Beyoncé Knowles-Carter

BORN: SEPTEMBER 4, 1981, HOUSTON, TX

I have learned that it is no one else’s job to take care of me but me.

Bathed in golden lights, surrounded by dazzling sound, and energized with incredible beats and choreography, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter dominates stage and video performances with her compelling lyrics, velvet vocals, provocative dance moves, and commanding stage presence. Beyoncé is a multitalented American R&B and pop singer, songwriter, entertainer, dancer, actress, and music producer. She is also one of the bestselling music artists in history, with twenty-three Grammy Awards (and sixty-three nominations) and counting. Famous for “slaying” her audiences, Beyoncé is the most nominated woman in the history of the music awards.

Beyoncé was born and raised in Houston by her parents, Celestine “Tina” Knowles, a hairdresser, designer, and salon owner, and Mathew Knowles, a sales manager. She took dance lessons at an early age and by eight was performing on the talent-show circuit in Houston. She became part of the all-girl band Girl’s Tyme, which later morphed into Destiny’s Child and sold more than 60 million albums between 1996 and 2005.

As a solo artist, Beyoncé has also been known as Sasha Fierce and Queen Bey. She has pursued acting opportunities in film and television movies, such as The Pink Panther, Dreamgirls, and Austin Powers in Goldmember.

Her performances on MTV, the BET Awards, and the Super Bowl XLVII and Super Bowl 50 halftime shows and her amazing world tours have solidified Beyoncé’s position as an international pop icon. Dangerously in Love, Beyoncé’s first solo album, featured rapper-producer and future husband Jay-Z in “Crazy in Love,” her first number-one single as a solo artist.

Themes of female empowerment infuse her songwriting, performances, and social justice activities. Among her inspirations are musicians Michael Jackson, Diana Ross, Whitney Houston, Mariah Carey, and Etta James, and First Lady Michelle Obama.

The ongoing successes of Lemonade, 2016’s bestselling album worldwide, and Everything Is Love, Beyoncé’s 2018 release with Jay-Z, show how she continues to shape and influence the entertainment industry and popular culture at large.