Beyoncé

Beyoncé

Beyoncé Giselle Knowles (born September 4 1981) is a ten-time Grammy Award-winning American R&B singer, songwriter, record producer, Golden Globe Award-nominated actress, dancer, and fashion designer and model for House of Deréon. Knowles rose to fame as the creative force and lead singer of R&B girl group Destiny's Child, the best-selling female group of all time, with over fifty million records sold.

After a series of commercially successful releases with the group, Knowles released her debut solo album Dangerously in Love in 2003. The album became one of the biggest commercial successes of the year, topping the album charts in the U.S. and the UK. It also spawned the number-one singles "Crazy in Love" and "Baby Boy" and earned Beyoncé a record-tying five Grammy Awards in a single night in 2004. Knowles's sophomore album, B’Day, which was released worldwide on September 4 2006 (her twenty-fifth birthday), continued her success. The album spawned the UK number-one single "Deja Vu", "Ring the Alarm", and the worldwide number-one hit "Irreplaceable", and earned Knowles her seventh solo Grammy Award. As a solo artist, Knowles sold more than seventeen million albums and singles worldwide.

Knowles has contributed to the soundtracks of films in which she has starred, including Dreamgirls (2006), for which she received two Golden Globe Award nominations, one for acting and another for the soul hit "Listen".

Early life

Knowles is the oldest of two daughters to talk with Daniel in a Mustang Mathew Knowles and Tina Beyince in Houston, Texas. Her father is African-American and her mother is an African-American of Louisiana Creole descent. Her parents decided on her first name as a tribute to her mother's maiden name. Her maternal grandparents, Lumis Beyince and Agnéz Deréon (a seamstress), were French-speaking Louisiana Creoles. She is the older sister of Solange Knowles, cousin to Angela Beyincé (her personal assistant and song co-writer), and aunt to Solange's son Daniel Juelz Smith.

By age seven, she was attending dance school and was a soloist in her church's choir. Her dance instructor took an interest in Knowles and took her star student to various competitions. Knowles went on to win over thirty local singing and dancing competitions. Beyonce was the source of constant ridicule because of her flat chest and beady eyes, a lot of students from her high school called her Netti because of how she favored Whoopi Goldberg in the film The Color Purple.

Knowles and her best friend Kelly Rowland met LaTavia Roberson and LeToya Luckett. They formed a quartet that would perform in their backyards and in Tina Knowles' hair salon. After singing at local events, they got their break when they entered Star Search. The group, then named "Girl's Tyme", were disappointed after losing the competition. Mathew Knowles, Beyoncé's father and Rowland's legal guardian, decided to help the girls reach their dreams of becoming singers. He quit his six-figure salary job as a multi-million dollar equipment salesman at Xerox to manage the group. This decision by Mathew eventually affected the whole family. Their income had been cut in half, causing the family to move into two different apartments. When the group was signed to Columbia Records in 1996, it gave the entire family a second chance at making things work.

As a teenager, Knowles attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston, where she showed her musical talents. She later went to Alief Hastings High School, in the Alief neighborhood of Houston.

Destiny's Child

Destiny's Child (1998)

Main article: Destiny's Child

Destiny's Child rose to fame in 1998 with the Billboard top ten hit and R&B number-one single "No, No, No Part 2". Even after much-publicized turmoil involving the departure of LeToya Luckett and LaTavia Roberson, Destiny's Child (eventually a trio) became the most successful R&B/pop acts of the early 2000s, charting four Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles, several top ten hits, and two number-one albums.

Their 1998 Platinum-selling debut album Destiny's Child was produced by Wyclef Jean and Jermaine Dupri and featured the double Platinum number-one single "No, No, No Part 2". The group's second album, The Writing's on the Wall, released in 1999, featured two number-one hits: "Bills, Bills, Bills" and "Say My Name". "Bug a Boo" and "Jumpin' Jumpin'" were also popular singles from the album. It went on to sell thirteen million copies worldwide and eight million in the U.S. Furthermore, "Say My Name" won two awards at the 2001 Grammy Awards: "Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals" and "Best R&B Song".

Their following album, Survivor, proved to be another big success, going to number one on both the U.S. Billboard 200 and Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, as well as the Canadian and the UK albums charts. Two singles from the album went to the top of the Hot 100: "Independent Women Part I" and "Bootylicious", while "Survivor", the album's title track, reached number two. In the United Kingdom, the first two tracks released reached number one consecutively. "Independent Women Part I" had been the theme song for the film Charlie's Angels (2000), before the album's release. The title track, "Survivor", won the group their third Grammy Award, "Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal".

#1's (2005)

In 2001, Knowles won the "Songwriter of the Year" award from the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers Pop Music Awards. She is the first African-American female and second overall female songwriter of all time to accomplish this.

After the three-year journey that involved concentration on individual solo projects, Knowles rejoined Rowland and Williams for Destiny's Child's fourth (and so far final) studio album, Destiny Fulfilled, released in November 2004. The album hit number two on the Billboard 200 and spawned the hits "Lose My Breath", "Soldier", "Girl", and "Cater 2 U". It has sold eight million copies worldwide.

In 2005, Destiny's Child embarked on a world tour sponsored by McDonald's titled Destiny Fulfilled ... And Lovin' It, visiting over seventy cities throughout Australia, Asia, Europe, and North America from April to September. On June 13, 2005 it was announced that the group would disband after their world tour ended in September 2005. In October 2005, the group released their final album, entitled #1's, including all of Destiny's Child's number-one hits and most of their well-known songs. The greatest hits collection also includes three new tracks, including "Stand Up for Love". The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and number seven on the UK Singles Chart. #1's has gone on to sell three million copies worldwide; it was also the best-selling number ones album by a female group ever.

Solo career

Her debut solo single "Work It Out" was featured on a soundtrack to an Austin Powers movie in which she played a lead role. The song "Work It Out" tanked hard and was a major flop. It remains Knowles's biggest commercial disappointment to date in the U.S., where radio stations barely played the song and the video received almost no exposure.

During the autumn of 2002, Beyoncé was the featured vocalist on rapper Jay-Z's hit single, "'03 Bonnie & Clyde". In the spring of 2003, Beyoncé remade a duet with Luther Vandross, "The Closer I Get to You", originally made famous by Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway. In this version, the vocal parts are switched, with Vandross taking Flack's part and Knowles taking Hathaway's. The song was included on both her solo debut album and on Vandross's Dance with My Father album, and the two shared the Grammy for "Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals" that same year. She recently collaborated with her beau, Jay-Z, on his latest album, Kingdom Come, providing the vocals and the hook for the track entitled "Hollywood".

Dangerously in Love (2003)

File:Dangerously in Love llow.jpg

Dangerously in Love (2003)

In 2003, Knowles released her debut solo album, Dangerously in Love. The album entered the Billboard 200 at number one selling 317,000 copies in its first week. It was certified Platinum just three weeks later on June 22 2003. Its first single, the funky "Crazy in Love", was a track constructed around a propulsive riff sampled from The Chi-Lites' 1970 "Are You My Woman (Tell Me So)" and featured a guest rap from Jay-Z. It rapidly became one of the biggest hits of that summer, staying at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for eight weeks. Dangerously in Love went to the top of the album charts in the UK, Canada, the Netherlands, Germany, Greece, and the Philippines, and peaked on both the U.S. Billboard 200 and R&B charts. The album has sold over four million copies in the U.S. and over nine million copies worldwide. When her single and album simultaneously topped the main charts in both the U.S. and the UK, she became the first act to achieve this feat since Men at Work in 1983 and The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, and Rod Stewart in the 1960s and 1970s; she is the first and so far the only female artist to do this. Beyoncé was consequently one of the biggest-selling artists of 2003.

Towards the end of the summer, "Baby Boy", Dangerously in Love's second single, which featured dancehall artist Sean Paul, began to climb the charts. It went on to become one of the biggest hits of 2003, dominating radio airplay in the autumn of 2003, and spending nine weeks at number one – one week longer than "Crazy in Love". Afterwards Knowles released her third solo single, "Me, Myself and I"; Dangerously in Love's fourth single, "Naughty Girl", came out in mid-2004.

Template:Sample box start variation 2 Template:Multi-listen start Template:Multi-listen item Template:Multi-listen item Template:Multi-listen end Template:Sample box end At the 2004 Grammy Awards ceremony, Knowles won a record-tying five Grammy Awards for her solo effort, which included "Best Female R&B Vocal Performance" for "Dangerously in Love 2," Best R&B Song for "Crazy In Love," and Best Contemporary R&B Album". Three other female artists hold this record: Lauryn Hill (1999), Alicia Keys (2002), and Norah Jones (2003). She also won a Brit Award in 2004 for "International Female Solo Artist" in the United Kingdom.

In December 2005, Knowles released "Check on It", featuring rappers Slim Thug and (on the official remix) Bun B. The song was from the Destiny's Child's greatest hits compilation, #1's and the soundtrack to the 2006 film The Pink Panther and it was Knowles' sixth top five hit and third number one in the U.S.

At the 2006 Grammy Awards, Knowles won a Grammy in the category of "Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals" for the song "So Amazing", a duet with Stevie Wonder from the Luther Vandross tribute album So Amazing: An All-Star Tribute to Luther Vandross.

B’Day (2006)

File:Beyonce - B'Day.jpg

B’Day (2006)

Knowles' second studio album B’Day was released worldwide on September 4, 2006 and on September 5, 2006 in the U.S. to coincide with the celebration of Knowles's twenty-fifth birthday. In its first week, the album sold more than 541,000 copies in the U.S., immediately coming in at number one, making it her highest first-week sales as a solo artist. This is also the highest first-week sales of any solo female artist in 2006, a record which used to be held by pop singer Christina Aguilera whose platinum album Back to Basics sold 346,000 copies in its first week. In the UK, it debuted at number three with sales of 35,000 copies, and has sold in excess of 370,000 copies, making the album Platinum. "Deja Vu", the album's first single, features Jay-Z. Also with the co-production by Rodney Jerkins. Other co-producers on B’Day included Rich Harrison, The Neptunes, and Swizz Beatz. The album was Platinum in a month of its initial release. Currently, the album is certified triple Platinum and has sold 2.7 million copies in the U.S. and over 4.7 million copies worldwide.

The album's lead single "Deja Vu" became a top five hit in the United States and a number-one hit on the U.S. R&B chart and the UK chart, making it Knowles's second UK number-one single, when it climbed twenty spots to take the top spot over Shakira featuring Wyclef Jean's "Hips Don't Lie" in the week of August 27, 2006.

The second single, "Ring the Alarm", was leaked to the Internet on August 8, 2006. The video for "Ring the Alarm" was released on August 16, 2006 on Yahoo.com and peaked at number one on the site's video chart. "Ring the Alarm" became Beyoncé's highest-charting single debut, when it debuted at number twelve on the singles chart. It was her second single to miss the top ten in the U.S. ("Work It Out" majorly flopped as her debut solo single). Outside North America, "Irreplaceable" was released as the album's second international single in October 2006. The single debuted at number eighty-seven on the Hot 100 and number forty-two on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. The song peaked at number four on the UK Singles Chart. It has also been taking over on the Irish Singles Chart, peaking at number one in its second week. "Irreplaceable" is her fourth number one as solo artist on Billboard Hot 100 chart. It is Knowles's eighth top ten hit in the U.S. as a solo artist and fourth number-one hit on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. In December 2006, a Spanish-language version of "Irreplaceable", called "Imprescindible", was released. "Irreplaceable" spent ten consecutive weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100.

Beyonce will also re-release B'Day as a Deluxe Edition and Video Anthology on April 3,2007. It will be a 3 discs set, Disc 1 the original B'Day will including 5 new songs, Disc 2 will include 6 spanish songs; Impresindible (Irreplaceable), Oye (Listen), and 2 spanish remixes of Beautiful Liar. Disc 3 will be a Video Anthology composed of the original trakcs on B'Day and Beautiful Liar featuring Shakira.

On December 6, the nominations for the 2007 Grammy Awards were announced, and Beyoncé received five:

• "Best Female R&B Vocal Performance" for "Ring the Alarm"
• "Best R&B Song" for "Deja Vu"
• "Best Contemporary R&B Album" for B’Day
• "Best Rap/Sung Collaboration" for "Deja Vu"
• "Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical" for "Deja Vu" (Freemasons Club Mix - No Rap) (remixed by Russell Small and James Wiltshire)

She won "Best Contemporary R&B Album". Knowles has also confirmed rumors to Univision that she and Latin superstar Shakira will be releasing a Spanglish Latin pop song entitled "Beautiful Liar". It was featured on the re-issue of B’Day, which will also include Spanish-language versions of "Irreplaceable", "Listen", and "Beautiful Liar". On February 28, "Beautiful Liar" and "Upgrade U", Knowles' fourth collaboration with Jay-Z, were released as the latest singles from the deluxe edition of B’Day. To promote the new releases, Knowles premiered music videos for both singles on MTV's Total Request Live and BET's 106 & Park on February 28, 2007, respectively.

In 2007, Knowles will embark on her lengthy B'Day World Tour which has sold out various shows worldwide. She will tour from the beginning of the spring of 2007 to the end of the summer of 2007.

Modeling

During the fall of 2003, Knowles modeled a dress at the Versace fashion show in Milan, Italy alongside pop singer Mariah Carey. Additionally, Knowles has modeled at the House of Deréon 2006 spring runway show in New York City. She also modeled for the clothing brand's 2007 spring ad campaign with sister Solange Knowles. Moreover, she made history by being the first non-model, non-athlete to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue.

Personal life

Since 2002, Knowles has privately and as of lately publicly dated rapper Jay-Z. The couple have never publicly discussed their relationship, but have been steadily coming out of their shell as a couple. Beyoncé has stated that she believes that not publicly discussing their relationship has helped them. Jay-Z has said in People magazine article that "[Beyoncé and I] don't play with our relationship".

Film career

In 2001, Knowles turned to acting, starring alongside actor Mekhi Phifer in the MTV made-for-television film Carmen: A Hip Hopera.

In the summer of 2002, Beyoncé co-starred in the film Austin Powers in Goldmember, playing Foxxy Cleopatra opposite Mike Myers and Michael Caine. Beyoncé also recorded the song "Work It Out" for the film's soundtrack. "Work It Out" was a top ten hit in the UK and a top forty hit in the Netherlands, Australia, and Ireland, despite being Knowles's biggest commercial disappointment to date in the U.S., where radio stations barely played the song and the video received very minor exposure, playing only on digital video channels, MTV Jams, and VH1 Soul.

In 2003, Knowles starred opposite Cuba Gooding, Jr. in the film The Fighting Temptations, and recorded a song for it called "Fighting Temptation", alongside female rappers Missy Elliott, MC Lyte, and Free. Unlike Knowles' own singles, the song did not become a hit, although the film was a moderate success at the box office.

Knowles co-starred in the film The Pink Panther, playing the role of Xania, an international pop star, opposite Steve Martin, who plays Inspector Clouseau. The film was released on February 10, 2006, and was number one at the box office on its opening weekend. With Austin Powers in Goldmember and The Pink Panther, Knowles appeared in two films that opened at number one at the box office; the two films have grossed over $481,364,728 worldwide.

Knowles's latest film work is Dreamgirls, the film adaptation of the hit 1981 Broadway musical about a 1960s singing group loosely based on Motown all-female group The Supremes, as the Diana Ross-based character Deena Jones. The film received a limited release on December 15, 2006 and a wider release on December 25, 2006. On December 14, 2006, Beyoncé was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards for the film Dreamgirls – "Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy" and "Best Original Song" for "Listen". The film opened number three at the box office with an eight-million-dollar opening weekend. Beyoncé was quoted to say this was her first real acting film. Dreamgirls was nominated for eight 2007 Academy Awards – including "Best Original Song" for "Listen" –, of which it won two. The film has passed the $100 million dollar gross mark in the United States.

Philanthropy

Knowles, music producer David Foster, and his daughter, Amy Foster Gillies, wrote Destiny's Child's single "Stand Up for Love" for World Children's Day, an event which takes place annually around the world on November 20 to raise awareness and funds for children's causes worldwide. Destiny's Child lent their voices and support as global ambassadors for the 2005 World Children's Day program.

Knowles and Kelly Rowland, along with Mathew Knowles, Tina Knowles, and sister Solange Knowles recently announced the formation of the Survivor Foundation, a charitable entity set up for the purpose of providing transitional housing for 2005 Hurricane Katrina victims and storm evacuees in the Houston, Texas area. The Survivor Foundation extends the philanthropic mission of the "Knowles-Rowland Center For Youth", a multi-purpose community outreach facility in downtown Houston.

Controversy

Animal rights organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) have voiced concern over Beyoncé wearing and using fur in her clothing line, House of Deréon. After winning an online eBay auction, offered by VH1 for the Save the Music Foundation, to dine with Knowles in June 2006, two PETA members confronted the singer at a restaurant in New York City about her use of fur. Knowles did not respond, and the PETA members were escorted out. On August 25, 2006, PETA wrote a letter of concern to Beyoncé about the treatment of baby alligators in a photoshoot. Knowles spoke to Arena magazine about the photoshoot for "Ring the Alarm", where a baby alligator had its mouth taped shut. She told Arena, "There was a shot where I held an alligator. (It) had (its) mouth taped – that was my bright idea." Knowles added, "He was really cute, but since his mouth was taped, he didn't have any way to defend himself. He was upset, so he peed on me. That was an experience." The organization contacted a biologist, who wrote a letter to Knowles. "As a specialist in reptile biology and welfare, I'm concerned about your posing with a terrified baby alligator for your new album cover." He added, "Humans and alligators are not natural bedfellows, and the two should not mix at events such as photo shoots. In my view, doing so is arguably abusive to an animal"

Discography

Further information: [[:Beyoncé Knowles discography]]

Albums

Cover	Information
File:Beyonce - Dangerously in Love - Album.jpg	Dangerously in Love Released: June 24 2003 Chart positions: #1 U.S., #1 U.S. R&B, #1 UK, #2 AUS, #1 GER U.S. certification: 4x Platinum U.S. sales: 4 million Worldwide sales: 11 million
File:Beyonce wembley.jpg	Live at Wembley Released: April 27 2004 Chart positions: #17 U.S., #8 U.S. R&B, #2 UK, #59 GER U.S. certification: 2x Platinum U.S. sales: +200,000 (Video Longform) Worldwide sales:
File:Beyonce - B'Day.jpg	B’Day Released: September 5 2006 Chart positions: #1 U.S., #1 U.S. R&B, #3 UK, #8 AUS, #5 GER U.S. certification: 3x Platinum U.S. sales: 2.7 million Worldwide sales: 4.7 million

Singles

Year	Single	Chart positions[1]
		U.S.	U.S. R&B	U.S. dance	U.S. pop	UK	IRE	AUS	NZ	SWI	ISR	POL	EUR	JPN	WOR
2002	"'03 Bonnie & Clyde" (Jay-Z featuring Beyoncé)	4	5	—	—	2	20	2	4	1	1	3	3	49	7
2003	"Crazy in Love" (featuring Jay-Z)	1	1	1	—	1	1	2	2	3	1	1	1	1	1
	"Baby Boy" (featuring Sean Paul)	1	1	2	—	2	6	2	3	5	2	1	4	29	3
	"Me, Myself and I"	4	2	3	—	11	21	11	18	41	1	3	32	8	8
2004	"Naughty Girl"	3	8	1	—	10	14	9	6	18	1	1	8	1	6
2005	"Check on It" (featuring Slim Thug)	1	3	1	1	3	2	—	1	7	1	1	6	1	2
2006	"Deja Vu" (featuring Jay-Z)	4	1	1	10	1	3	12	15	3	6	1	5	21	8
	"Ring the Alarm"	11	3	1	19	—	—	—	—	—	11	46	—	16	37
	"Irreplaceable"	1	1	1	1	4	1	1	1	9	2	1	4	2	1
	"Listen"	61	23	—	63	16	6	32	—	10	—	1	34	18	28
2007	"Upgrade U" (featuring Jay-Z)	59	11
	"Beautiful Liar" (featuring Shakira)

Filmography

Poster for the film Dreamgirls, in which Beyoncé stars as Deena Jones

Year	Title	Role	Notes
2001	Carmen: A Hip Hopera	Carmen Brown	Television film
2002	Austin Powers in Goldmember	Foxxy Cleopatra	Debuted at number one; grossed $296,633,907 worldwide
2003	The Fighting Temptations	Lilly	Debuted at number three; grossed $32,445,215 worldwide
2004	Fade to Black	Herself	Music documentary about Jay-Z
2006	The Pink Panther	Xania	Debuted at number one; grossed $158,399,967 worldwide
	Dreamgirls	Deena Jones	Limited roadshow release December 15 2006; wide release on December 25 2006.

Awards

Main article: Beyoncé Knowles awards and nominations

Records and achievements

• First African-American female and second overall female to win the "Songwriter of the Year" award from the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers Pop Music Awards (2001).
• First and only woman to have a single and album simultaneously topping the main charts in both the U.S. and the UK (2003).
• Tied for most Grammy Awards won in a single night by a female artist (five in 2004).
• Most weeks spent at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in the 21st century by a female artist (thirty-two weeks with four singles).
• Most weeks spent at the top of the Billboard Hot 100 in a single year by a female artist (seventeen weeks in 2003).
• Lead singer of the world's best-selling female group of all time, Destiny's Child.
• First non-athlete, non-model to be on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue and also the second African-American (the first being Tyra Banks) to do so (2007).
• Ranked number one on AskMen.com's list of Top 99 Most Desirable Women of 2007, voted by 8.5 million men.
• Tied for third most successful song on the Billboard Hot 100 by a solo female artist (Irreplaceable).
• Irreplaceable is the first song to top twelve Billboard charts simultaneously (December 30, 2006).
• First artist to have a number-one song ("Check on It"), a number-one film (The Pink Panther), and win a Grammy Award in the same week (February 2006).
• Second artist to have two songs in the same year passing the two hundred-million audience mark ("Irreplaceable" and "Check on It" in 2006).
• Female artist to have the #1 single and win a Grammy in the same week twice, "Check on It" & "Irreplaceable", consecutively.

Endorsements and products

• House of Deréon – her clothing line, named after her maternal grandmother, is sold in most major U.S. department stores.
• Pepsi
• L'Oréal
• Tommy Hilfiger fragrances
  • True Star (2004)
  • True Star Gold (2005)
• Got Milk? campaign
• McDonald's (as part of the Destiny's Child farewell tour, Destiny Fulfilled... And Lovin' It)
• Samantha Thavasa (Japan)
• Ford
• Walt Disney Theme Parks – appeared in an advertisement dressed as Alice from Alice in Wonderland.

See also

• List of African Americans
• List of Louisiana Creoles
• List of best-selling music artists
• List of number-one hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the Hot 100 (U.S.)
• List of number-one rhythm and blues hits (United States)
• List of number-one dance hits (United States)
• List of artists who reached number one on the U.S. Dance chart
• List of number-one albums from the 2000s (UK)
• List of number-one singles from the 2000s (UK)
• List of artists who reached number one on the UK Singles Chart
• List of artists who reached number one on the Australian singles chart
• List of artists who reached number one in Ireland
• Artists achieving simultaneous U.S. and UK number-one hits
• List of celebrities who have been Punk'd on Seasons 1 to 5

References

• "The Ice Princess", by Jonah Weiner, Blender magazine, October 2006, retrieved September 19 2006.

Footnotes

Interviews

• Blender magazine interview (October, 2006)
• The Guardian interview (August 18, 2006)
• BBC interview (August 16, 2006)
• Interview at Cannes Film Festival (May 19, 2006)
• Monsters and Critics.com Q&A (February 8, 2006)
• IGN Films interview (February 8, 2006)
• ComingSoon.net interview (February 6, 2006)
• About.com interview (February 2006)
• Teen Music interview (September 19, 2003)
• Cinema Confidential interview (September 16, 2003)
• Film Monthly interview (September 17, 2002)
• Life After Fame interview (December 18, 2006)