Beyonce

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

Her 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.

Beyoncé 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.
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.
Beyoncé and Destiny's Child toured as an opening act for both Christina Aguilera and TLC before their self-titled debut album Destiny's Child was released. The band was managed by her father, Matthew Knowles, who is acknowledged as a strong force in Beyoncé's life. Beyoncé is the main songwriter for the group and is generally regarded as its leader. The group has currently returned from a hiatus since 2001, when its three current members, Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams, each decided to temporarily pursue solo careers.

Their 1998 platinum-selling debut album was produced by Wyclef Jean and Jermaine Dupri and featured the platinum-selling, number-one Hot 100 single "No, No, No". Destiny Child's second album The Writing's On The Wall, released in 1999, featured two number-one hits in "Bills Bills Bills" and "Say My Name". "Bug A Boo" and "Jumpin' Jumpin'" were also popular singles from the album. "Say My Name" won two awards at the 2001 Grammy Awards for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal and Best R&B Song, the latter of which was awarded to the songwriters, which included Beyoncé herself.
Their next album, Survivor, proved to be another smash, going to number one on both the American Billboard 200 and R&B Albums charts, as well as the Canadian and the UK album chart. Two singles from the album went to the top of the Hot 100: "Independent Women" (Part 1) and "Bootylicious", with the album's title track reaching number two. In United Kingdom, the first two tracks released went to number one consecutively. ("Independent Women" (Part 1) and "Survivor"). "Independent Women" (Part 1) had been the theme song for Charlie's Angels in late 2000, before the album's 2001 release. The title track "Survivor" would win the group their third Grammy for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. The album's fourth and final single, "Emotion", was a cover of the Bee Gees hit of the same name; it continued the group's impressive string of top ten hits.

In 2001, Beyoncé won the Songwriter of the Year award, from the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers Pop Music Awards. She is the first African-American woman, and the second woman of any race to win the award.
After the three year hiatus that involved concentration on individual solo projects and Langford's arrest, Beyoncé rejoined Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams for Destiny's Child's fourth (and final) studio album, Destiny Fulfilled, released November 2004. The album hit#2 on the Billboard 200 and spawned the hits Lose My Breath, Soldier, Girl and Cater 2 U. The album title itself was a hint that Destiny Fulfilled may in fact be the last Destiny's Child album and indeed that was to be the case.
Destiny's Child embarked on a world tour sponsored by McDonald's titled, Destiny Fulfilled and Lovin' It, in 2005, visiting over 70 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 #1 hits and most well-known songs. The Greatest Hits collection also includes 3 new tracks, including Stand Up For Love and Check on It. It debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 album chart and #6 on the UK Top 75 chart. The song Check on It was Beyoncé's third number one hit (U.S. Billboard Hot 100).