In the Beginning
Beyonce Giselle Knowles was born on September 4, 1981 in Houston, Texas. She was one of two girls, and has a younger sister named Solange. Beyonce's mother was a hair dresser and a salon owner, and her father sold Xerox machines until leaving his job to support Beyonce's career. She enrolled in elementary school dance classes at an early age, and her vocal talent and range was discovered, somewhat by accident, by her dance instructor. At age 7, Beyonce enrolled in a talent show, sang John Lennon's “Imagine” and beat kids who were more than twice her age. She continued her involvement in choirs and competitions, and eventually auditioned for an all girl's entertainment group. Her father quite his job to manage her career, Beyonce and her friends pressed forward in an attempt to gain the attention of the music industry, and they failed many times over a series of years. The failures proved to be hard on the Knowles family, prompting a separation for Beyonce's parents and a move into two separate apartments. The group of girls continued to press on, and in 1996, when Beyonce was 15, they signed with Columbia Records.
Most Known For
Beyonce is a powerhouse of a human. With stellar success in her music career, her reputation as one of the best entertainers of today, her philanthropic efforts, and openly powerful demeanor for her career, there's not much that she's not known for. Those who have followed her from the start of her solo career in the early 2000's will never forget her involvement with Destiny's Child, although today she's most well known for her solo work, specifically in her most recent self titled album, “Beyonce”. Each album has contained hit after hit, making not one stand out more than another. Aside from her success in music, she's most known for her success as a powerful and talented women as it pertains to her net worth. She has surpassed icons like Madonna and Celine Dion as the highest paid music personality of all time, and paired with husband Jay Z, the two are a wealth of success in finance. If it's not her music, her demeanor or her money that people are talking about, it's most likely her private marriage with husband Jay Z. The content of her music reflects real life for the two – including the highlights and struggles of the everyday couple. Though they sing openly about their relationship, they keep the details of their day to day life very private.
Where They Are Now
Beyonce continues to focus on her career in music as well as her family. She's currently between the album release and touring, and has not made an open statement regarding the release of another album.
Career Accomplishments
Destiny's Child was the group that thrust Beyonce into stardom. The group's 1999 album “The Writings on the Wall” featured the groups most popular songs, was a multi-platinum selling album, and won the group their first grammy. Controversy erupted as the success settled, and two of the members left due to disagreements in management styles. Destiny's Child eventually became a threesome and grew even more in popularity. In 2001, Beyonce left to pursue her solo career and launched with immediate success. Beyonce launched her first album “Dangerously in Love” in 2003, and immediately hit the Billboard Hot 100 chart and would later earn 5 Grammy Awards. Simultaneously, she made a name for herself on the Big Screen as she played alongside Mike Myers in “Austin Powers in Goldmember”. The next several years would involve the release of more records and more films, each climbing higher in success than it's predecessor. Beyonce's 2008 release of her album “I Am... Sasha Fierce” introduced the world to her overly sexy, aggressive and sassy alter ego, who she claims was put into place to inspire and promote confidence on stage. The album earned Beyonce a record breaking six Grammy Awards, including Song of the Year. Around this time, Beyonce married rapper Jay-Z, who was already working well with Beyonce to continue to thrust her career forward. As her albums released over years, it became clear to her followers that Beyonce would never settled into a niche with her sound. Rather, she would continued to explore new tones, genres and sounds as she felt inspired. In 2010, Beyonce began managing her own music, and soon released her album “4”, and then in 2013, “Beyonce”. Each of these albums are noted for being more soulful and slightly darker, with very personal themes throughout. To date, she has won 20 Grammy Awards, and is one of the best selling music artists of all time. TIME Magazine has named her among the 100 most influential people in the world, and Forbes has listed her as the most powerful female musician this year.
