Beyonce Knowles
Biography
Beyoncé
Knowles is one of the many impressionable artists of the new millennium,
but an individual in her own right. She's praised for her wildly
inventive presentations in music and film, and respected for her
down-to-earth persona. With her grace, beauty, charm, and gift for
entertaining, Knowles has become a star and an American icon.
Born
in Houston in the fall of 1981, Beyoncé Giselle Knowles started
performing at age seven. From dance classes to singing in the church
choir, Knowles was a natural. She and cousin Kelly Rowland met Latavia
Roberson during this time, and the trio formed a group with Letoya
Luckett. Mathew Knowles, Beyoncé's father and Rowland's legal
guardian, signed on to be the girls' manager. This situation would
ultimately lead to the formation of one of the greatest female R&B
groups of all time -- Destiny's Child.
Destiny's
Child made its debut in 1990 and within ten years, the vocal act
had experienced personal and political highs and lows that fueled
the group's desire to make it big. Destiny's Child sold 33 million
albums worldwide by 2002 and earned a slew of Grammys and additional
music awards. "Jumpin' Jumpin'," "Bills, Bills, Bills,"
"Say My Name," and "Survivor" were smash hits,
and the group appeared unstoppable.
In 2001,
Knowles, Rowland, and Michelle Williams allowed themselves a break
from the singing group and tried their hands at individual solo
careers.
Before
landing several movie roles, Knowles became the first African-American
female artist and second woman ever to win the annual ASCAP Pop
Songwriter of the Year Award. An appearance in the MTV drama Carmen:
A Hip Hopera quickly followed, but it was her role as Foxxy Cleopatra
in Austin Powers in Goldmember in 2002 that eventually moved Knowles
from the stage to the screen. Her first single, "Work It Out,"
coincided with the release of the Mike Myers comedy, cemented Knowles'
celebrity status. A guest spot on Jay-Z's "'03 Bonnie &
Clyde" was equally popular when it appeared in October. In
2003, she shed her last name and rejoined Jay-Z for her proper debut
single, the funkadelic "Crazy in Love," as the press and
fans christened her a bona fide star. Beyoncé Knowles' debut
album, Dangerously in Love, which appeared in June 2003, featured
collaborations with Sean Paul, Missy Elliott, and OutKast's Big
Boi.
Beyonce Knowles Filmography
Dreamgirls (2006)--Deena
Jones
The Pink Panther (2005)--Xania
The Fighting Temptations (2003)--Lilly
Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002)--Foxxy Cleopatra
Carmen: A Hip Hopera (2001) (TV)--Carmen |
