able to sing. With efforts to sign Gyrl's Time to a major deal, Frager's strategy was to debut them in Star Search, the biggest talent show on national TV that time; they contested but lost the competition because the song they rendered was not good, as Knowles admitted. Knowles had her first "professional setback" after the defeat, but regained the confidence after knowing that then pop stars Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake also had the same fate. To manage the group, Mathew Knowles (who was then a medical-equipment salesman) resigned in 1995 from his job; he dedicated his time and established a "boot camp" for their training. The move reduced Knowles family's income by half, and her parents separated because of the pressure. Not long after the inclusion of Rowland, Mathew cut the original lineup to four, with LeToya Luckett joining in 1993. Rehearsing in Tina's salon and their backyards, the group continued performing as opening act for other established R&B girl groups of the time; Tina helped design their costumes. With the continued support of Mathew, they auditioned before record labels and were finally signed to Elektra Records, only to be dropped months later before they could release an album.
