Beyonce

Beyoncé Giselle Knowles (born September 4, 1981), often referred to mononymously as Beyoncé (pronounced /biˈjɒn.seɪ/), is an American R&B singer, songwriter, record producer, actress and model. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child. Knowles rose to fame in the late 1990s as the lead singer of the R&B girl group Destiny’s Child. According to Sony, Knowles record sales, when combined with the group, have surpassed 100 million.

During the hiatus of Destiny’s Child in 2003, Knowles released her debut solo album, Dangerously in Love, which became one of the most successful albums of that year, and signaled her viability as a solo artist. The disbanding of Destiny’s Child in 2005 facilitated her continued success: her sophomore solo album B’Day, released in 2006, debuted at number one on the Billboard charts. Her third solo album, I Am… Sasha Fierce, was released in November 2008, and in 2009 she received 10 Grammy Awards nominations. On January 31, 2010 Beyoncé won 6 Grammy Awards, breaking the record for most Grammy awards won by a female artist in one night; she previously held the record of five awards with 5 other artists.

Knowles began her acting career in 2001, appearing in the musical film Carmen: A Hip Hopera. In 2006, she starred in the lead role in the film adaptation of the 1981 Broadway musical Dreamgirls, for which she earned two Golden Globe nominations. Knowles launched her family’s fashion line, House of Deréon, in 2004, and has endorsed such brands as Pepsi, Tommy Hilfiger, Armani and L’Oréal.