Byonce Knowles

Beyoncé Giselle Knowles (born September 4, 1981) is a popular American R&B singer, songwriter, record producer, actress, and designer. Byonce Knowles is usually referred to only by her first name Byonce, which she uses as her stagename. She was a founding member, the lead singer, and chief songwriter of Destiny's Child.

Byonce debut solo album, 2003's Dangerously in Love, topped both the R&B and Billboard 200 charts in the U.S., as well as the album charts in Canada and the United Kingdom. Beyoncé has won eight Grammy Awards — five for her solo work, and three as a member of Destiny's Child. This year (2006), she has been nominated for six Grammy Awards — one solo, one duet (with Stevie Wonder) and four with Destiny's Child.

Byonce Knowles Knowles Early life

beoynce was the elder of two children born to Matthew and Tina Knowles in Houston, Texas. Her parents decided on a French name, as Tina Knowles, her mother, has Creole ancestry. By age seven, she was attending dance school and was a soloist in her church choir. Her dance instructor took an interest in Beyoncé, personally taking her star student to various competitions. Beyoncé went on to win over 30 local singing and dancing competitions.

Beyoncé and her best friend, Kelly Rowland, met LaTavia Roberson and Letoya Luckett. They formed a quartet that would perform in their backyards and in Tina Knowles' beauty shop. After performing at local events, they got their break when they entered Star Search. The group, then named Girl's Tyme, were heartbroken when they averaged only three stars (out of a possible four), losing the competition. Matthew Knowles, Beyoncé's father and Rowland's legal guardian, decided to help the girls reach their dreams of becoming singers. He quit his six figure salary job at Xerox to manage the group.

As a teenager, Beyoncé attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston, where she honed her musical talents. She later went to Alief Elsik High School, also in Houston. She graduated from Elsik in 2000.


Destiny's Child

Beyoncé rose to fame with the then quartet Destiny's Child in 1998 with the Billboard Top 10 hit, "No, No, No"(Part 2)". Even after much publicized turmoil involving new and exiting group members, Destiny's Child (eventually a trio consisting of original members Knowles and Rowland, with Michelle Williams) managed to become one of the most successful pop/R&B acts in the late 90s/early 00's, earning four#1 Billboard 100 singles, several Top 10's,and two #1 albums. The group also earned No. 1's on various other Billboard and non Billboard charts

In 2001, Knowles, Rowland, and Michelle Williams allowed themselves a break from the singing group and tried their hands at individual solo careers. Before landing several movie roles,

Knowles became the first African-American female artist and second woman ever to win the annual ASCAP Pop Songwriter of the Year Award. An appearance in the MTV drama Carmen: A Hip Hopera quickly followed, but it was her role as Foxxy Cleopatra in Austin Powers in Goldmember in 2002 that eventually moved Knowles from the stage to the screen. Her first single, "Work It Out," coincided with the release of the Mike Myers comedy and cemented Knowles' celebrity status. A guest spot on Jay-Z's "'03 Bonnie & Clyde" was equally popular when it appeared in October. In 2003, she shed her last name and rejoined Jay-Z for her proper debut single, the funkadelic "Crazy in Love," as the press and fans christened her a bona fide star. Beyoncé Knowles' debut album, Dangerously in Love, which appeared in June 2003, featured collaborations with Sean Paul, Missy Elliott, and OutKast's Big Boi. ~ MacKenzie Wilson, All Music Guide




Byonce Knowles Records and facts

* First female artist to have a number-one album and a number-one single in the U.S. and the U.K. simultaneously.
* The first African-American female to win the ASCAP Pop Songwriter Award, and second female overall (the first is Diane Warren).
* Highest selling female R&B artist of 2003.
* Was #2 on BET's All Shades Of Fine: 25 Hottest Females of the Past 25 Years
* Of all the former members of the group Destiny's Child, she has sold the most albums as a solo artist.
* Was #20 on MuchMusic's "Who To Do: 20 Sexiest Girls" list in 2005. She was #1 on that list in 2004.
* Was number #1 on the VH1 show 100 Hottest Hotties 2004.
* Was number #4 on the E! show 100 Most Wanted Bodies (2006).
* Beyoncé has reconciled with former Destiny Child member, LeToya Luckett.
* Beyoncé's clothing line, House of Dereon, is sold in LeToya Luckett's (a former member of Destiny's Child) boutique, Lady Elle in Houston, TX.
* Beyoncé's "Check on It" features Slim Thug, LeToya Luckett's current boyfriend.
* With combined albums and singles of Beyoncé solo career, she has sold more than 18.5 million records worldwide.
* Beyoncé has a multi-million dollar deals with Pepsi, l'Oreal, and Tommy Hilfiger.
* As of the week of January 26, 2006, Beyoncé Knowles has now spent more time at the top of Billboard's Hot 100 as a solo artist than she did as part of Destiny's Child. Destiny's Child spent 17 weeks at #1, with "Bills, Bills, Bills" (one week), "Say My Name" (three weeks), "Independent Women Part I" (11 weeks) and "Bootylicious" (two weeks). Beyoncé has so far spent 18 weeks at #1, with "Crazy in Love" (eight weeks), "Baby Boy" (nine weeks), and her current hit, "Check On It"