Knowles, Beyoncé

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Beyoncé Knowles

Singer, actor

Beyoncé Knowles has become such a force in popular music that she is known by just her first name. After launching her singing career at the age of 10, Beyoncé helped Destiny's Child become one of the most successful female vocal groups of all time. The group's first three R&B/pop albums sold 33 million copies before Beyoncé embarked on a solo career. With her two solo albums, and a multitude of Grammy Awards, Beyoncé has become a worldwide superstar able to ease from pop to hip-hop radio in a heartbeat. Collaborations with boyfriend Jay-Z and the best producers in the game, has earned Beyoncé comparisons to the some of the greatest female singers of all time, foreshadowing an extensive and successful career.

Born on September 4, 1981 in Houston, Texas, like many future singing stars, Beyoncé began singing in the church choir at seven years old. Born to be on a stage, she was taking dancing lessons as well when her father, Matthew Knowles, acting as manager, put together a singing group consisting of Beyoncé, her cousin Kelly Rowland, Latavia Roberson, and Letoya Luckett. Dubbed Destiny's Child, the group began performing in public as early as 1990. Beyoncé's mother, Tina Knowles, made the girls' costumes and Matthew kept the singing group on a very tight rehearsal schedule. Homeschooled until the eighth grade, Beyoncé and her friends would practice nearly every day on a stage her father built in the back yard. When she was a teen, Beyoncé attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston.

Seventeen years old, and already writing songs, Beyoncé and Destiny's Child signed a deal with Columbia records to release their self-titled debut album in 1998. The following year, Destiny's Child released The Writing's on the Wall. With the hit singles "Bills, Bills, Bills," "Say My Name," and "Jumpin' Jumpin,'" The Writing's on the Wall went to sell more than six million copies and earned the group two Grammy Awards in 2000 (Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for "Say My Name" and Best R&B Song "Say My Name"). Soon after their success, the group would go through changes, adding and losing members over the next few years. The first Destiny's Child change up was the replacement of Luckett and Roberson by Michelle Williams and Farrah Franklin (who left shortly after).

With millions of album sales under their belts, Destiny's Child was on their way to becoming one of the most successful female singing groups of all time. Now a trio, in 2001 Destiny's Child delivered the Grammy-winning album Survivor. With sales of over 4.3 million copies, Survivor issued a string of hugely popular singles, including "Independent Women Part I," "Survivor," and "Bootylicious." Although the group seemed tight knit, it was always clear from the beginning that with her voice, looks, and songwriting talent, Beyoncé was the star of the group. Beyoncé's first venture outside the group was with a starring role in the MTV made-for-TV movie Carmen: A Hip Hopera. In 2002, Beyoncé broke more ground as the second woman ever to win the ASCAP Pop Songwriter of the Year award.

Beyoncé's dominating beauty was a clear force on the big screen and after co-starring with Mike Myers in 2002's Austin Powers in Goldmember, offers came left and right for the singer/actress. It had been rumored that Beyoncé had a romantic relationship with hip-hop mega star Jay-Z and with her appearance on Jay-Z's 2002 single "'03 Bonnie & Clyde," it was obvious that the couple also had chemistry.

With Destiny's Child on hiatus, Beyoncé set time to write and record a solo album. In June of 2003, Columbia produced the multiplatinum album Dangerously in Love. Entering the Billboard 200 chart at number one, Beyoncé blew up radio airwaves with the singles "Crazy in Love" (featuring Jay-Z), "Me, Myself and I," "Baby Boy" (with Sean Paul), and "Naughty Girl." Beyoncé took home an incredible five Grammy Awards that year, including awards for Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, Best Contemporary R&B album, Best R&B Song, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, and with Luther Vandross, Best R&B Performance By a Duo or Group with Vocals for the duet "The Closer I Get To You." That spring, Beyoncé embarked on a solo summer tour with Alicia Keys and Missy Elliott.

With Beyoncé's success as a solo artist, many forgot about Destiny's Child. The group came out of hiding for their final album of new recordings with 2004's Destiny Fulfilled. Later issuing the hits package #1's, the trio announced that after their final tour, Destiny's Child would be no more. A much in demand solo performer, in 2005, Beyoncé and Stevie Wonder took home a Grammy for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for their duet "So Amazing" (a track from the Luther Vandross Tribute album So Amazing: An All-Star Tribute to Luther Vandross). The singer also filmed the movie The Pink Panther with Steve Martin, which was released in early 2006 along with her the new single "Check on It."

When it came time for Beyoncé to work on her sophomore solo album, she wanted to do it on her own accord, without a deadline. So without telling Columbia Records or even her father, Beyoncé recorded her second album on her own dime. Wanting to step up her music a notch and break out, Beyoncé co-produced tracks with The Neptunes, Jay-Z, and Swizz Beatz. During writing and recording, Beyoncé used a method she had learned from Jay-Z in which she put all of her producers in three separate rooms in the studio at the same time. She would go back and forth between them, sharing ideas. "My ear for beats has changed," she explained to Blender. "I used to pick beats for big pop records, but that's not what I want now. My taste is more interesting since Jay."

For the Record …

Born Beyoncé Giselle Knowles on September 4, 1981 in Houston, Texas; daughter of Matthew and Tina Knowles.

With group Destiny's Child, signed to Columbia, released debut Destiny's Child, 1998, The Writing's on the Wall, 1999; won two Grammy Awards, 2000; released Survivor, won Grammy Award, 2001; as a solo artist signed to Columbia, released Dangerously in Love, won five Grammy Awards, 2003; (With Destiny's Child) released Destiny Fulfilled, 2004; released sophomore solo album B'Day, 2006. Actress in films, including MTV's Carmen: A Hip Hopera, 2001, Austin Powers in Goldmember, 2002, The Fighting Temptations, 2003, The Pink Panther, 2006, Dreamgirls, 2006.

Awards: (With Destiny's Child) Grammy Awards, Best R&B Performance By a Duo or Group with Vocal for "Say My Name" and Best R&B Song for "Say My Name," 2000; Grammy Award, Best R&B Performance By a Duo or Group with Vocal for "Survivor," 2001; ASCAP Pop Songwriter of the Year, 2002; (Solo) Grammy Awards, (With Jay-Z) Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Crazy in Love," Best Contemporary R&B album for Dangerously in Love, Best R&B Song for "Crazy in Love," Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for "Dangerously in Love 2," and (With Luther Vandross) Best R&B Performance By a Duo or Group with Vocals for "The Closer I Get To You," 2003; Grammy Award, (With Stevie Wonder), Best R&B Performance By a Duo or Group with Vocals for "So Amazing," 2005.

Addresses: Record company—Columbia Records, 2100 Colorado Ave., Santa Monica, CA 90404; 550 Madison Ave., 24th Fl., New York, NY 10022, website: http://www.columbiarecords.com. Website—Beyoncé Official Website: http://www.beyonceonline.com.

Beyoncé's second solo album, B'Day, was released on September 5, 2006, one day after her 25th birthday. B'Day, like Dangerously in Love, debuted at number one. "On … B'Day, the songs arrive in huge gusts of rhythm and emotion, with Beyoncé's voice rippling over clattery beats; you'd have to search far and wide—perhaps in the halls of the Metropolitan Opera—to find a vocalist who sings with more sheer force," wrote Judy Rosen in Entertainment Weekly. With guest vocals by Jay-Z, B'Day's first single "Deja Vu," instantly topped the charts. "I think he's one of the best rappers; he thinks I'm one of the best singers," Beyoncé told Blender about featuring Jay-Z yet again on her first single. "If you've got Jay-Z's phone number, why would you get anyone else?" Eclectic producer Swizz Beats helped to create the album's second single, "Ring the Alarm." The siren-blasting song was heated and confrontational, offering a harder edge to Beyoncé, confirming her ingenuity. "I didn't want to write some 'angry' song," Beyoncé stated on her website about the explosive "Ring the Alarm." "Swizz's track had that tough vibe, like the guy had cheated, and I wanted to write something honest. If you're in a relationship, even if the man's cheating and you end up not wanting him, the thought of another woman benefiting from the lessons you taught him. That's gonna kill you!" People's Chuck Arnold noticed the difference when he wrote that the album contained "beat-driven tracks boasting more soul, more sass and more sex appeal."

Selected discography

(With Destiny's Child) Destiny's Child, Columbia, 1998.
(With Destiny's Child) The Writing's on the Wall, Columbia, 1999.
(With Destiny's Child) Survivor, Columbia, 2001.
(Contributor) Carmen: A Hip Hopera (soundtrack), Columbia, 2001.
(Contributor) Austin Powers in Goldmember (soundtrack), Maverick, 2002.
(Contributor) The Fighting Temptations (soundtrack), Sony, 2003.
Dangerously in Love, Columbia, 2003.
(With Destiny's Child) Destiny Fulfilled, Columbia, 2004.
B'Day, Columbia, 2006.
(Contributor) Dreamgirls: Music from the Motion Picture (soundtrack) Columbia, 2006.