Beyonce was born on September 4, 1981, in Huston, Texas to parents, father Matthew Knowles, a successful African American record manager and mother Tina Beyincé, an American costume designer and hair stylist of French descent. On support of her parents, she was enrolled to performing art schools ever since her childhood and ultimately she grew up to become a popular American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer, and actress. Her younger sister Solange Knowles too followed her steps and become a song writer.Beyonce studied at St. Mary's Elementary School in Texas and joined dance class including ballet and jazz. Her talent was noticed by her dance teacher first who was humming a song and Beyonce finished that song clearly touching the high pitch notes, she was then encouraged to participate in school talent shows and this is how she started her singing career. At the age of 7, she won a talent show contest singing John Lennon's "Imagine" and beating contestants aged above 15 and during the event she was honored with standing ovation.
Beyonce then joined Parker Elementary School, a music magnate school in Houston and there she used to participate in school’s choir. She was also a soloist in her church’s choir group in St. John's United Methodist Church. In later half of her academic years, she attended High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston and attended Alief Elsik High School too.
Career in Music
Formation of Girl's Tyme and Re-Christening of Group’s Name to Destiny’s Child
It was in 1990 that Knowles (10) along with five others namely HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T%C3%A1mar" \o "Támar" Támar Davis (12), Kelly Rowland (11), dancer and rapper LaTavia Roberson (10), Nikki Taylor (13), and her sister Nina Taylor (11) were chosen to form a new all girl group. As a group named Girl's Tyme, they performed in various venues around Houston and gathered people’s attention. Then they prepared themselves to participate in famous national talent search television show Star Search hoping to win and kick off their career in music, but unfortunately they lost in the contest and subsequently with some misunderstanding, team of six distorted and Beyonce, Kelly, and LaTavia along with another artist HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/LeToya_Luckett" \o "LeToya Luckett" LeToya Luckett formed a new group. Beyonce father then left his high earning job to manage girls’ team fulltime and finally re-christened the group as Destiny's ChildI in 1993, taking name reference from the book of Isaiah in the Bible.
Work with Destiny’s Child, Movie Career and Her Solo Work
Destiny’s Child began performing in local events and their efforts paid off after four years when the group was signed to Columbia Records in late 1997 and the same year they successfully recorded their first debut song "Killing Time" for film Men in Black.
In 1998, the group released their first album named “Destiny’s Child” with hit solo numbers like No, No, No, With Me, album generate moderate sale and they won 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.
Then they released their sophomore album The Writing's on the Wall in 1999 with famous hits like Bills, Bills, Bills, HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jumpin%27_Jumpin%27" \o "Jumpin' Jumpin'" Jumpin Jumpin and signature song Say My Name. Their signature song later won the Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and the Best R&B Song at the 2001 Grammy Awards.
The girls then recorded Independent Women Part I which appeared on the soundtrack to the film Charlie's Angels. Their third album survivor was released in may 2001 which was a biggest hit and reached recorded number one on U.S. Billboard 200 with 663,000 units sold, title track Survivor earned the group a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. Then came another album 8 Days of Christmas and they announced their group’s temporary separation.
Even though she was in group, she was featured in a song number I Got That by rapper HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amil" \o "Amil" Amil in his debut album All Money Is Legal, and was seen in MTV show Carmen: A Hip Hopera American actor HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mekhi_Phifer" \o "Mekhi Phifer" Mekhi Phifer.
In 2002, she went on to act in a comedy film Austin Powers in Goldmember opposite Mike Myers also recorded her first solo number Work It Out for the film's soundtrack, movie became a hit and topped the box office. In 2003, she was starred in another comedy film The Fighting Temptations opposite Cuba Gooding, Jr and recorded film soundtrack Fighting Temptations with other female rappers Missy Elliott and MC Lyte.
Jay-Z featured her in his single hit 03 Bonnie & Clyde the same year and she again recorded version of 50 Cent's In Da Club (released on March 2003), recorded remake of duet The Closer I Get to You with Luther Vandross, which later earned them Grammy Awards.
In June 2003, she released her debut solo album, Dangerously in Love, and witnessed the recorded sell of selling 317,000 copies in its first week, making the album ranked number one on the Billboard. Crazy in Love featuring guest rapper Jay-Z became one of the hit number that take number 1 position in the Billboard for eight consecutive weeks. Other numbers of her album include Baby Boy, Me, Myself and I, Naughty Girl, and her solo effort help her earn five Grammy Awards in 2004.
Destiny’s Child next album Destiny Fulfilled was released in November 2004 and the album hit number two on the Billboard. Destiny’s Child together made a world tour Destiny Fulfilled ... And Lovin' It from April to September and in October 2005, released compilation alum #1's with few new numbers including "Stand Up for Love".
Destiny’s Child’s contribution to the entertainment industry is honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in March 2006 and they were also chosen as world's best-selling female group of all time.
Beyonce was managing her singing and film career side by side, she then got a role of Xania, an international pop singer in the film The Pink Panther opposite Steve Martin, the movie was released on February 10, 2006 movie hit the box office and earned recorded ticket sale of $21.7 million in its first week of release. She recorded Check on It for the film, soundtrack too become hit and it reached top spot on the Billboard Hot 100. She then bagged a role in movie Dreamgirls and recorded many songs for the movie including original song Listen, both movie and song was accepted well by the audiences and Beyonce was later nominated for two Golden Globe Awards for the film, Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy and Best Original Song for "Listen" and the film won two 2007 Academy Awards, including Best Original Song for Listen.
Beyonce’s second solo album HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/B%27Day_%28Beyonc%C3%A9_album%29" \o "B'Day (Beyoncé album)" B'Day was released on September 4, 2006 and 541,000 copies were sold in the first week which again was record sale of a solo album. Then in 2008 she was flooded with Grammy Awards nomination for her song numbers like Record of the Year for Irreplaceable, Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals for Beautiful Liar and Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for the Dreamgirls soundtrack.
She along with her mother launched House of Deréon, contemporary women’s fashion line that sells sportswear, denim along with fur, outerwear and accessories that include handbags and footwear.
Beyonce is endorsed by Pepsi in 2002 and she is associated with other companies like HYPERLINK "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L%27Or%C3%A9al" \o "L'Oréal" L'Oréal, Tommy Hilfiger for the launch and promotion of their products. She launched her own fragrance True Star, a Tommy Hilfiger scent in 2004 and launched Emporio Armani's Diamonds in 2007.
In her personal life, she has been in a relationship with rapper Jay-Z but they always remain discreet about their relationship
and got married on April 4, 2008 in New York City.
