Beyoncé Giselle Knowles (born September 4, 1981) is an American R&B singer, songwriter, record producer, actress and model. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools, and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child. Knowles rose to fame in the late 1990s as the lead singer of the girl group Destiny's Child. Beyoncé has sold more than 50 million records worldwide with the group and over 75 million records in her total career.
In June 2003, during the hiatus of Destiny's Child, Beyoncé released her debut solo album, Dangerously in Love, which became one of the most successful albums of that year.
The album was a commercial and critical success, spawning the hits "Crazy in Love", "Baby Boy", and earning Knowles five Grammy Awards in 2004. The disbandment of Destiny's Child in 2005 facilitated her continued success: her sophomore solo album, B'Day, released in 2006, debuted at number one on the Billboard charts, and produced the hits "Deja Vu", "Irreplaceable", and "Beautiful Liar". Her third solo album, I Am… Sasha Fierce, was released in November 2008, and inlcuded the hits "If I Were a Boy", "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)", and "Halo". Knowles has attained five Hot 100 number one singles, becoming one of the two female artists with the most number ones attained within the 2000-2009 decade.
The success of her solo albums has established Beyoncé as one of the most marketable artists in the music industry, and she has expanded her career to acting and product endorsement. She began her acting career in 2001, appearing in the musical film Carmen: A Hip Hopera. In 2006, she starred in the lead role in the film adaptation of the 1981 Broadway musical Dreamgirls, for which she earned two Golden Globe nominations. Knowles launched her family's fashion line, House of Deréon, in 2004, and has been engaged to endorse such brands as Pepsi, Tommy Hilfiger, Armani and L'Oréal. In 2009, Forbes listed Knowles fourth on its list of the 100 Most Powerful and Influential Celebrities in the world, and third on its list of the top-grossing musicians, with over $87 million dollars in earnings between 2008 and 2009.
Beyoncé released her third studio album, I Am… Sasha Fierce, on November 18, 2008. Knowles says that the name Sasha Fierce is the name of the person she adopts when she performs onstage. "I have someone else that takes over when it's time for me to work and when I'm on stage, this alter ego that I've created that kind of protects me and who I really am." "If I Were a Boy" and "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)", the first and second singles off I Am… Sasha Fierce, were released to radio on October 8, 2008, preceding the album's release on November 18, 2008. While "If I Were a Boy" topped numerous charts worldwide, mostly in European countries, "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" went on to top the Billboard Hot 100 chart, for four non-consecutive weeks, giving Beyoncé her fifth number one single in the United States. "Halo", the fourth single off I Am... Sasha Fierce, went on to peak at number five, becoming Knowles' 12th Top 10 single on the Hot 100 as a solo artist. Knowles embarked on her third world tour, I Am… Tour, starting in the Spring of 2009, visiting venues all over the world from the America's, Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania.
Beyoncé Knowles won the Outstanding Female Artist at the 2009 NAACP Image Awards.
Beyoncé performed on January 18, 2009 at the Lincoln Memorial festivities in honor of the inauguration of Barack Obama, the 44th President of the United States. Knowles also sang her cover of the R&B classic most famously sang by Etta James, "At Last", as President Obama and his wife Michelle had their first dance as President and First lady of America, on January 20, 2009 at the Neighborhood Inaugural Ball.
Beyoncé has become a sex symbol, known in media for her curvaceous body that is complemented with her choice of clothing. According to her, "I like to dress sexy and I carry myself like a lady," but she has said that the way she dresses on stage is "absolutely for the stage".As someone who is fond of fashion, Knowles combines its artistic elements with her music videos and performances. According to Italian fashion designer Roberto Cavalli, she uses different styles and tries to harmonize it with the music while performing. The B'Day Anthology showed many instances of fashion-oriented footage, depicting classic to contemporary wardrobe styles. People magazine recognized Knowles as the best-dressed celebrity in 2007. Knowles' mother wrote a 2002-published book, titled Destiny's Style: Bootylicious Fashion, Beauty and Lifestyle Secrets From Destiny's Child, an account of how fashion had an impact on Destiny's Child's success.
Since 2002, Beyoncé has been in a relationship with rapper Jay-Z, with whom she has collaborated several times. In 2005, rumors began to spread about the marriage of the couple. Knowles closed the speculation stating that she and Jay-Z were not even engaged. When asked again about the subject in September 2007, Jay-Z replied, "One day soon—let's leave it at that." On April 4, 2008, Knowles and Jay-Z were married in New York City. It became a matter of public record on April 22, 2008, but Knowles did not publicly debut her wedding ring until the Fashion Rocks concert on September 5, 2008 in New York City.
Early into her career, Knowles developed an alter ego Sasha Fierce that represents the more aggressive, sexual and confident side of the singer. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly magazine, Knowles noted that her alter-ego is "strictly for the stage." The magazine has described it as "the singer's sensual, aggressive alter ego." Knowles wears a "roboglove" in public to compliment Sasha Fierce. In 2006, Knowles introduced her all-female tour band Suga Mama. In the months prior to the release of B'Day, she held an audition among female musicians across the United States, which concluded in June. The performing ensemble includes bassists, drummers, guitarists, horn players, keyboardists and percussionists. They debuted in public at the 2006 BET Awards and they re-appeared in the music video for "Irreplaceable" and "Green Light". The band backed up Knowles during her 2007 The Beyoncé Experience world concert tour, and her 2009 I Am... Tour. In addition, they have appeared in small shows wherever Knowles has performed.
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