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Beyoncé Knowles, on the cover of her debut solo album Dangerously in Love

Beyoncé Giselle Knowles (born September 4 1981 in Houston, Texas) is an African American R&B singer, actress, and chief songwriter and producer in the group Destiny's Child.

Knowles is usually referred to by her first name only, Beyoncé, which is now her stage name, but has come to be called Beyoncé Knowles by many in the media. Her debut solo album, 2003's Dangerously in Love, topped both the R&B and pop charts in America, as well as the main album charts in Canada and the UK. The album spawned four top-five singles on the Billboard Hot 100, including the multi-week number ones "Crazy in Love" featuring boyfriend Jay-Z and "Baby Boy" featuring Sean Paul, as well as "Me, Myself & I", and "Naughty Girl". Beyoncé has won five Grammy Awards for her solo work and three as a member of Destiny's Child. As a teen, she attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston, where she honed her musical talents.

Destiny's Child

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 is 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 one1 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 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. "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 second Grammy for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal. The album's fourth and final single, "Emotions", was a cover of the Bee Gees hit of the same name; it continued the group's impressive string of top ten hits.

In 2004, the group began receiving threats from an obsessed fan from San Diego, California named LaToya Langford. Primarily aimed at Beyoncé, the threats caused major setbacks for the group. Langford continued the threats, until her arrest on August 23 2004 at her San Diego home.

After Langford's arrest, safety seemed apparent and the release of Destiny Fulfilled went through. "Lose My Breath" and "Soldier" both became top-five hits on the Hot 100, though "Girl" only managed to reach the top forty.

On June 13 2005, it was announced that the group would disband after their world tour ended in Autumn 2005. [1]

Solo career

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.

Beyoncé then turned to acting, starring alongside Mekhi Phifer in the MTV TV film Carmen: A Hip Hopera, without any previous training.This film was the modern equivalent of the 1954 musical Carmen which starred Harry Belafonte and Dorothy Dandridge. In the summer of 2002, Beyoncé co-starred in the film Austin Powers in Goldmember opposite Mike Myers as Austin Powers, as Foxxy Cleopatra. The film is in The Guinness Book of World Records as gaining the Highest Box Office Comedy Film gross. She also recorded a song called "Work It Out" for the film's soundtrack. "Work It Out" was a top-ten hit in the UK and a top-forty hit in the Netherlands, Australia, and Ireland, despite being Beyoncé's biggest flop to date in her home country; in America, radio barely played the song and the video received very minor exposure, only on digital video channels, MTV Jams and VH1 Soul.

During Autumn 2002, Beyoncé was the featured vocalist on Jay-Z's smash single, "'03 Bonnie And Clyde". The couple are engaged, and current rumours say that they will marry soon.

In Spring 2003, Beyoncé remade a duet with the late Luther Vandross, "The Closer I Get to You", originally made famous by Roberta Flack and Donny Hathaway. In this version, the vocal parts are switched, with Vandross taking Flack's part and Beyoncé taking Hathaway's. The song was included both on her debut solo album and on Vandross's Dance with My Father album, and they shared the Grammy for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.

In 2003, Beyoncé released her debut solo album Dangerously in Love. Its first single, "Crazy in Love", featured a propulsive riff and a guest rap from Jay-Z and rapidly became one of the biggest hits of that summer, staying at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 Singles chart for ten weeks. Dangerously in Love went to the top of the album charts in the UK and Canada, as well as on both the American pop (Billboard 200) and R&B charts. This album has sold in excess of eight million copies worldwide. When single and album simultaneously topped the pop charts in both the U.S. and the UK, she became the first act to achieve this feat since Men at Work in 1983; in the 1960s and 1970s, it was performed by The Beatles, Simon and Garfunkel, and Rod Stewart.

On the televised celebration of July 4 in 2003, Beyoncé provoked controversy with the Grant Memorial Association for her performance of "Crazy in Love", in which she danced in a "patently inappropriate" way on the steps of the tomb of President Ulysses S. Grant. President Grant's great-grandsons Ulysses Grant Dietz and Chapman Foster Grant, spoke up on Knowles' behalf. "The way the world is now, who cares?" said Chapman Grant, "who knows? If the old guy were alive, he might have enjoyed it."

At about the same time, Beyoncé starred in the film The Fighting Temptations opposite Cuba Gooding Jr., and recorded a song for it called "Fighting Temptation", with rappers Missy Elliott, Free, and MC Lyte. Unlike Beyoncé's own singles, the song did not become popular, although the film was a moderate success.

Fresh from the success of "Baby Boy", Beyoncé released her third solo single, "Me Myself and I" towards the end of 2003; Dangerously in Love's fourth single, "Naughty Girl", came out in mid-2004. Both have also made the Top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100.

In a Universal Music poll conducted in 2004, Beyoncé beat Britney Spears and Christina Aguilera to be crowned the "Princess of Pop".

Beyoncé is currently in post-production for The Pink Panther in which she plays role of Xania, appearing opposite Steve Martin, who plays Inspector Clouseau. The film is scheduled for release in 2006.

She is also set to play Deena Jones in an adaptation of the Broadway musical Dreamgirls, set for release in 2006.

Vocal capabilities

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Beyonce and Prince performing at the 2004 Grammys

Beyonce has been classified as a full soprano. She is capable of employing intricate melismata, and this technique is a central feature of her sound. She has been hailed frequently by the media as one of the best contemporary pop singers. In Cove Magazine's countdown of their 100 Outstanding Pop Vocalist, she was placed at number seven [2].

Samples

Controversy

Towards the end of the summer, "Baby Boy", Dangerously in Love's second single, which featured reggae star Sean Paul, began to climb the charts. It went on to become one of the biggest hits of 2003, dominating radio airplay in Autumn 2003. In later 2005 Beyonce was served with a lawsuit for a claimed copyright theft from a young girl named Jennifer Armour. Armour claimed that she sent the song to Beyonce's label, and that Beyonce used it without permission. The Knowles have not commented publically on the lawsuit, nor have the Armours.

Solo awards

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Beyoncé in 2004 with her five Grammys.
  • ASCAP Pop Music Awards
    • Pop Songwriter of the Year: 2001
  • Capital Awards
    • London's Favorite International Solo Artist
  • VH1 Awards
    • Big Entertainer:2003
  • BET Awards
    • Best Female R&B Artist: 2004;
    • Best Collaboration ("Crazy in Love"): 2004
  • TRL Awards
    • TRL's First Lady Award: 2004
  • Vibe Award
    • Coolest Collabo ("Crazy in Love"): 2003;
    • Most stylish Artist ever
  • Billboard Music Awards
    • New Female Artist: 2003;
    • Hot 100 Female Artist: 2003;
    • Hot 100 Award for Most Weeks at No.1: 2003;
    • New R&B Artist: 2003
  • Soul Train Music Awards
    • Best Female R&B/Soul Album (Dangerously in Love): 2004;
    • The Sammy Davis, Jr. Award for "Entertainer of the Year" - Female: 2004

Besides her awards gained during her solo performing years, Beyoncé also has a host of other awards with Destiny's Child.

Filmography

Endorsements

Tours

  • European Tour: 2003
  • Ladies First: 2004
  • Destiny Fulfilled...And Lovin' It Tour: 2005

Solo Discography

Albums

  • Dangerously in Love (2003; solo) #1 US; #1 CAN; #1 UK; #2 AU
    • US sales: 4.2 million (4x platinum); Worldwide sales: 10.2 million

Hit singles

From Dangerously in Love

  • 2003: "Crazy in Love" (featuring Jay-Z) - #1 US (8 weeks); #1 UK (3 weeks); #1 CAN (2 weeks); (Gold)
  • 2003: "Baby Boy" (featuring Sean Paul) - #1 US (9 weeks); #2 UK; #1 CAN (2 weeks)
  • 2003: "Me, Myself and I" - #4 US; #11 UK; #11 CAN
  • 2004: "Naughty Girl" - #3 US; #10 UK; #2 CAN
  • 2004: "Dangerously in Love" (radio only) - #57 US

From soundtracks

Guest appearences

  • 2000 "I Got That" (Amil featuring Beyoncé) Unknown
  • 2002 "'03 Bonnie & Clyde" (Jay-Z featuring Beyoncé) #4 US, #2 UK

She also had major hit singles and albums as part of Destiny's Child.

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