Beyonce Knowles Biography

Beyoncé Giselle Knowles (born September 4, 1981 in Houston, Texas) is a popular American Contemporary R&B singer, songwriter, producer, and actress. She was the one of the founding members, lead singer, chief songwriter, and producer with Destiny's Child.

Knowles is usually referred to only by her first name, which she uses as her stagename, 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 Billboard 200 charts in the U.S., as well as the main album charts in Canada and the United Kingdom. Beyoncé has won eight Grammy Awards — five for her solo work, and three as a member of Destiny's Child. This year, she has been nominated for more 6 Grammy's Awards - 1 solo, 1 duet (with Stevie Wonder) and 4 with Destiny's Child.

Beyoncé is currently dating rapper Jay-Z, who is also CEO and President of Def Jam Recordings.

Beyoncé was the first child of two children born to Matthew and Tina Knowles on September 4, 1981. Her parents decided on a french name, although no one in the family is French. By age seven, she was attending dance school and was a soloist in her church choir. Her dance instructor took an interest in Beyoncé, personally taking her star student to various competitions. As a result, Beyoncé began to get famous in her community, winning over thirty local singing and dancing competitions.

Beyoncé and her cousin Kelly Rowland met LaTavia Roberson and Letoya Luckett. They formed a quartet that would perform in their backyards and in Tina Knowles' beauty shop. After performing at local events, they got their break when they entered Star Search. The group, then named Girl's Tyme, were heartbroken when they received only three stars, losing the competition.

Matthew Knowles, Beyoncé's father and Rowland's legal guardian, decided to help the girls reach their dreams of becoming singers. He quit his six figure salary at Xerox to manage the group.

As a teenager, she attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston, where she honed her musical talents. She later went to Alief Elsik High School, also in Houston. She graduated from Elsik in 2000.

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-one 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 third 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 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.

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 the release of Destiny Fulfilled went through. "Lose My Breath" and "Soldier" both became top-five hits on the Hot 100; their last single, "Cater 2 U", made it to the top twenty, while "Girl", their third single, 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 September

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.

In 2003, 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.

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 on February 10, 2006.

Beyoncé, David Foster, and his daughter, Amy Foster Gillies, wrote Destiny's Child's single "Stand Up for Love" for World Children's Day, an event which takes place annually around the world on November 20 to raise awareness and funds for children's causes worldwide. Over the past three years, more than $50 million has been raised to benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities and other children's organizations.

Destiny's Child lent their voices and support as global ambassadors for the 2005 program. In this role, Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams visited Ronald McDonald Houses around the world during their Destiny Fulfilled... and Lovin' It global tour and donated a portion of their North American ticket sales to Ronald McDonald House Charities.

Beyoncé, David Foster, and his daughter, Amy Foster Gillies, wrote Destiny's Child's single "Stand Up for Love" for World Children's Day, an event which takes place annually around the world on November 20 to raise awareness and funds for children's causes worldwide. Over the past three years, more than $50 million has been raised to benefit Ronald McDonald House Charities and other children's organizations. Beyoncé and Kelly Rowland, along with Mathew Knowles, Tina Knowles, and Solange Knowles-Smith recently announced the formation of the Survivor Foundation, a charitable entity set up for the purpose of providing transitional housing for Hurricane Katrina victims and storm evacuees in the Houston, Texas area. The Survivor Foundation extends the philanthropic mission of the Knowles-Rowland Center For Youth, a multi-purpose community outreach facility in downtown Houston.