Beyonce

Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter is a singer, songwriter, record producer and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she was active in singing and dancing competitons as a child and rose to fame in the late 1990s as the lead singer of R&B girl-group Destiny's Child. The group became one of the world's bestselling girl groups of all time. During their hiatus, Beyoncé released her debut album, Dangerously in Love, which earned her five Grammy Awards and featured the No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 singles "Crazy in Love" and "Baby Boy." Following Destiny Child's disbandment in 2005, Beyoncé released her second album, B'Day, featuring the hits "Déjà Vu", "Irreplaceable", and "Beautiful Liar." She also began her acting career with a Golden Globe-nominated performance in Dreamgirls, and starring roles in The Pink Panther and Obsessed. Her marriage to rapper Jay Z and portrayal of Etta James in the movie Cadillac Records influenced her third album, I Am...Sasha Fierce, which earned a record-setting six Grammy Awards in 2010, including Song of the Year for "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)." At that time, Beyoncé took a hiatus from music and took over management of her career. Her fourth album, 4, explored 1970s funk, 1980s pop, and 1990s soul, followed by her critically acclaimed 2013 self-titled album, which featured darker themes. Her most recent album, Lemonade, was released in 2016. With a career spanning 19 years, Beyoncé has sold over 100 million records as a solo artist, and 60 million with Destiny's Child, making her one of the bestselling artists of all time. She has earned 20 Grammy Awards and is the most nominated woman in the award's history, as well as the most awarded artist at the MTV Video Music Awards, with 24 wins. The RIAA recognized her as the Top Certified Artist in America during the 2000s, and in 2009, Billboard named her the Top Radio Songs Artist of the Decade, the Top Female Artist of the 200s, and gave her the Millennium Award in 2011. Time magazine lists her among the 100 most influential people in the world, and Forbes lists her as the most powerful female in entertainment.