Beyonce Knowles Bio

Add to Favorites

Beyonce Knowles Biography

   Beyonce Knowles

   Pictures
   Music Videos
   Lyrics
   Posters
   Music
   Movies
   Books
   News
   Bio
   Unofficial
   Candid Photos
   Latest Photos
   Movie Trailers
   Desktop
   Screensavers
   Wallpapers
   Pics
   Video Clips
   Articles
   Blogs
   eBay
   Gossip
   Photos
   YouTube

   Celebrity Bios

This Beyonce Knowles biography contains information believed to be accurate as extracted from sources around the internet including Wikipedia. If you believe there are errors or omissions in this Beyonce Knowles bio, please let us know so that we can correct any inaccuracies.

Beyonce Knowles Pictures

What is Beyonce Knowles' real name?
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles

Where was Beyonce Knowles born?
Houston, Texas

When was Beyonce Knowles born?
September 4, 1981

What is Beyonce Knowles' height?
5'7" (1.70m)

What is Beyonce Knowles' weight?
139 lbs.

What color are Beyonce Knowles' eyes?
Brown

Beyoncé Giselle Knowles (pronounced /biË�É’nˈseɪ/; born September 4, 1981), commonly known as Beyoncé, is an American R&B singer, songwriter, record producer, music video director, actress, film producer, dancer, and fashion designer. Beyoncé rose to fame as the lead singer of the R&B girl group Destiny's Child, the world's best-selling female group of all time.

After a series of commercially successful releases with the group, Beyoncé released her debut solo album, Dangerously in Love, in June 2003. The album became one of the biggest commercial successes of the year, topping the albums charts in the United States and the United Kingdom. It also spawned the number-one singles "Crazy in Love" and "Baby Boy" and earned Beyoncé five Grammy Awards in a single night in 2004. Beyoncé's second album, B'Day, was released worldwide on September 4, 2006 to coincide with her twenty-fifth birthday. The album spawned the UK number-one singles "Déjà Vu" and "Beautiful Liar", as well as the worldwide hit "Irreplaceable". It also earned Beyoncé her seventh solo Grammy Award, garnering a total of ten.

Beyoncé also achieved success in the film industry, starring in such Hollywood films as the 2006 comedy The Pink Panther and the 2006 musical film Dreamgirls, which earned her two Golden Globe Award nominations-one for acting and other for Dreamgirl's soundtrack "Listen".

Beyonce Knowles: Early life

Knowles was born in Houston, Texas to Tina (née Beyincé), a costume designer of Louisiana Creole descent, and Mathew Knowles, a record manager and former salesman, is African American. The elder of two children, her parents decided on her first name as a tribute to her grandmother's maiden name. Her maternal grandparents, Lumis Albert Beyincé and Agnéz Deréon (a seamstress), were French-speaking Louisiana Creoles. She is the older sister of Solange Knowles, an actress and singer-songwriter, and cousin to Angela Beyincé, her then-personal assistant and song co-writer. By age seven, she was attending dance school and was a soloist in her church's choir. Her parents were completely taken aback and at first, could not recognize her. After that, Knowles decided on her profession and went on to win 30 local dancing and signing competitions.

As teenager, Knowles attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston, where she showed her musical talents. She later went to Alief Elsik High School, in the Houston neighborhood of Alief.

Beyonce Knowles: Destiny's Child era

Knowles and her childhood best friends LaTavia Roberson and Kelly Rowland along with LeToya Luckett formed a quartet that would perform in their backyards and at Tina Knowles' hair salon. After singing at local events, they got their break when they entered Star Search. The group, then named Girl's Tyme, were disappointed after losing the competition. Mathew Knowles, Knowles' father and Rowland's legal guardian, decided to help the girls reach their dreams of becoming singers. He quit his six-figure salary job as a multi-million dollar equipment salesman at Xerox to manage the group. This decision by Mathew eventually affected the whole family. Their income had been cut in half, causing the family to move into two different apartments. When the group was signed to Columbia Records in late 1996, it gave the entire family a second chance at making things work.

The group underwent several name changes-Girl's Tyme, The Dolls, Something Fresh, and Cliché-before sticking with Destiny's Child, based on a passage from the Book of Isaiah in the Bible. Knowles' mother Tina had found the word "Destiny", but since that name was already taken, they settled for Destiny's Child. After making their recording debut with "Killing Time" for the soundtrack to the 1997 film Men in Black, the group rose to fame in 1998 with the Billboard Hot 100 top five, R&B number-one single "No, No, No Part 2". Even after much-publicized turmoil involving the departure of LeToya Luckett and LaTavia Roberson, Destiny's Child (eventually a trio) became one of the most successful R&B/pop acts of the early 2000s, charting four Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles, several top ten hits, and two number-one albums.

Destiny's Child performing their 2000 hit "Say My Name", from their 1999 platinum-selling album The Writing's on the Wall, during their farewell concert tour, Destiny Fulfilled ... And Lovin' It

Their platinum-selling debut album, Destiny's Child, released in 1998, was produced by Wyclef Jean and Jermaine Dupri and featured the double platinum number-one single "No, No, No Part 2". The group's second album, The Writing's on the Wall, released in 1999, featured the number-one hits "Bills, Bills, Bills" and "Say My Name", besides the popular singles "Bug a Boo" and "Jumpin' Jumpin'". It went on to sell eight million in the U.S. and twelve million copies worldwide. Furthermore, "Say My Name" won two awards at the 2001 Grammy Awards: "Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals" and "Best R&B Song".

Their following album, Survivor, proved to be another big success, going to number one on both the U.S. Billboard 200 and the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums, as well as the Canadian and the UK Albums Charts. Two singles from the album went to the top of the Hot 100: "Independent Women Part I" and "Bootylicious", while "Survivor", the album's title track, reached number two and "Nasty Girl", the final single, missed the chart. In the United Kingdom, the first two tracks released reached number one consecutively. "Independent Women Part I" had been the theme song for the 2000 film Charlie's Angels, before the album's release. The title track, "Survivor", earned the group their third Grammy Award, "Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals". The album has sold over ten million copies worldwide.

In 2001, Knowles won the "Songwriter of the Year" award from the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers Pop Music Awards, becoming the first African-American female and second overall female songwriter of all time to accomplish this.

After the three-year journey that involved concentration on individual solo projects, Knowles rejoined Rowland and Williams for Destiny's Child's fourth (and so far final) studio album, Destiny Fulfilled, released in November 2004. The album hit number two on the Billboard 200 and spawned the hits "Lose My Breath", "Soldier", "Girl", and "Cater 2 U". It has sold seven million copies worldwide.

In 2005, Destiny's Child embarked on a world tour sponsored by McDonald's titled Destiny Fulfilled ... And Lovin' It, visiting over seventy cities throughout Australia, Asia, Europe, and North America from April to September. On June 13, 2005, it was announced that the group would disband after their world tour ended in September 2005. In October 2005, the group released their final album, entitled #1's, including all of Destiny's Child's number-one hits and most of their well-known songs. The greatest hits collection also includes three new tracks, including "Stand Up for Love". The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and number seven on the UK Albums Chart. #1's went on to sell three million copies worldwide.

Beyonce Knowles: Solo career

In 2000, Beyoncé is featured solo on a single by rapper Amil, released from the latter's debut album All Money Is Legal. Two years later, Beyoncé appeared as featured vocalist on rapper then-boyfriend Jay-Z's hit single, "'03 Bonnie & Clyde". Beyoncé recorded a version of 50 Cent's "In Da Club" and released on March 2003, but failed to dominate as "dancefloor favorite". In the same year, Beyoncé remade a duet with Luther Vandross for "The Closer I Get to You", originally recorded and made famous by Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway in 1977; they shared the Grammy Award for "Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals" the following year. She collaborated with Jay-Z on his eight studio album, Kingdom Come, providing vocals and the hook for the track entitled "Hollywood".

Beyonce Knowles - Dangerously in Love (2003)

In 2003, Knowles released her debut solo album, Dangerously in Love. The album entered the Billboard 200 at number one selling 317,000 copies in its first week, and was certified platinum three weeks later on June 22, 2003. In addition, it went on to chart atop the albums charts in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, the Netherlands, Germany, Ireland, Norway, Greece, and the Philippines. The album's lead single, "Crazy in Love", was a funky track constructed around a propulsive riff sampled from The Chi-Lites' 1970 "Are You My Woman (Tell Me So)", and featured a guest rap from Jay-Z. It rapidly became one of the biggest hits of that summer, staying at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for eight consecutive weeks and topping the singles charts in the United Kingdom, Ireland, Europe, and worldwide, among others. Also, "Crazy in Love" eventually became the fourth best-selling single on the U.S. Billboard Year-End of 2003 and the world's second best-selling single of 2003. Dangerously in Love has sold over four million copies in the U.S. and over twelve million copies worldwide. When her single and album simultaneously topped the main charts in both the U.S. and the UK in July 2003, she became the first act to achieve this feat since Men at Work in 1983 and The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, and Rod Stewart in the 1960s and 1970s; she is the first and so far the only female artist to do this. Knowles was consequently one of the biggest-selling artists of 2003.

Beyoncé singing "Baby Boy", flanked with two dancers. "Baby Boy" was the most successful U.S. chart-topper single from the album.

Towards the end of the summer, "Baby Boy", the second single from Dangerously in Love, which featured dancehall artist Sean Paul, began to climb the charts. It went on to become one of the biggest hits of 2003, dominating radio airplay in the autumn of 2003, and spending nine weeks at number one-one week longer than "Crazy in Love". Afterwards, Knowles released her third solo single, "Me, Myself and I"; Dangerously in Love's fourth and final single, "Naughty Girl", came out in mid-2004. Both made the top five of the Billboard Hot 100.

On February 1, 2004, Knowles sang the national anthem of the United States at Super Bowl XXXVIII before a crowd of 71,525 and an international television audience of 144.4 million viewers.

At the 2004 Grammy Awards ceremony, Knowles won five Grammy Awards for her solo effort, which included "Best Female R&B Vocal Performance" for "Dangerously in Love 2", "Best R&B Song" for "Crazy in Love", and "Best Contemporary R&B Album". Four other female artists hold this record: Lauryn Hill (1999), Alicia Keys (2002) Norah Jones (2003), and Amy Winehouse (2008). She also won a BRIT Award in 2004 for "International Female Solo Artist".

In December 2005, Knowles released "Check on It", featuring rappers Slim Thug and (on the official remix) Bun B. The song was from the Destiny's Child's greatest hits compilation, #1's, and the soundtrack to the 2006 film The Pink Panther. It was Knowles' sixth top five hit and third number one in the U.S.

At the 2006 Grammy Awards, Knowles won a Grammy in the category of "Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals" for the song "So Amazing", a duet with Stevie Wonder from the Luther Vandross tribute album So Amazing: An All-Star Tribute to Luther Vandross.

Beyonce Knowles - B'Day (2006)

Beyoncé performing "Listen" during The Beyoncé Experience concert tour. The song was originally written for the soundtrack to the 2006 film Dreamgirls, which heavily inspired B'Day.

Knowles' second studio album, B'Day, was released worldwide on September 4, 2006 and on September 5, 2006 in the U.S. to coincide with the celebration of Knowles' twenty-fifth birthday. In its first week, the album sold more than 541,000 copies in the U.S., immediately coming in at number one, making it her highest first-week sales as a solo artist. This is also the highest first-week sales of any solo female artist in 2006, a record which used to be held by pop singer Christina Aguilera whose album Back to Basics sold 346,000 copies in its first week. In the UK, it debuted at number three with sales of 45,000 copies, and, with combined sales with the deluxe edition, has sold 497,000 copies and has been certified double platinum. "Déjà Vu", the album's first single, features Jay-Z and co-production by Rodney Jerkins. Other co-producers on B'Day included Rich Harrison, The Neptunes, and Swizz Beatz. Currently, the album has been certified triple platinum in the U.S. for shipments of over three million copies. The album has had global success, selling over seven million copies worldwide.

The album's lead single "Déjà Vu" became a top five hit in the United States and a number-one hit on the U.S. R&B chart and the UK chart, making it Knowles' second UK number-one single, when it climbed twenty spots to take the top spot over Shakira featuring Wyclef Jean's "Hips Don't Lie" in the week of August 27, 2006.

The second single, "Ring the Alarm", was leaked to the Internet on August 8, 2006. The video for "Ring the Alarm" was released on August 16, 2006 on Yahoo.com and peaked at number one on the website's videos chart. "Ring the Alarm" became Knowles' highest-charting single debut, when it debuted at number twelve on the singles chart but only peaked at number eleven.

Outside North America, "Irreplaceable" was released as the album's second international single in October 2006. The single debuted at number eighty-seven on the Hot 100-where it would later spend ten consecutive weeks at number one-and number forty-two on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart. It was the longest-running number-one single of the year as a result of its ten-week stay atop the Billboard Hot 100. The song peaked at number four on the UK Singles Chart and number one on the Australian Singles Chart. It also took over on the Irish Singles Chart, peaking at number one in its second week. "Irreplaceable" is her fourth number one and her eighth top ten hit as a solo artist on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, as well as her fourth number-one hit on the Billboard Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs. In December 2006, a Spanish-language version of "Irreplaceable", called "Imprescindible", was released.

On December 6, 2006, the nominations for the 2007 Grammy Awards were announced, and Knowles received five, of which she won "Best Contemporary R&B Album". The following year, Knowles was nominated for "Record of the Year" for "Irreplaceable" and "Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals" for "Beautiful Liar", as well as "Best Compilation Soundtrack Album" for her work on the Dreamgirls soundtrack; during the ceremony, which took place on February 10, 2008, she performed with legendary rock musician Tina Turner.

Re-release and B'Day Anthology Video Album

Knowles re-released B'Day as a deluxe edition on April 3, 2007. It features new tracks-including "Beautiful Liar", which made Billboard history when it jumped from number ninety-four to number three on the Hot 100 in one week on April 7, 2007, and "Amor Gitano", a duet with Mexican singer Alejandro Fernández used as the theme song for the Colombian telenovela Zorro: La Espada y la Rosa. Also included are Spanish-language versions of "Irreplaceable", "Listen", and "Beautiful Liar".

On April 2, full-length videos for "Get Me Bodied", "Green Light", and "Suga Mama" premiered on BET to promote B'Day Anthology Video Album released on the following day. A fifty-seven-second preview of "Kitty Kat" was included also, appearing as an intro in the video for "Green Light". Sony BMG has released all of the videos (with the exception of "Still in Love (Kissing You)") from the DVD to their official music video website, Musicbox.

In Australia, the deluxe edition of B'Day was released on April 16, 2007. Unlike the U.S. release, the Australian edition comes packaged in a CD/DVD combo featuring nineteen tracks on the CD and twelve music videos on the DVD. The Australian release does not feature the track "Still in Love (Kissing You)" on either the CD or DVD. However, the CD does feature the tracks "If" and "Check on It", which are not featured on the U.S. release. Additionally, "World Wide Woman" appears as a hidden track on the U.S. release while it is an officially-listed track on the Australian disc. Finally, apart from the track "Amor Gitano", the Australian disc does not feature any of the Spanish tracks. The European and the Asian edition of B'Day are the same as the Australian release.

Beyoncé embarked on her month-long The Beyoncé Experience world concert tour in support of the album.

In the week of April 22, the deluxe edition of B'Day and the B'Day Anthology Video Album that include the song "Still in Love (Kissing You)" were pulled from distribution due to a lawsuit filed by English singer Des'ree. The lawsuit is over Knowles' cover of Des'ree's 1998 "I'm Kissing You", which was granted permission-within certain limits. For one thing, they would allow use of the song, but not in video form. They would also allow use of the song only if the title was not changed. Despite follow-ups, they didn't hear back from Knowles' camp. On March 27, according to the complaint, they discovered that Knowles and her record label planned to proceed with their plans to include the song on the re-release anyway which they changed the title to the song and made a video from which they didn't follow copyrighted laws. In a letter they wrote to Knowles' lawyer and her distribution group Sony, the Royalty Network called the move "completely unacceptable. Des'ree is apparently seeking $150,000 in damages".

Additional singles released from B'Day include "Upgrade U" (Knowles' fifth collaboration with Jay-Z), "Get Me Bodied" (as the fifth North American single), the Freemasons remix of "Green Light" (as the fifth British single), and the deluxe edition's "Amor Gitano", which was released as a CD single in South America and other countries such as Mexico.

Knowles has embarked on her lengthy The Beyoncé Experience concert tour, with opening acts by Robin Thicke (in North America), Lemar (in Europe), Katy Shotter (in North America and the UK), and Chris Brown (in Australia). She is touring from April 10 to November 12, 2007. The documented footage on September 2, 2007 at Los Angeles' Staples Center, was released on November 20, 2007 as The Beyoncé Experience Live! DVD.

Beyonce Knowles - Third studio album (2008)

Beyoncé went to studio in December 2007 to begin working on her third studio album. As reported by Scratch magazine, producer Timbaland signed to produce the majority of the album. Beyoncé hired English dance-house-electronica production duo Freemasons to work on several songs for the record. Beyoncé's team approached James Wiltshire and his musical partner Russell Small after they heard the pair's official remixes of her UK hit singles "Déjà Vu" and "Beautiful Liar". In an interview with producer Rodney Jerkins, he said that the style of the album keeps switching and is inspired by Beyoncé's upcoming film, Cadillac Records.

Beyonce Knowles: Film career

In 2001, Knowles turned to acting, starring alongside actor Mekhi Phifer in the MTV made-for-television film Carmen: A Hip Hopera.

In the summer of 2002, Knowles co-starred in the film Austin Powers in Goldmember, playing Foxxy Cleopatra opposite Mike Myers and Michael Caine. Knowles also recorded the song "Work It Out" for the film's soundtrack. "Work It Out" was a top ten hit in the UK and a top forty hit in the Netherlands, Australia, and Ireland, despite being Knowles' biggest commercial disappointment to date in the U.S., where radio stations barely played the song and the video received very minor exposure, playing only on digital video channels, MTV Jams, and VH1 Soul.

In 2003, Knowles starred opposite Cuba Gooding, Jr. in the film The Fighting Temptations, and recorded a song for it called "Fighting Temptation", alongside female rappers Missy Elliott, MC Lyte, and Free. Unlike Knowles' own singles, the song did not become a hit, although the film was a moderate success at the box office.

Knowles co-starred in the film The Pink Panther, playing the role of Xania, an international pop star, opposite Steve Martin, who plays Inspector Clouseau. The film was released on February 10, 2006, and was number one at the box office on its opening weekend. "Check on It", which was recorded for the film, became a huge success and gave Knowles her first number-one hit from a soundtrack. With Austin Powers in Goldmember and The Pink Panther, Knowles appeared in two films that opened at number one at the box office; the two films have grossed over $481,364,728 worldwide.

Knowles' latest film work is Dreamgirls, the film adaptation of the 1981 hit Broadway musical about a 1960s singing group loosely based on Motown all-female group The Supremes, as the Diana Ross-based character Deena Jones. The film received a limited release on December 15, 2006 and a wider release on December 25, 2006. On December 14, 2006, Knowles was nominated for two Golden Globe Awards for the film Dreamgirls-"Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy" and "Best Original Song" for "Listen". The film opened at number three at the box office with an eight-million-dollar opening weekend. Knowles was quoted to say this was her first real acting film. Dreamgirls was nominated for eight 2007 Academy Awards-including "Best Original Song" for "Listen"-, of which it won two. The film has passed the $100 million dollar gross mark in the United States.

Knowles has been cast to play famed blues singer Etta James in the film Cadillac Records, which will be directed by Darnell Martin. Knowles will also star opposite Ali Larter and Idris Elba in a thriller called Obsessed, which is set to be shot in the summer.

Beyonce Knowles: Personal life

Since 2002, Knowles has been in a relationship with rapper Jay-Z, with whom she has also made several collaborations. In spite of persistent rumors, she has not commented on whether or not the couple are engaged, however, on April 3, 2008, it was reported that the couple filed for a marriage license . The two have deliberately been private about the nature of their relationship, to avoid excessive media exposure, and for a long time even refused to comment on whether they were dating or not. When asked in September 2007 when the two would marry, Jay-Z replied, "One day soon-let's leave it at that".

Beyonce Knowles: Philanthropy

Music producer David Foster and his daughter, Amy Foster-Gillies, wrote Destiny's Child's single "Stand Up for Love" for World Children's Day, an event which takes place annually around the world on November 20 to raise awareness and funds for children's causes worldwide. Destiny's Child lent their voices and support as global ambassadors for the 2005 World Children's Day program.

Knowles and Kelly Rowland, along with Mathew Knowles, Tina Knowles, and sister Solange Knowles announced the formation of the Survivor Foundation, a charitable entity set up for the purpose of providing transitional housing for 2005 Hurricane Katrina victims and storm evacuees in the Houston, Texas area. The Survivor Foundation extends the philanthropic mission of the Knowles-Rowland Center for Youth, a multi-purpose community outreach facility in downtown Houston.

Knowles had food drives during her The Beyoncé Experience tour in Houston on July 14, Atlanta on July 20, Washington, D.C. on August 9, Toronto on August 15, Chicago on August 18, and Los Angeles on September 2. "I want my tour and Survivor Foundation to encourage people to get involved in the fight against domestic hunger, Pastor Rudy's ongoing mission to help the least among us, and the work of America's Second Harvest. Any help-donating time, money or food-will make an enormous difference", she stressed.

The Survivor Foundation announced a new project called "Knowles-Rowland Temenos Place Apartments", in support of St. John's Downtown and Temenos Community Development Corporation. The housing development is the result of a collaboration with House of Deréon founders Tina Knowles and Beyoncé Knowles, Survivor Foundation, Inc., the City of Houston, and St. John's Downtown (church home of the Knowles family). The project was designed to provide permanent living accommodations for women and men who are taking significant steps in improving their lives after the traumatic effects of personal and natural disasters in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

On October 20, Knowles performed in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia as part of the nation's millennium anniversary celebrations. While there, she was welcomed by President Girma Wolde-Giorgis, who gave Knowles a brief cultural and history lesson. Knowles responded by saying that, in the future, she will return to Ethiopia with a focus on humanitarian efforts.

Beyonce Knowles: Controversy

Animal rights organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) have criticized Knowles for wearing and using fur in her clothing line, House of Deréon. After winning an online eBay auction, offered by VH1 for the Save the Music Foundation, to dine with Knowles in June 2006, two PETA members confronted her at a restaurant in New York City because of their disapproval of her usage of fur. Knowles did not respond, and the PETA members were escorted out. PETA also wrote a letter of concern to Knowles about the treatment of baby alligators in a photoshoot for B'Day.

In July 2005, Minnesota-based singer Jennifer Armour filed a lawsuit after accusing that Knowles copied lines and hooks from the former's song "Got a Little Bit of Love for You" to use them in her 2003 hit single "Baby Boy". However, the case was dismissed in 2006 after a federal judge in Houston found a substantial dissimilarity between the two songs. On October 4, 2007, Armour's attorney Dana Kirk told a three-judge appellate panel that the case should be resurrected since a jury hearing was not conducted.