Biography of Beyonce

Beyonce Knowles was born
on September 4, 1981 in
Houston, Texas, to Matthew
Knowles and Tina Beyince. She
attended the St. Mary's Elementary
School in Texas, where she learned
ballet and jazz. Her interest in
music and performance was
discovered by her parents while
she was participating in a school
talent show. She sang John
Lennon's 'Imagine', in her first
talent show. Not only did she win
it, but was also given a standing
ovation and a mention in Houston
Chronicle. She performed as a
soloist in the choir of St. John's
United Methodist Church.
Along with her cousin, Kelly
Rowland and classmates LeToya
Luckett and LaTavia Roberson, she
formed a vocal group named Girl's
Tyme. The West coast R&B
producer, Arne Frager, intrigued by
their performance, invited them to
his Northern California studio, The
Plant Recording Studios. The group
debuted in 'Star Search', the biggest
talent show on national television,
however that turned out to be her
first professional failure. Beyonce's
father, Matthew Knowles resigned
from his six-figure job, to help her
in music. The stress caused due to
the family's reduced income,
separated her parents.
The group renamed itself,
'Destiny's Child', and Michelle
Williams was included after some
conflicts resulting in the exit of the
old timers from the group. After
performing for four years in local
events, the group was signed up by
Columbia Record in 1997. In the
same year, they recorded their
debut song, "Killing Time", for the
soundtrack of the movie, Men in
Black. While the group tasted
tremendous success in the
following year, Beyonce embarked
on an extremely successful solo
journey.
She signed a three album deal with
Columbia Records, in 2000. She
made a duet with Marc Nelson, for
the movie "The Best Man" and also
featured in "I Got That" by rapper
Amil. Her first major acting role was
in 2001, in the MTV made, Carmen,
A Hip Hopera, also featuring
American actor Mekhi Phifer. In
2002, she starred in the comedy
'Austin Powers in Goldmember' and
also recorded her first solo single,
'Work it Out', for the movie. The
following year, she starred in the
romantic comedy, 'The Fighting
Temptations', opposite Cuba
Gooding Jr. and also recorded its
title track. Knowles along with
Luther Vandross remade the duet,
'The Closer I Get to You', winning a
Grammy Award for Best R&B
Performance by a Duo.
In June 2003, she released her
debut solo album, "Dangerously in
Love", a combination of the
uptempo and slow jam songs.
Selling more than 4.2 million copies
in the U.S alone, it was certified 4x
platinum on August 5, 2004 by the
Recording Industry Association of
America (RIAA). Her solo effort won
her five awards at the 2004
Grammy Awards.
In 2005, her group united for their
last world tour and released a
compilation album of all their hits
and well-known songs, disbanding
shortly after that. To their credit,
they were recognized as the
world's best-selling female group
of all time. In the same year,
Beyonce launched a contemporary
women's fashion line, "House of
Deréon", for which she received a
lot of flak from PETA, for using fur
in the line.
On February 10, 2006, her film,
"The Pink Panther", opposite Steve
Martin, grossed over $21.7 million
in ticket sales in its first week. Her
next movie, "Dreamgirls", was
loosely based on the all-female
group, The Supremes. She recorded
several songs for its soundtrack.
She won two nominations; best
actress and best original song, for
two Golden Globe Awards, in
December 2006.
She released B'Day, in September
2006, winning a 3x platinum
certification from RIAA and the
award for Best Contemporary R&B
Album, 2007. She created history,
by becoming the first woman to
win an International Artist Award,
at the 35th Annual American Music
Awards.
She married Jay-Z in a private
ceremony in New York City, on 4th
April, 2008 and made it public a
few months later. On 18th
November, 2008 Beyonce released
her third solo album, I Am...Sasha
Fierce. She won the 'Outstanding
Female Artist' at the NAACP Image
Awards. She also had the honor to
perform during the inauguration of
the 44th President of United States,
Barack Obama.
Her 2009, started on a high note
with 'Single Ladies', being
downloaded about 382,000 times,
according to Nielsen SoundScan.
She has promised her fans, a year
full of music, concerts and movies.
Despite a busy schedule, she is
involved in many philanthropic
activities. She has made a number
of donations to the victims of
Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Ike.
Knowles is also involved in various
charities associated with children
and rehabilitation.
Her journey to success and stardom
started at the age of 7. Over the
years, she has evolved into a
powerhouse of talent. She can truly
be called, Destiny's child.