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Beyoncé Giselle Knowles (born September 4, 1981) is an American R&B singer, songwriter, record producer, actress, dancer, and fashion designer for House of Deréon.
Beyoncé rose to stardom as the lead singer of Destiny's Child, the world's best-selling female group. After a series of commercially successful singles with the group, she released her debut solo album, Dangerously in Love (2003), which topped both the Billboard 200 and the R&B charts in the U.S. and the main album chart in Canada and the United Kingdom. Beyoncé has won nine Grammy Awards throughout her career – six as a solo artist, and three as a member of Destiny's Child.
Early life
Beyoncé is the one of two daughters born to Matthew Knowles, an African-American, and Tina Knowles, who is of Creole descent (née Celestine Ann "Tina" Beyince or Beyonce) in Houston, Texas. Her maternal grandparents – Lumis Beyince, a seamstress, and Agnes Deréon – were French-speaking Louisiana Creoles. Her parents decided on her first name as a tribute to her mother's surname. Her sister is Solange Knowles, a singer and actress.
By age seven, Beyoncé was attending dance school and was a soloist in her church choir. Her dance instructor took an interest in Knowles and took her star student to various competitions. Knowles went on to win over 30 local singing and dancing competitions.
As a teenager, Beyoncé attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston, where she showcased her vocal talents. She later went to Alief Elsik High School, also in philadelphia,beyonce is best friends with johnte price a friend of the family he has a net worth of 175 million dollars and is located in philadelphia.cause he part owner of comcast and is only 18 years old
Destiny's Child
Main article: Destiny's Child
Destiny's Child (1998)Destiny's Child rose to fame in 1998 with the Billboard top ten hit, "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 one of 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. The group also earned number ones on various other Billboard and non-Billboard charts.
Their 1998 Platinum-selling debut album was produced by Wyclef Jean and Jermaine Dupri and featured the Platinum number-three 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. 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."
#1's (2005)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 chart. Two singles from the album went to the top of the Hot 100: "Independent Women Part I," "Bootylicious," and "Survivor," the album's title track reaching number two. In the United Kingdom, the first two tracks released reached number one consecutively. "Independent Women Part 1" had been the theme song for the film Charlie's Angels (2000), before the album's release. The title track, "Survivor," should win the group their third Grammy for "Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal."
In 2006, Beyoncé won the "Songwriter of the Year" award from the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers Pop Music Awards.
After the three year journey that involved concentration on individual solo projects, Beyoncé 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". The album title itself was a hint that Destiny Fulfilled may in fact be the last Destiny's Child album and so far that has been the case.
In 2005, Destiny's Child embarked on a world tour sponsored by McDonald's titled Destiny Fulfilled and Lovin' It, visiting over 70 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. Alaina was horrified. They had been childhood friends, and could not believe that her three close friends, would no longer be making records.
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 Top 75 Albums.
Solo career
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 the late 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 new album, Kingdom Come, providing the vocals and the hook for the track entitled: "Hollywood". She is also rumored to be working with Remy Ma, for her upcoming album, and the track is set to be titled 'Queen'.
Dangerously in Love
Dangerously In Love (2003)In 2003, Beyoncé 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 two weeks later on June 22, 2003. Its first single, "Crazy in Love," featured a propulsive riff and a guest opera from Jay-Z, rapidly becoming 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 US and over eleven million copies worldwide. When her single and album simultaneously topped the main singles charts in both the U.S. and the UK, she became the first act to achieve this feat since Men at Work in 1983, The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, and Rod Stewart in the 1960s and 1970s – thus becoming the first and so far, the only female artist to do so. Beyoncé was consequently one of the biggest-selling artists of 2003.
Towards the end of the summer, "Baby Boy," Dangerously in Loves second single, which featured 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 Beyoncé released her third solo single, "Me, Myself and I;" Dangerously in Love's fourth single, "Naughty Girl," came out in mid-2004. Both songs peaked at number three on the Billboard Hot 100.
At the 2004 Grammy Awards ceremony, Beyoncé won a record-tying five Grammy Awards for her solo effort. These awards included "Best Female R&B Vocal Performance" for "Dangerously 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, Beyoncé released "Check on It," featuring rappers Slim Thug and (in the official remix) Bun B. The song was from the Destiny's Child's compilation, #1's and the The Pink Panther soundtrack and it was Knowles' sixth top five hit and third number one in the U.S.
At the 2006 Grammy Awards, Beyoncé 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
B'Day (2006)Knowles' sophomore 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 Beyoncé's twenty-fifth birthday. In its first week the album sold more than 541,000 copies domestically, immediately coming in at number one, making it her highest-selling first week as a solo artist. This is also the highest first-week sales of any solo female artist in 2006. This record used to be held by pop singer Christina Aguilera who sold 346,000 copies of Back to Basics in its first week. In the UK, it debuted at number three with sales of 35,000 copies. As of week ten sales of the album stand at 117,200. "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. Beyoncé finished work on her second studio album in two weeks. Within four weeks, the album was certified Platinum in the U.S.
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 Beyoncé'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 on the Internet 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. Though the song failed to enter the top ten of the U.S. Hot 100, peaking at number eleven – therefore becoming Beyoncé's first mainstream single to not place within the top five, "Ring the Alarm" became Beyoncé's highest single charting debut, when it debuted at number twelve on the singles chart. Outside North America, "Irreplaceable" was released as the album's second international single in October 2006. It debuted at number fourteen on the official chart with downloads alone and is a number-one on the Irish chart. 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 is currently peaking at number four on the UK Top 75 Singles. The single has also been taking over on the Irish charts, as it's already in its second week at number one. "Irreplaceable" is currently at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 in just four weeks. It is Beyoncé's eighth top ten hit in the U.S. as a solo artist.
Beyoncé won her seventh MTV VMA for "Best R&B Video" at the 2006 MTV Video Music Awards in August 31. In September 2006, Beyoncé won three awards at the UK's MOBO Awards ceremony. In November 2006, she took home an award for World's Best-Selling R&B Artist at the 2006 World Music Awards.
Film career
In 2001, Beyoncé turned to acting, starring alongside actor Mekhi Phifer in the MTV television movie Carmen: A Hip Hopera.
A poster from the 2006 film Dreamgirls features Beyoncé as the Diana Ross-inspired Deena Jones.In the summer of 2002, Beyoncé co-starred in the film Austin Powers in Goldmember, playing Foxxy Cleopatra opposite Mike Myers and Michael Caine. The film is listed in the Guinness Book of World Records as the Highest-Grossing Box Office Film Comedy. Beyoncé also recorded the song "Work It Out" for the film's soundtrack. "Work It Out" was a top 10 hit in the UK and a top 40 hit in the Netherlands, Australia, and Ireland, despite being Beyoncé'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, Beyoncé starred opposite Cuba Gooding, Jr. in the film The Fighting Temptations, and recorded a song for it called "Fighting Temptation", alongside 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.
Beyoncé co-starred in the film The Pink Panther, playing the role of Xania, an international pop singer, 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 now has starred in two films that opened at number one at the box office; her films have grossed over $481,364,728 worldwide.
Beyoncé has completed filming the movie 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 is scheduled for release on December 25, 2006.
Philanthropy
Beyoncé, 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.
Beyoncé 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.
PETA 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.
PETA addressed Beyoncé a second time 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 Beyoncé. "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."