Beyoncé
Beyoncé is a multiple Grammy Award winning American singer, who first gained international fame as a member of Destiny’s Child, a girl group known for releasing worldwide hit songs such as Say My Name, Survivor and Independent Women.
Beyoncé released her debut album titled Dangerously in Love in the year 2003. The album included smash hits such as Crazy in Love and Baby Boy. She has also released popular songs like Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It), Irreplaceable and Déjà Vu. Aside singing, Beyoncé is also known for starring in several famous movies including, 2006’s Dreamgirls and 2009’s Obsessed.
Having sold over 100 million records and won numerous Grammy Awards throughout her solo career, Beyoncé is one of the most successful singers of all time.
Beyoncé was born on September 4, 1981 to Celestine Tina Knowles and Mathew Knowles in Houston, Texas. She was raised with a younger sister named Solange who also became a famous singer. Beyoncé tied the knot with popular American rapper and music mogul Jay Z on April 4, 2008. The couple welcomed their first child named Blue Ivy Carter in 2012.
Facts about Beyoncé
Below are some of the most interesting facts about Beyonce:
Beyoncé grew up with only one sibling – a younger sister named Solange, who also became a successful musician and actress. At some point Solange was a member of Destiny’s Child with her elder sister.
Beyoncé and singer Kelly Rowland of Destiny’s Child were childhood friends.
Her name Beyoncé is derived from her mother Tina Knowles’ middle name Beyincé.
Beyoncé, her mother Tina and her sister Solange are all said to be descendants of the famous Acadian leader Joseph Broussard (Beausoleil) who lived between 1702 and 1765.
Growing up, Beyoncé was a soloist in the St. John’s United Methodist Church choir.
Her solo career has seen her sell over 100 million records whereas her career with Destiny’s Child has seen her sell over 60 million records.
The first number-one single of her solo career was the song Crazy in Love which featured her future husband Jay Z.
In 2007, she became the second black woman to appear on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue. The first black woman to be given such an honor is the famous American model Tyra Banks.
In 2010, Beyoncé made history by winning 6 Grammy Awards at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards, thereby becoming the female artist to have won the highest number of Grammys in one night.
In 2014, Beyoncé made history again by becoming the music industry’s highest paid black musician of all time.
Also, in 2015, Forbes magazine named her the most powerful woman in the entertainment world.
Beyoncé was placed at the sixth position on Time magazine’s 2016 Person of the Year. The 2016 Time Person of the Year eventually went to the 45th President of the United States Donald J. Trump.
She is one of the few singers in history to have appeared on multiple occasions on Time magazine’s list of the 100 most influential people in the world.
According to her, the late singer Michael Jackson is her major influence musically. In 2006, she stated that had it not been for Jackson, she would have never become a musician. Besides Jackson, her other musical influences include Whitney Houston, Diana Ross, Prince, Aaliyah, Sade Adu, Mary J. Blige and Mariah Carey. Her non musical influences include former First Lady of the United States Michelle Obama and Oprah Winfrey.
The term bootylicious, which was made famous by Destiny’s Child’s hit song of the same “Bootylicious” has over the years been used to refer to Beyoncé mainly because of her beautiful curves. The term became so popular that in 2006, it made it into the dictionary.
She supported Barack Obama throughout his bid to become President of the United States. She performed at President Obama’s first and second presidential inauguration. Furthermore, she is a supporter of the gay community and same sex marriage. As of the second quarter of 2017, Beyoncé had an estimated net worth of $350 million, according to Forbes magazine.
Beyoncé had a miscarriage before the birth of her first child Blue Ivy. According to her, the miscarriage was one of the saddest experiences in her entire life. The exact date of the miscarriage is not known, but it was said to have occurred between 2010 and 2011.
Notable Awards
Throughout her solo career as well as her career with Destiny’s Child, Beyoncé has been honored with hundreds of very important music awards, including Grammy Awards, Soul Train Awards, American Music Awards, Billboard Music Awards and BET Awards, amongst others. Here are just some of the most famous music awards Beyoncé has been honored with over the years:
- American Music Awards: Between 2003 and 2016, she received 23 American Music Awards, winning 7.
- BET Awards: From 2003 to 2016, she won 21 BET Awards out of 53 nominations.
- Billboard Music Awards: Between 2003 and 2017, she had received 6 Billboard Music Awards out of a total of 34 nominations.
- Grammy Awards: Between 2000 and 2017, Beyoncé’s solo career and her career with Destiny’s Child saw her receive as many as 62 Grammy nominations, out of which she has won 22, making her one of the most honored musicians in the entire history of the Grammys.
- MTV Video Music Awards: As of 2016, she had amassed approximately 24 MTV Video Music Awards, including the prestigious Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award in 2014. As of 2017, she holds the record of MTV Video Music Awards’ most awarded artist of all time.
- MOBO Awards: As of 2016, she had won 6 MOBO Awards.
- Soul Train Music Awards: As of 2016, she had won a total of 15 Soul Train Music Awards out of 38 nominations.
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