Beyoncé is an American multi-platinum, Grammy Award-winning recording artist and actress. She is a philanthropist and co-founder of Chime for Change, a global campaign to raise funds and awareness for girls and women around the world.
Beyoncé started singing at an early age, her talent was discovered by her dance instructor who was impressed when Beyoncé finished a song she’d been humming, hitting all the high-pitched notes perfectly. At age 8 Beyoncé and Kelly Rowland met LaTavia Roberson while in an audition for an all-girl group, they were put into a group called ‘Girl’s Tyme’ with three other girls, they rapped and danced on the talent show circuit in Houston where they were discovered by R&B producer Arne Frager. Frager gave them a spot on Star Search but the group did not win. In 1995 Beyoncé’s father became the groups manager and cut the line up to four. The group performed as an opening act for other established R&B girl groups while autioning for record labels, they were eventually signed by Elektra Records before being dropped. In 1997 the group landed a record deal with Columbia and, now named Destiny’s Child they became hugely popular R&B acts with hits like “Bills, Bills, Bills,” and “Say My Name.”
Beyoncé made her acting debut in 2001 in MTV’s Carmen: A Hip Hopera, she then co-starred with Mike Myers in the spy parody Goldmember the following year. In 2003 she released her first solo album ‘Dangerously in Love’, the record was a huge success both commercially and critically, selling millions of copies and leading to Beyoncé winning five grammy awards. In 2004 Destiny’s Child released their last album ‘Destiny Fulfilled’ and the following year the group broke up.
Beyoncé has continued to release highly successful albums and build her acting career. She has starred in Dreamgirls and played R&B legend Etta James in Cadillac Records, she sang James’ famous song ‘At Last’ for President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama at his inaugural ball in 2009. In 2008 Beyoncé married Jay-Z in a small, private ceremony in New York City, that same year she released ‘I am … Sasha Fierce’ – Sasha Fierce was her alter-ago – and scored two big hits with “Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)” and “If I Were a Boy.”
In December 13, 2013 Beyoncé released her fifth studio album, self-titled Beyoncé without any notice. The album was released exclusively on iTunes initially, it sold more than 800,000 copies in the first weekend. It became her fifth studio album to debut at No. 1, making her the first woman to reach No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with her first five albums. During this album Beyoncé declared herself a feminist, despite having believed in empowering women (evident in the Destiny’s Child song ‘Independent Women’) she had been reluctant to use the word Feminist previously. She used a sample of a call to action entitled “We should all be feminists” by Nigerian writer Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie in the song ‘Flawless’ and her backdrop to the stage at her performance at the MTV Video Music Awards proudly displayed the word ‘FEMINIST’, bringing attention to a word that is wrongly thought of as simply describing someone who hates men.
In addition to her performing career, Beyoncé is a philanthropist. After Hurricane Katrina in 2005 Beyoncé and Kelly Rowland founded the Survivor Foundation to provide transitional housing for victims in the Houston area with Beyoncé contributing an initial $250,000. The foundation has expanded and now works with other charities in the city and was able to provide relief following Hurricane Ike three years later. In In 2007, Beyoncé partnered with a variety of anti-hunger organisations, including Feeding America, The Houston Food Bank and The Global Food Banking Network, in conjunction with her Beyoncé Experience tour. In 2014 she donated $7 million to build a low-income housing project in her hometown for homeless men and women and children. Beyoncé is also a co-founder of Chime for Change, a global campaign to raise funds and awareness for girls and women around the world.
Beyoncé has sold over 118 million records as a solo artist (and 60 million with Destiny’s Child) making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time. She has won 20 Grammy Awards and is the most nominated woman in the award’s history. The Recording Industry Association of America recognised her as the Top Certified Artist in America during the 2000’s. In 2009 she was named the Top Radio Songs Artist of the Decade by Billboard and their Artist of the Millennium in 2011. In 2013 and 2014 she was listed among the 100 most influential people in the world by Time. In 2015 Forbes magazine listed her as the most powerful female musician.