BEYONCE GISELLE KNOWLES

Beyonce Giselle Knowles

Beyonce Giselle Knowles

Beyoncé Giselle Knowles (born September 4, 1981), commonly known as Beyoncé, is an American R & B singer, songwriter, producer and actress. 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 1990's as a soloist infant girl group Destiny's, selling girl group of all time(Ouattara, pp.70).

Beyoncé Knowles

After a series of commercial successes with the group, Knowles released her debut solo album, dangerously in love, in June 2003. The album became one of the most successful albums of the year, spawning the number one single "Crazy In Love" and "Baby Boy". It earned Knowles five Grammy Awards in one night in 2004, and its reception of its viability as a solo performer. The dissolution of Destiny's Child, in 2005 contributed to its continued success, she released her second album, B'Day, in 2006, which spawned the UK number singles "Déjà vu" and "Beautiful Liar", and worldwide hit "Irreplaceable". Knowles released her third solo album titled I Am ... Sasha Fierce on Nov. 18, 2008. Knowles has sold more than 100 million records worldwide with Destiny's Child, and 25 million records as a solo performer(Arenofsky, pp.160).

The success of her solo albums has established Knowles as one of the most liquid of artists in the industry. She added acting and endorsement deals to her repertoire. In 2006 she starred in the comedy The Pink Panther, and, in the same year, scored a major role in the film adaptation of the Broadway musical Dreamgirls in 1981, "which earned her a nomination for Golden Globe. Knowles launched in 2004, her family fashion line, House of Dereon, and among her many lucrative commercial deals are Pepsi, Tommy Hilfiger, and L'Oréal. Knowles has been with boyfriend Jay-Z since 2002, although they were discreet about their relationship. After much speculation, they married on April 4, 2008(Webster, pp.20) .

Knowles was born in Houston, Texas, daughter of Mathew Knowles, manager of a successful records, and Tina Beyincé, costume designer and stylist. Knowles is the father of African-American and her mother is of Creole (African-American, Native American, and French) descent. Knowles was baptized after her mother's maiden name as a tribute to his mother and to prevent the name from becoming obsolete, since only some of Beyincé men to wear a name. Her maternal grandparents, Lumis Albert Beyincé and Agnéz Dereon, were French-speaking Creoles of Louisiana. She is the elder sister Solange, a singer and actress(Patel, pp.34).

Knowles enrolled in primary school, St. Mary's in Texas, where she enrolled in dance classes, including ballet and jazz. Her talent in singing was discovered when her dance instructor began humming a song and she finished it, hitting the high notes. Though a shy girl, her mother believes her interest in Knowles, music and performing began unexpectedly after joining in a school talent show. Once she had time on stage, she overcame her shyness and ...