Beyonc Giselle Knowles-Carter (/bi?'j?nse?

/; born September 4, 1981)[3][4][5][6]

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. Mana
ged by her father, Mathew Knowles, the group became one of the world's best-sell
ing girl groups of all time. Their hiatus saw Beyonc's theatrical film debut in A
ustin Powers in Goldmember (2002) and the release of her debut album, Dangerousl
y in Love (2003), which established her as a solo artist worldwide, earned five
Grammy Awards and featured the Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles "Crazy in Lo
ve" and "Baby Boy".
Following the disbandment of Destiny's Child in 2006, she released her second so
lo album, B'Day (2006), which contained the top-ten hits "Dj Vu", "Irreplaceable",
and "Beautiful Liar". Beyonc also continued her acting career, with starring rol
es in The Pink Panther (2006), Dreamgirls (2006), and Obsessed (2009). Her marri
age to rapper Jay Z and portrayal of Etta James in Cadillac Records (2008) influ
enced her third album, I Am... Sasha Fierce (2008), which saw the introduction o
f her alter-ego Sasha Fierce and earned a record-setting six Grammy Awards in 20
10, including Song of the Year for "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)". Beyonc too
k 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 p
op, and 1990s soul.[7] Her critically acclaimed fifth album, Beyonc (2013), was d
istinguished from previous releases by its experimental production and explorati
on of darker themes. With the release of the widely acclaimed Lemonade (2016), B
eyonc became the first artist to have their first six studio albums debut at numb
er one on the Billboard 200 chart.[8]
Throughout her career, she has sold over 100 million records as a solo artist,[9
] and a further 60 million with Destiny's Child,[10][11] making her one of the b
est-selling music artists of all time.[12][13] She has won 22 Grammy Awards and
is the most nominated woman in the award's history. She is the most awarded arti
st at the MTV Video Music Awards, with 24 wins.[14][15] The Recording Industry A
ssociation of America recognized her as the Top Certified Artist in America duri
ng the 2000s (decade).[16][17] In 2009, Billboard named her the Top Radio Songs
Artist of the Decade, the Top Female Artist of the 2000s (decade) and awarded he
r their Millennium Award in 2011.[21] In 2014, she became the highest-paid black
musician in history and was listed among Time's 100 most influential people in
the world for a second year in a row.[22] Forbes listed her as the most powerful
female in entertainment of 2015,[23] and in 2016 she occupied the sixth place f
or Person of the Year.[24]