Did You Know? ☆ Beyonce

Beyonce, Giselle Knowles-Carter is an American singer, songwriter, dancer and actress. She is a multi-platinum, Grammy Award-winning recording artist who’s acclaimed for her thrilling vocals, videos and live shows. Born and raised in Houston Texas, Beyonce performed in various singing and dance competitions as a child. She those to fame in the late 1990’s as lead singer of the R&B girl group Destiny’s Child, which was managed by her father, Matthew Knowles and the group became one of the world’s best-selling girl group in history producing smash hits “Bills Bills Bill” and “Say My Name. While enjoying her group’s success, Beyonce began exploring other projects. She made her acting debut in 2001 with a starring role in MTV’s “Carmen: A Hip Hopera”. She then co-starred with Mike Myers in the Austin Powers spy parody “Goldmember” and the release of her debut album ”Dangerously in Love” (2003). This album established her as a solo artist worldwide, became a huge success for her both commercially and critically, sold millions of copies, earned five grammy Awards and featured the Billboard Hot 100 number one singles “Crazy in Love” and “Baby Boy”.

Destiny’s Child released their last studio album, “Destiny Fulfilled” in 2004 and broke up officially the following year. On her own, Beyonce continued to enjoy great success and her second solo studio album, “B’Day” (2006) featured hit singles “Irreplaceable”, “Deja Vu” and “Beautiful Liar”. Her marriage to rapper Jay-Z and portrayal of Etta James in film “Cadillac Records” (2008) influenced her third album, “I Am…Sasha Fierce”. This saw the introduction of her alter ego Sasha Fierce and earned her a record-setting six Grammy Awards in 2010, including ‘Song of the Year’ for “Single ladies (Put a Ring on It)”. Beyonce took a hiatus from music in 2010 and took over management of her career following parting ways with her dad as manager in 2011 and releasing fourth album “4”. This album was mellower in tone , exploring 1970s funk, 1980s pop and 1990s soul. Her critically acclaimed fifth album, “Beyonce” (2013), was distinguished from previous releases by its experimental production and exploration of darker themes. Her sixth studio album, “Lemonade” (2016), also received widespread critical acclaim and subsequently became the best-selling album of 2016.

Throughout her career, Beyonce has sold an estimated 100 million records as a solo artist, and a further 60 million records with the group Destiny’s Child, making her one of the best-selling music artists in history. She has won 22 Grammy Awards and is the most nominated woman in the award’s history. She is also the most awarded artist at the MTV Video Music Awards, with 24 wins. The Recording Industry Association of America recognised Beyonce as the Top Certified Artist in America during the 2000s decade. In 2009, Billboard named her the ‘Top Radio Songs Artist of the Decade’, the ‘Top Female Artist of the 2000s’ and awarded her their Millennium Award in 2011. In 2014, she became the highest paid black musician in history and was listed among Time’s 100 most influential people in the world for a second year in a row. Forbes ranked her as the most powerful female in entertainment on their 2015 and 2017 lists and in 2016 she occupied the sixth place for Time’s ‘Person of the Year’.