LimeFile: Beyonce
The Short Story: Beyonce
Birthday: September 4, 1981
Hometown: Houston, Texas
Famous For: Her unparalleled voice; her below-the-radar marriage to Jay-Z; being a member of mega-successful trio Destiny's Child; her clothing line co-founded with her mother Tina Knowles
Quick Scoop: She's sold over 75 million records in her career; appeared on Star Search in 1983; ranked #4 on the 2008 Forbes The Celebrity 100 list; 2009's Billboard Magazine's Woman on the Year
Awards: 2004 Grammy Awards: Best Female R&B Vocal Performance, Dangerously in Love 2; Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, The Closer I Get to You (shared with Luther Vandross); Best R&B Album, Crazy in Love (shared with Jay-Z); Best Contemporary R&B Album, Dangerously in Love; Best Rap/Sung Collaboration, Crazy in Love (shared with Jay-Z). 2006 Grammy Awards: Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, So Amazing (shared with Stevie Wonder). 2007 Grammy Awards: Best Contemporary R&B Album, B'Day. MTV Awards: 2003 Best Female Video, Crazy in Love; 2003 Best R&B Video, Crazy in Love; 2003 Best Choreography, Crazy in Love; 2004 Best Female Video, Naughty Girl; 2006 Best R&B Video, Check on It (shared with Slim Thug); 2007 Most Earthshattering Collaboration, Beautiful Liar.
Biography
Beyonce Giselle Knowles was born in Houston, Texas on September 4, 1981 to Matthew and Tina Knowles. She has one younger sibling, Solange Knowles, an actress and singer.
Beyonce's singing ability was discovered at a young age; she was just 7 when she won a talent show singing John Lennon's Imagine. While she was growing up she attended Houston's High School for the Performing and Visual Arts where she concentrated on her singing and dancing.
When Beyonce was around the age of 8, she joined a girl's singing group called Girl's Tyme along with future Destiny's Child band mate, Kelly Rowland. The group's manager at the time put Beyonce in the lead singer role due to her strong vocals. The group performed nationally and had their official debut on Star Search.
In 1993, Girl's Tyme changed their name to Destiny's Child. In 1995, Matthew Knowles quit his job to manage the band full time. They toured the country for four years until Columbia Records signed them in 1997. Their self-titled debut album was a success and the group released a follow-up album in 1999, The Writing's on the Wall. The album featured the group's first #1 single, Jumpin' Jumpin' and even snagged a couple Grammys.
Around this time, the group went through some line-up changes that played out in the press. Beyonce remained the lead singer and long-time friend Kelly Rowland remained in the group. They eventually added Michelle Williams to the mix and they recorded a single, Independent Women Part 1. The single was featured in the film Charlie's Angels and became their best-charting single. In 2001, Destiny's Child released Survivor that debuted at #1 on the Billboard charts. The album has sold over 10 million copies worldwide since it's release. Soon after the release of their Christmas album, the band announced a hiatus to work on solo albums.
While Destiny's Child was recording Survivor, Beyonce got her first acting gig in MTV's Carmen: A Hip Hopera co-starring Mekhi Phifer. Soon after, in 2002, Beyonce starred in the Mike Myer's film Austin Powers in Goldmember as Foxxy Cleopatra. The movie was a success, generating over $73 million at the box office on its opening weekend. Her first solo song, Work It Out, was on the film's soundtrack. The next year she joined Cuba Gooding Jr. in the film The Fighting Temptations and also recorded a song for the soundtrack.
Later in 2003, Beyonce contributed to Jay-Z's single 03 Bonnie & Clyde and recorded her own version of 50 Cent's song In Da Club. She also won a Grammy for a duet she recorded with Luther Vandross-The Closer I Get to You.
But the biggest moment of 2003 was the release of her debut solo album Dangerously in Love in June. The album was certified four times platinum and has sold over four million units. The top performing songs from the album were Crazy in Love and Baby Boy which both went to #1 on the Billboard charts. Beyonce won 5 Grammys for the album.
Beyonce kicked off 2004 by performing the national anthem at Super Bowl XXXVIII. She then rejoined her Destiny's Child bandmates for another album, Destiny Fulfilled, which was released in November 2004. It contained three top 40 hits: Soldier, Lose My Breath, and Cater 2 U. In 2005, the group released a greatest hits album, #1s, and in early March the group was given a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and celebrated as the best-selling female group of all time.
In 2005, Beyonce and her mother Tina announced the launch of their new women's contemporary fashion line House of Dereon. Tina Knowles had previous design experience: she created almost all of the costumes for Destiny's Child including tours and red-carpet appearances. The line launched in 2006 and includes sportswear, shoes, denim, handbags, and more.
2006 was a big year for Beyonce. Two movies featuring her in lead roles were released and she debuted her second album, B'Day. First she starred in The Pink Panther opposite Steve Martin, which was released on February 10, 2006 and generated $21.7 million at the box office in the first weekend. She also starred in Dreamgirls, a movie about a group of female Motown singers with Jennifer Hudson. She was nominated for a Golden Globe for her role. Beyonce's second album, B'Day, was released on September 4, 1981, her birthday. The album entered the charts at #1 and sold over 540,000 units the first week - the best performance in her solo career. The album included hit singles Deja Vu, Irreplaceable, and Get Me Bodied. She won a Grammy for Best Contemporary R&B Album in 2007 for the album.
On November 18, 2008 Beyonce released her third solo album, I Am... Sasha Fierce. Named after her on-stage alter ego, the album debuted at #1 in the US and in the top 10 in thirty two other countries. The album contained the hit singles If I Were a Boy, Singles Ladies (Put a Ring on It), and Halo. Beyonce also starred in the 2008 biopic Cadillac Records about music legend Etta James alongside Adrien Brody.
In 2009, Beyonce performed at two events during President Barack Obama's inauguration ceremonies. She sang at the Lincoln Memorial as well as during the dinner that evening. She sang Etta James' At Last while President Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama had their first dance in office.
In April 24, 2009, Beyonce's most recent film Obsessed was released. She starred in the thriller along with Ali Larter and Idris Elba. It opened at #1 at the box office with a first weekend take of over $28 million.
Over the years, Beyonce has had several endorsement deals including Pepsi, L'Oreal, and several perfumes.
Beyonce's personal life has stayed under wraps most of her life. She began dating rapper Jay-Z in 2002. The two have recorded several records together. They were married on April 4, 2008 though they didn't confirm their marriage publicly until September of that year. They continue to stay quiet on their marriage and private lives.
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