Beyonce Giselle Knowles was born in Houston, Texas on September 4, 1981, the daughter of Mathew Knowles, a record manager, and Tina Beyince, a costume designer and hair stylist. She overcame her childhood shyness and entered her first talent show at the age of seven, where she performed John Lennon's "Imagine" and received a standing ovation.
Beyonce Knowles first rose to stardom as the lead singer of Destiny's Child, the best-selling girl group of all time. After signing with Columbia Records in 1997, Destiny's Child recorded "Killing Time" for the Men in Black soundtrack. Their first two albums were Destiny's Child (1998), which features their first major hit single, "No, No, No"; and The Writing's On the Wall (1999), which features some of their most popular songs, including "Say My Name" and "Jumpin' Jumpin'." The R&B group achieved superstar status in 2000 with the number-one single, "Independent Women Part I," which was featured on the Charlie's Angels soundtrack and later on Destiny's Child's third album, Survivor (2001).
Beyonce Knowles' first solo album, Dangerously in Love, was released in June 2003 and would go on to sell over four million copies. The hit singles from the album include "Crazy in Love" (featuring Jay-Z), "Baby Boy" and "Me, Myself and I." Beyonce returned to Destiny's Child for one more album (the appropriately titled Destiny Fulfilled in 2004) and then embarked full-time on her solo career. Beyonce's second solo album was B'Day (2006), which prompted the nine-month worldwide tour known as "The Beyonce Experience." Her third solo album will be released sometime in 2008.
Beyonce Knowles has appeared in several feature films, including Carmen: A Hip Hopera (2001), a made-for-TV hip-hop update of the Georges Bizet opera; Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002); The Fighting Temptations (2003); the Oscar-winning musical, DreamGirls (2006); and The Pink Panther (2006). Beyonce Knowles will play Etta James in the upcoming Cadillac Records and will record four songs for the soundtrack, including a cover of James' "At Last." Beyonce is also rumored to be in negotiations for a part in the proposed Desperate Housewives feature film.
In April 2008, Beyonce Knowles married her boyfriend of six years, Jay-Z, in a discreet ceremony in New York City. One wonders where this 26-year-old will go from here.
