Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter (/biˈjɒnseɪ/ bee-yon-say)[3] (born September 4, 1981)[4][5] is an American singer-songwriter and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she performed in various singing and dancing competitions as a child, and rose to fame in the late 1990s as lead singer of R&B girl-group Destiny's Child. Managed by her father Mathew Knowles, the group became one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time. Their hiatus saw the release of Beyoncé's debut album, Dangerously in Love (2003), which established her as a solo artist worldwide; it sold 11 million copies, earned five Grammy Awards and featured the BillboardHot 100 number-one singles "Crazy in Love" and "Baby Boy".
Following the disbandment of Destiny's Child in 2005, she released her second solo album, B'Day (2006), which contained hits "Déjà Vu", "Irreplaceable", and "Beautiful Liar". Beyoncé also ventured into acting, with aGolden Globe-nominated performance in Dreamgirls (2006), and starring roles in The Pink Panther (2006) and Obsessed (2009). Her marriage to rapper Jay-Z and portrayal of Etta James in Cadillac Records (2008) influenced her third album, I Am... Sasha Fierce (2008), which saw the birth of her alter-ego Sasha Fierce and earned a record-setting six Grammy Awards in 2010, including Song of the Year for "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)". Beyoncé took a hiatus from music in 2010 and took over management of her career; her fourth album 4 (2011) was subsequently mellower in tone, exploring 1970s funk, 1980s pop, and 1990s soul.[6] Her fifth studio album, Beyoncé (2013), was critically acclaimed and was distinguished from previous releases by its experimental production and exploration of darker themes.
A self-described "modern-day feminist",[7] Beyoncé's songs are often characterized by themes of love, relationships, and monogamy, as well as female sexuality and empowerment. On stage, her dynamic, highly choreographed performances have led to critics hailing her as one of the best entertainers in contemporary popular music. Throughout a career spanning 16 years, she has won 17 Grammy Awards and sold over 75 million records as a solo artist,[8] and a further 60 million with Destiny's Child,[9][10] making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time.[11][12] The Recording Industry Association of America recognized Beyoncé as the Top Certified Artist in America during the 2000s decade.[13][14] In 2009, Billboard named her the Top Radio Songs Artist of the Decade,[15] the Top Female Artist of the 2000s and their Artist of the Millennium in 2011.[16][17] In 2014, she ranked atop of Forbes' Celebrity 100[18] and became the highest-paid black musician in history.[19] She was included in Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2013 and 2014.
Beyoncé's vocal range spans 3.6 octaves.[215] Jody Rosen highlights her tone and timbre as particularly distinctive, describing her voice as "one of the most compelling instruments in popular music".[216] Her vocal abilities mean she is identified as the centerpiece of Destiny's Child.[217] The Daily Mail calls Beyoncé's voice "versatile", capable of exploring power ballads,soul, rock belting, operatic flourishes, and hip hop.[218] Jon Pareles of The New York Times commented that her voice is "velvety yet tart, with an insistent flutter and reserves of soulbelting".[219] Rosen notes that the hip hop era highly influenced Beyoncé's strange rhythmic vocal style, but also finds her quite traditionalist in her use of balladry, gospel and falsetto.[216]Other critics praise her range and power, with Chris Richards of The Washington Post saying she was "capable of punctuating any beat with goose-bump-inducing whispers or full-bore diva-roars."[220]
Beyoncé's music is generally R&B,[221] but she also incorporates pop,[222] soul and funk into her songs. 4 demonstrated Beyoncé's exploration of 90s-style R&B, as well as further use of soul and hip hop than compared to previous releases.[214] While she almost exclusively releases English songs, Beyoncé recorded several Spanish songs for Irreemplazable (re-recordings of songs from B'Day for a Spanish-language audience), and the re-release of B'Day. To record these, Beyoncé was coached phonetically by American record producer Rudy Perez.[223]
She has received co-writing credits for most of the songs recorded with Destiny's Child and her solo efforts.[30] Her early songs were personally driven and female-empowerment themed compositions like "Independent Women" and "Survivor", but after the start of her relationship with Jay-Z she transitioned to more man-tending anthems such as "Cater 2 U".[224] Beyoncé has also received co-producing credits for most of the records in which she has been involved, especially during her solo efforts. However, she does not formulate beats herself, but typically comes up with melodies and ideas during production, sharing them with producers.[225]
In 2001, she become the first African-American woman and second woman songwriter to win the Pop Songwriter of the Year award at the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers Pop Music Awards.[21][226] Beyoncé was the third woman to have writing credits on three number one songs ("Irreplaceable", "Grillz" and "Check on It") in the same year, after Carole King in 1971 and Mariah Carey in 1991. She is tied with American songwriter Diane Warren at third with nine songwriting credits on number-one singles.[227](The latter wrote her 9/11-motivated song "I Was Here" for 4.[228]) In May 2011, Billboard magazine listed Beyoncé at number 17 on their list of the "Top 20 Hot 100 Songwriters", for having co-written eight singles that hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. She was one of only three women on that list.
With 'Single Ladies,' clearly I'd just gotten married, and people want to get married every day—then there was the whole Justin Timberlake thing [recreating the video] on "Saturday Night Live," and it was also the year YouTube blew up. With 'Irreplaceable,' the aggressive lyrics, the acoustic guitar, and the 808 drum machine—those things don't typically go together, and it sounded fresh. 'Crazy in Love' was another one of those classic moments in pop culture that none of us expected. I asked Jay to get on the song the night before I had to turn my album in – thank God he did. It still never gets old, no matter how many times I sing it.
Influences
Beyoncé names Michael Jackson as her major musical influence.[230] Aged five, Beyoncé attended her first ever concert where Jackson performed and she claims to have realised her purpose.[231] When she presented him with a tribute award at the World Music Awards in 2006, Beyoncé said, "if it wasn't for Michael Jackson, I would never ever have performed."[232] She admires Diana Ross as an "all-around entertainer"[233] and Whitney Houston, who she said "inspired me to get up there and do what she did."[234] She credits Mariah Carey's singing and her song "Vision of Love" as influencing her to begin practicing vocal runs as a child.[235][236] Her other musical influences include Aaliyah,[237] Prince,[238] Lauryn Hill,[233] Sade,[239] Donna Summer,[240] Mary J. Blige,[241] Janet Jackson,[242] Anita Baker and Rachelle Ferrell.[233]
The feminism and female empowerment themes on Beyoncé's second solo album B'Day were inspired by her role in Dreamgirls[243] and by singer Josephine Baker.[244] Beyoncé paid homage to Baker by performing "Déjà Vu" at the 2006 Fashion Rocks concert wearing Baker's trademark mini-hula skirt embellished with fake bananas.[245] Beyoncé's third solo album I Am... Sasha Fierce was inspired by Jay-Z and especially by Etta James, whose "boldness" inspired Beyoncé to explore other musical genres and styles.[246] Her fourth solo album, 4, was inspired by Fela Kuti, 1990s R&B, Earth, Wind & Fire, DeBarge, Lionel Richie, Teena Marie with additional influences by The Jackson 5, New Edition, Adele, Florence and the Machine, and Prince.[214]
Beyoncé has stated that she is personally inspired by US First Lady Michelle Obama, saying "She proves you can do it all"[247] and she has described Oprah Winfrey as "the definition of inspiration and a strong woman."[233] She has also discussed how Jay-Z is a continuing inspiration to her, both with what she describes as his lyrical genius and in the obstacles he has overcome in his life.[248] Beyoncé has expressed admiration for the artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, posting in a letter "what I find in the work of Jean-Michel Basquiat, I search for in every day in music... he is lyrical and raw".[249][250] In February 2013, Beyoncé said that Madonna inspired her to take control of her own career. She commented: "I think about Madonna and how she took all of the great things she achieved and started the label and developed other artists. But there are not enough of those women."
Honors and awards
Beyoncé has earned numerous awards and honors. As a solo artist she has sold over 15 million albums in the US, and over 118 million records worldwide (a further 60 million additionally with Destiny's Child), making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time.[323][324] The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) listed Beyoncé as the top certified artist of the 2000s, with a total of 64 certifications.[13][14] Her songs "Crazy in Love", "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)", "Halo", and "Irreplaceable" are some of thebest-selling singles of all time worldwide. In 2009, The Observer named her the Artist of the Decade[292] and Billboard named her the Top Female Artist and Top Radio Songs Artist of the Decade.[15][325][326] In 2010, Billboard named her in their "Top 50 R&B/Hip-Hop Artists of the Past 25 Years" list at number 15.[327] In 2012 VH1 ranked her third on their list of the "100 Greatest Women in Music".[328] Beyoncé was the first female artist to be honored with the International Artist Award at the American Music Awards.[329] She has also received the Legend Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Arts at the 2008 World Music Awards and the Billboard Millennium Award at the 2011 Billboard Music Awards.
- Family
Beyoncé's father Mathew had an 18-month affair with actress Alexsandra Wright, who gave birth to their son, Nixon, in February 2010. Her parents' divorce was granted in November 2011 after 31 years of marriage, with Beyoncé severing professional ties with her father shortly after, although she maintains they are not estranged.
On January 7, 2012, Beyoncé gave birth to a daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York under heavy security.[141] Two days later, Jay-Z released "Glory", a song dedicated to their child, on his website Lifeandtimes.com. The song detailed the couple's pregnancy struggles, including a miscarriage Beyoncé suffered before becoming pregnant.[189] Blue Ivy's cries are included at the end of the song, and she was officially credited as B.I.C. on it. At two days old, she became the youngest person ever to appear on a Billboard chart when "Glory" debuted on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.[190] The couple unsuccessfully attempted to trademark the name Blue Ivy to start a line of merchandise.
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