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Beyoncé Knowles Biography

September 4, 1981 • Houston, Texas

Singer/actress

From her early childhood, Beyoncé Knowles wanted to be more than a performer: she wanted to be a superstar. By the age of twenty-one, she had reached that goal, becoming world-famous not just in her chosen field of singing but also as an actress. After attaining wide success with the R&B group Destiny's Child, Knowles broke out on her own, releasing her solo debut, Dangerously in Love, in 2003. The single "Crazy in Love," featuring her boyfriend, rapper Jay-Z, was one of the biggest hits of the summer of 2003. The song propelled the album to multimillion-unit sales and earned Knowles a number of awards, including a Grammy Award and an MTV Video Music Award. In 2002 she displayed her acting abilities in the third installment of Mike Myers's Austin Powers series Austin Powers in Goldmember, starring as Foxxy Cleopatra. The following year she appeared opposite Academy Award–winning actor Cuba Gooding Jr. in The Fighting Temptations. Knowles also nabbed a number of high-profile endorsement deals, acting as a spokesperson for Pepsi and for the cosmetics company L'Oréal. For all her money, fame, and critical recognition, Knowles has managed, according to friends, family, and even journalists, to hold on to her warm, genuine nature.

The search for stardom

Beyoncé Giselle Knowles was born and raised in Houston, Texas, along with her younger sister, Solange, who would later follow her sister into the entertainment industry. Her father, Mathew, worked for many years as a sales representative selling medical equipment, while her mother, Tina, worked in a bank and later opened her own beauty salon, which became one of the most successful salons in Houston. As a young child, Knowles was shy and had few friends. Her parents signed her up for a dance class when she was seven years old, "to make friends more than anything else," as Tina Knowles described to Essence. The first time Beyoncé's parents saw her perform, they were stunned. "When we saw her on stage for the first time, it was incredible. I'd never seen her so alive and confident," Tina recalled. Beyoncé had found a way to break out of her shyness, and along the way she discovered she had real talent. She began singing in—and winning—local talent contests, and soon her parents realized that performing made their daughter happy, and that she was gifted enough to have a shot at success.

"My main accomplishment is achieving peace and happiness. Sometimes you think it's success, and you think that it's being a big star. But I want respect, and I want friendship and love and laughter, and I want to grow."

In 1990, at the age of nine, Knowles auditioned for a singing group called Girl's Tyme. She won a spot with the group and began performing with them at local events. Knowles's cousin, Kelly Rowland,

Solange Knowles: Joining the Family Business

Talent runs in the Knowles family. Right on the heels of Beyoncé is her little sister, Solange, who, like her more famous sibling, has wanted to be an entertainer for as long as she can remember. She started her life as a professional performer at age thirteen when she began touring with Destiny's Child as a backup dancer. She broke into the music business soon after, releasing her first album, Solo Star, in early 2003. Solange has also participated in the theater since early childhood, acting in a number of plays. She made her big-screen debut in 2004's Johnson Family Vacation, appearing with Cedric the Entertainer, Vanessa Williams, and rapper Bow Wow.

Solange was born on June 24, 1986, in Houston, Texas. She performed in a children's dance troupe at the age of four and can clearly remember loving the attention and admiration she got from the audience. She was hooked, and knew from that moment on that she wanted to entertain people. She began writing songs since the age of seven, and at age thirteen she asked her parents to allow her to pursue a professional singing career. They suggested she wait until she was a little older. That same year, when one of the backup dancers for Destiny's Child had to drop out just before the start of a tour, Solange was chosen to fill in. She embarked on a two-year worldwide tour, accompanied by her father, the manager of the group, and her mother, the group's stylist. Her parents watched her closely, observing how Solange handled the hard work and pressures of being on tour. By its conclusion, they had decided their younger daughter was mature enough to begin her own singing career.

Solange knew her way around a recording studio, having spent time with her sister when Destiny's Child was recording. She had learned how to write and produce songs, and she put those skills to use in crafting her debut album, Solo Star. With songwriting and production help from such notable artists as the Neptunes, Timbaland, and big sister Beyoncé, Solange created a pop R&B album that showed the influence of reggae, hip-hop, and even country. The album features guest appearances from Da Brat, Lil' Romeo, and B2K.

In early 2004 Solange, at age seventeen, took a break from her career path to wed Daniel Smith, a college football player from Houston. With the rest of the Knowles family looking on, the couple were married in the Bahamas.

was also a member of Girl's Tyme, and when Rowland and her mother encountered financial problems, the Knowles family took Kelly in. The members of Girl's Tyme felt that success was close by when they participated in the television talent competition Star Search in 1992, but they did not win the contest. Believing that he could improve their chances of getting a record deal, Mathew Knowles became the group's manager and persuaded the group not to give up on their dream. Eventually he quit his job to manage the group full-time, taking them to talent competitions in Los Angeles, California, and elsewhere. He poured his energy, his time, and the family's money into the project, forcing the family to sell their house and move into an apartment. The stress of their reduced circumstances caused problems in Tina and Mathew's marriage. "I felt like the group was more important to him than his family," Tina told Essence. The couple separated for a short period, but soon realized they were miserable when apart. They reunited and have been together ever since.

Felt like Destiny

The girls' group, performing under such names as Somethin' Fresh, the Dolls, and Destiny, completed a demo recording to send to record labels. They performed wherever they could, practiced singing and dancing all the time, and, particularly for Knowles and one other girl in the group, they endured strict diets to keep their weight down. The joy they felt when they were signed to a deal in 1995 with Silent Partner Productions, a division of Elektra Records, turned to bitter disappointment when the deal fell through. In 1997, however, Columbia Records signed the group, which had settled on the name Destiny's Child. They started by recording "Killing Time," a song that appeared on the soundtrack for the blockbuster hit Men in Black. Soon they began working on their first album. In 1998 Destiny's Child—consisting of Knowles, Rowland, LaToya Luckett, and LaTavia Roberson—released their self-titled debut. Their first single, "No No No," found a huge audience, quickly selling over one million copies and reaching the top of the R&B charts. While not a smash hit, the album performed well overall, selling enough to encourage the girls to return to the studio to record a second album.

After the release of the first Destiny's Child album, the group was one among many all-female R&B groups jockeying for success, but with The Writing's on the Wall, released in 1999, they shot to superstardom. The first track, "Bills, Bills, Bills," hit number one on the R&B chart and on the pop charts as well. A subsequent song, "Say My Name," performed even better, and in 2000 Destiny's Child won two Grammy Awards. Their newfound success, however, was not enough to keep the group together. Problems concerning money and decision-making powers drove them apart, and Roberson and Luckett left Destiny's Child. They later sued the group and manager Mathew Knowles, a move that created a stir in the media. The new Destiny's Child, now including Farrah Franklin and Michelle Williams, felt frustrated that so many media reports focused on the band's troubles rather than their music. In the end, however, the wave of publicity generated by the controversy resulted in more album sales for the group, and The Writing's on the Wall eventually sold more than eight million copies.

Franklin quit Destiny's Child after only a few months, leaving the group a trio. One of the problems voiced by departing members was what they considered Mathew Knowles's unfair emphasis on his daughter's career rather than that of the whole group. Whether because of her father or because of her own talent and ambition, Beyoncé had emerged as the group's most visible member. For the third album, Survivor, she took an expanded role in the writing and producing, and her increased involvement paid off. When the album came out in the spring of 2001, it shot straight to number one on the Billboard 200 album chart, spawning two hit singles with the title track and with "Bootylicious," and winning another Grammy Award. Destiny's Child soon announced that each member would pursue solo projects, although the group, which had sold more than thirty-three million records worldwide, voiced no plans to separate permanently.

Spreading out

In addition to beginning work on a solo album, Knowles began pursuing acting jobs. In 2001 she appeared as the title character in an MTV production called Carmen: The Hip-Hopera, a modern retelling of the nineteenth-century opera Carmen by Georges Bizet. Her next acting job exposed her to millions of filmgoers all over the world. Playing the sassy 1970s-era character Foxxy Cleopatra, Knowles helped Mike Myers capture the bad guys in Austin Powers in Goldmember in 2002. She then obtained a more substantial role in The Fighting Temptations, released in 2003. While the film did not achieve blockbuster status, it did earn more than $30 million at the box office, thanks in large part to Knowles's massive fan base. Aware of the mixed track record of other pop stars crossing over to film, Knowles took her acting seriously, working hard to improve her skills and sincerely hoping to turn in a quality performance. In an article in People, Jonathan Lynn, director of The Fighting Temptations, recalled of Knowles: "On the first day of filming she was a little nervous. She was aware that I might be treating her with kid gloves, so she took me aside and said, 'Make sure you're happy with what you get from me.'"

Also in 2003, Knowles released her debut solo recording, Dangerously in Love. With a list of impressive collaborators including Jay-Z, Missy Elliott, Sean Paul, and Big Boi of the hip-hop duo Out-Kast, Knowles used the album to display a side of herself not previously seen by Destiny's Child fans—more mature, more adventurous, and with songs like "Naughty Girl" and "Baby Boy," more sensual. The breakout single, "Crazy in Love," peppered the airwaves, becoming a huge summer hit in 2003. Featuring the rapping of Jay-Z and describing the giddy feeling of falling hard for someone, the song fueled speculation that Knowles and Jay-Z were romantically linked, but the pair kept the relationship under wraps, determined to keep their personal lives private. Entertainment Weekly 's Nancy Miller praised Knowles for exploring a variety of styles on her solo outing, opting to take chances rather than simply continue in the Destiny's Child mode. "While living Dangerously in Love, " Miller reported, "[Knowles] birthed contagious hip-hop dance tracks, '70s-R&B-flavored jams, and garment-rending ballads."

The album, released in June of 2003, sold close to three million copies in the United States in its first six months. Knowles was a smash hit overseas as well, with both the "Crazy in Love" single and the album reaching the top of Billboard 's European sales charts. Knowles earned a slew of awards after the release of Dangerously in Love, taking home five Grammy Awards in 2004, including Best Contemporary R&B Album. Her five statues put her in fine company: only Lauryn Hill, Alicia Keys, and Norah Jones had won that many Grammy Awards in a single year. During 2004 the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) nominated Knowles for five Image Awards, giving her their Entertainer of the Year honor. Knowles's accomplishments have been considerable, but so are her expectations. In an interview with CosmoGirl! she explained that her ultimate goal is to be thought of as a legend. In response to the question of what makes a celebrity into a legend, Knowles told CosmoGirl! : "When you say her name, what you think about is her star quality. She is a good person, has good spirit, and is more than just a person who performs and sells records. She's a person who will change your life." Knowles may be too young to be described as a legend, but she has joined the elite ranks of Madonna, Cher, and other single-named stars, becoming known to millions of fans simply as "Beyoncé."

For More Information

Periodicals.

Chocano, Carina. "Destiny Awaits." Entertainment Weekly (May 30, 2003): p. 34.

Feiwell, Jill. "Working on a Dual Destiny." Daily Variety (March 5, 2004): p. A8.

Mayo, Kierna. "Beyoncé Unwrapped." Essence (August 2003): p. 122.

Miller, Nancy. "Beyoncé: Love Child." Entertainment Weekly (December 26, 2003): p. 32.

Rosenberg, Carissa. "Above and Beyoncé." CosmoGirl! (September 2002): p. 139.

Sexton, Paul. "Charts Show Europe's 'in Love' with Beyoncé." Billboard Bulletin (July 25, 2003): p. 1.

Tauber, Michelle. "Destiny's Woman." People (October 6, 2003): p. 87.

"About Solange." Solange. http://www.solangemusic.com/ (accessed June 26, 2004).

"Beyoncé." All Music Guide. http://www.allmusic.com (accessed on June 24, 2004).

"Biography." Beyoncé. http://www.beyonceonline.com/ (accessed on June 25, 2004).

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• Born September 4 , 1981 · Houston, Texas, USA
• Birth name Beyoncé Giselle Knowles
• Sasha Fierce
• Height 5′ 6½″ (1.69 m)
• Beyoncé Giselle Knowles was born on September 4, 1981 in Houston, Texas. Her mom, Tina Knowles designs their glittering costumes & her dad, Mathew Knowles manages Destiny's Child . Solange , her sister (they're 4 years apart) has released her debut album. She dances with her big sister during DC-3 concerts. Beyoncé's of Louisiana Creole & African descent. She and her group were discovered by Whitney Houston . One of her favorite songs is "Lovefool" by The Cardigans . Her favorite item of clothing is a pair of path work metallic boots. She writes & produces many of the group's songs, including smash hits "Jumpin Jumpin", "Bootylicious", "Nasty Girl", "Independent Women", "Happy Face" and "Apple Pie a la mode". - IMDb Mini Biography By: Tee
• Spouse Jay-Z (April 4, 2008 - present) (3 children)
• Children Rumi Carter Sir Carter Blue Ivy Carter
• Parents Mathew Knowles Tina Knowles
• Relatives Solange (Sibling) Bianca Lawson (Sibling)
• Large, heavy earrings
• Often wears bodysuits when performing
• Often wears stiletto heels
• Mezzo-soprano vocals
• Royalist Party.
• Was a tomboy and refused to wear dresses when she was younger.
• Has known R&B singer Alicia Keys since she was 14.
• Best friends with Kelly Rowland since they were children.
• Toured with TLC as their opening act (1999).
• Has been quoted as saying that to get over her shyness she developed a stage persona named "Sasha".
• There's plenty of days when I'm like "Oh God, why?". But that's just life. It's every job, not just mine. Every moment is not perfect. But it's definitely more good times than bad. You can't even compare. And when I'm on stage it feels incredible. There are certain nights that you know you hit that crazy note and you know that spin spinned extra fast. And you look out and people are just into it and you've worked so hard and now it's paying off and you can see why you dedicated your life to this.
• [on comparisons to J-Lo] It doesn't annoy me, no, because I respect J-Lo. I like her, I think she's great. And I know that I'm over a decade younger than her, it's so flattering that I'm so young and people are comparing me to someone who has accomplished so much. But I don't think I'm like anyone else and really, I'd rather not be compared to anyone else.
• [on her song "Bootylicious"] I wrote that because, at the time, I'd gained some weight and the pressure that people put you under, the pressure to be thin, is unbelievable. I was just 18 and you shouldn't be thinking about that. You should be thinking about building up your character and having fun and the song was just telling everyone just forget what people are saying, you're bootylicious. That's all. It's a celebration of curves and a celebration of women's bodies.
• Who I am on stage is very, very different to who I am in real life. But I don't see that having a sexy image when you are on stage means that you don't love God. No one knows what I'm really like from that. I like to walk around with bare feet and I don't like to comb my hair. I'm always so glammed up and so diva on stage and that's what they see. People don't understand that... No one knows my personal relationship with God and it's not up to me to prove that to anyone.
• For me, it's about the way I carry myself and the way I treat other people. My relationship and how I feel about God and what He does for me, is something deeply personal. It's where I came from, my family, I was brought up in a religious household and that's very important to me. But I understand the mentality of people. I know that people judge others based on certain things. I know how celebrities really are. I've done it too. You meet people - rock stars, rappers, whoever - who you have seen on television and you go into their homes and they are regular people, just like everyone else.
• The Fighting Temptations (2003) - $1,500,000
• Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002) - $3,000,000

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Biography of Beyonce, Queen of 21st Century R&B

From Destiny's Child to Solo Superstar

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Beyonce Giselle Knowles (born on September 4, 1981) first gained pop success as a member of the girl group Destiny's Child. As the group fell apart, Beyonce embarked on a solo career that led her to the pinnacle of popular music in the U.S. She won 22 Grammy Awards and sold more than 100 million recordings. She is one of the most important female pop music artists of all time.

Fast Facts: Beyonce

• Full Name:  Beyonce Giselle Knowles-Carter
• Given Name: Beyonce Giselle Knowles
• Occupation:  Singer, Actress
• Born:  September 4, 1981, in Houston, TX
• Education:  Alief Elsik High School, Houston, TX
• Memorable Songs:   " Crazy In Love," "Irreplaceable," "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)," "Drunk In Love," "Formation"
• Key Accomplishment: Winner of 22 Grammy Awards
• Spouse Name:  Jay-Z (Shawn Carter)
• Children's Names:  Blue Ivy, Rumi, and Sir Carter
• Famous Quote:  "When you love and accept yourself, when you know who really cares about you, and when you learn from your mistakes, then you stop caring about what people who don't know you think."

Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Beyonce Knowles' father is Matthew Knowles who worked as a Xerox sales manager when she was born. Her mother is Tina Knowles, a hairdresser and salon owner. With encouragement from her parents, Beyonce began performing by the age of seven and was soon winning local dancing and singing competitions. With her childhood friend Kelly Rowland , she met LaTavia Roberson when auditioning for an all-girl entertainment group. They were placed into a group called Girl's Tyme with three other girls in 1990.

Girl's Tyme landed a spot on the Star Search TV talent show, but they failed to win. In 1995, Matthew Knowles resigned his position with Xerox to manage Girl's Tyme. He cut the group down to four members. In 1996 they began recording their debut album for Columbia Records and changed their name to Destiny's Child, based on a passage from the Bible's "Book of Isaiah. "

Destiny's Child

In 1997, the song "Killing Time," the first major label recording by Destiny's Child, appeared on the soundtrack for Men In Black . By the end of 1998 the group had reached the top of the R&B chart and #3 on the pop chart with the single "No, No, No, Pt. 2." Destiny's Child became one of the top-selling recording acts of the late 1990s and early 2000s with over ten top 10 pop hit singles. The group officially announced their breakup in 2005.

Solo Success

In 2002, Beyonce was the featured vocalist on the single "'03 Bonnie and Clyde" by Jay-Z . Then, with Destiny's Child officially on hiatus, she released a solo album Dangerously in Love . Propelled by its first single, the #1 smash "Crazy in Love," the album hit #1 in the U.S. and U.K. eventually selling over four million copies in the U.S. and eight million worldwide. Three more top 10 pop singles from the album followed in quick succession.

Beyonce released her second studio album B'Day  on her 25th birthday on September 4, 2006. She recorded the entire album in just two weeks. It sold over 500,000 copies in its first week of release and debuted at #1 on the album chart. The lead single "Deja Vu," a collaboration with Jay-Z in the manner of "Crazy In Love" from her first album, was a top 5 pop smash. The third single "Irreplaceable" hit #1 and earned a Grammy Award nomination for Record of the Year. The album won a Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album.

Beyonce's third studio album, 2008's  I Am...Sasha Fierce encompassed two discs of music. Each was designed to show a different facet of Beyonce's work. The first disc I Am is mostly slow and midtempo ballads while the second Sasha Fierce , named after an in-concert alter ego, includes more uptempo tracks and influences from electronic pop music. The album debuted at #1 on the album chart selling nearly 500,000 copies in its first week making it Beyonce's third consecutive #1. I Am...Sasha Fierce earned seven Grammy Award nominations and won six of them. 

Two of the standout tracks on the album are "If I Were a Boy," a gender reversal song that spells out the inequality of male-female relationships, and "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)." The latter is accompanied by a music video that became an instant classic. Beyonce's performance with her dancers has been repeated and parodied by admirers around the world. 

Mature Artist

Beyonce's highly anticipated fourth studio album was titled simply 4 . She steered away from mainstream commercial concerns and recorded music heavily influenced by traditional R&B. Part of her inspiration in recording the album was disappointment with contemporary radio. Critics praised her commitment to the traditional style of music. The song "Love On Top" earned a Grammy Award for Best Traditional R&B Performance. 

Despite the critical acclaim, 4 lagged commercially compared with Beyonce's first three albums. Released in 2011, it sold just over 300,000 copies in its first week and debuted at #1, making Beyonce only the second woman, after Britney Spears , to have her first four albums debut at the top, but it lacked significant hit singles to keep the sales up. "Best Thing I Never Had" was the most successful single peaking at #16.

Beyonce shocked the music world on December 13, 2013, by releasing her self-titled fifth studio album without out advance notice or promotion. It debuted at #1 on the album chart selling over 600,000 copies in its first week, the best first-week sales of Beyonce's career. She earned praise for her expression of full artistic freedom on the album and taking a deeper dive into her concerns about female empowerment.

With 17 short films created to illustrate the 14 audio tracks, Beyonce became a visual as well as audio album breaking new ground for pop artists. Two singles received promotion along with the initial release of the album. "XO" was promoted primarily to pop audiences while "Drunk In Love" was aimed at R&B audiences. The latter became the hit fast eclipsing the former and peaked at #2. It was Beyonce's highest charting single in five years. The album earned five Grammy Award nominations including for Album of the Year.

Beyonce's sixth studio album Lemonade was released as a second visual album in April 2016 and is also considered a concept album. It was promoted with a one hour film on HBO. The album is influenced by a wide range of musical styles and includes guest vocals from James Blake, Kendrick Lamar, The Weeknd, and Jack White . Lemonade became Beyonce's sixth consecutive album to debut at #1 selling 485,000 copies in its first week. 

The song "Formation" was released as the lead single from the Lemonade project two months before the album. The next day Beyonce performed it live at the Super Bowl Halftime Show. She received some criticism for what was considered a militant statement about the treatment of Black people. "Formation" reached the top 10 on the pop singles chart. When Adele won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year, she said that Lemonade was monumental and more deserving of the award.

Acting Career

Beyonce's first major acting appearance was in a starring role in the 2001 TV movie  Carmen: A Hip Hopera , an update of the opera  Carmen . In 2002 she appeared with Mike Myers as Foxxy Cleopatra in  Austin Powers in Goldmember . A third film appearance was released in 2003. Beyonce starred opposite Cuba Gooding, Jr. in  The Fighting Temptations .

Beyonce's most significant acting success came in the 2006 film  Dreamgirls  which earned multiple Academy Awards. She also starred as Etta James in  Cadillac Records  in 2008. Critics highly praised her performance. In 2010, she added her vocal and acting talents to Lady Gaga's "Telephone" and the accompanying epic music video.

Personal Life

Beyonce and rapper Jay-Z began a romantic relationship following their collaboration on "'03 Bonnie and Clyde" in 2002. She appeared as his girlfriend in the music video. They married on April 4, 2008. They revealed details on the event at the October 2008 listening party for Beyonce's album I Am...Sasha Fierce.

Beyonce suffered a miscarriage in either 2010 or 2011. She described it as, "the saddest thing." She became pregnant again in April 2011 while in Paris, France shooting the cover for the album 4. She revealed her pregnancy to the public in August 2011 t the MTV Video Music Awards. Beyonce gave birth to Blue Ivy Carter, a daughter, on January 7, 2012.

In February 2017, Beyonce announced that she was pregnant with twins. Rumi Carter, a second daughter, and Sir Carter, a son, were born on June 13, 2017.

Beyonce Knowles is recognized widely as an essential 21st-century pop music performer. Her music is consistently challenging and pushing boundaries. She has incorporated influences from blues through new wave and electropop. She consistently supports female empowerment. Her use of an all-female band while touring broke crucial ground for women in music.

Beyonce embraces her African-American heritage and presents herself as a positive role model for her community. Despite criticisms from the conservative end of the political spectrum, she directly addressed issues of violence against members of the Black community and adopted imagery from militant activists of the 1960s.

Widely recognized for her talent by her peers, Beyonce has won 22 Grammy Awards placing her second among women behind only country-bluegrass legend Alison Krauss . Beyonce's 62 nominations are the most ever received by a woman. Her 24 MTV Video Music Awards makes her the most awarded artist in the event's history.

• MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video (2003): "Crazy In Love"
• Grammy Award for Best R&B Song (2004): "Crazy In Love"
• MTV Video Music Award for Best Female Video (2004): "Naughty Girl"
• MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year (2009): "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)"
• Grammy Award for Song of the Year (2010): "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)"
• Grammy Award for Best R&B Song (2010): "Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)"
• Billboard Millenium Award (2011)
• MTV Video Music Awards Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award (2014)
• Grammy Award for Best R&B Song (2015): "Drunk In Love"
• MTV Video Music Award for Video of the Year (2016): "Formation"
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Above and Beyoncé

By Lisa Robinson

Dressed in jeans, a low-cut filmy top, big hoop earrings, and strappy high-heeled sandals, Beyoncé is sitting on a sofa in her assistant (and cousin) Angela’s Manhattan high-rise apartment. On a sunny May afternoon, wearing very little makeup, she looks even younger than her then 23 years. Downstairs, a convoy of S.U.V.’s are lined up to take her to a West Side recording studio where she’ll work on the songs for her second solo album. Upstairs, we’re waiting for a pizza and talking about shoes. Specifically, a shoe crisis that occurred in the middle of this past year’s Oscar telecast. If you saw the 2004 Oscars, you saw Beyoncé; she sang three nominated songs, and it seemed as if she had more airtime than host Chris Rock. But now she’s telling me what the millions who tuned in didn’t see.

“When I did the Andrew Lloyd Webber song from Phantom, my shoe wasn’t snapped,” Beyoncé says. “And when I walked down those stairs, not only was my shoe not on, my ear monitor wasn’t on. So, the song started, and I’m thinking, Oh my God, my shoe’s not done, my monitor’s not on, and this is going to be embarrassing. . . . I’m going to fall down the stairs. There was a two-second delay; I don’t know if I’m in time or not—and when I get down to the bottom of the stairs, my shoe is off, and it’s stuck in the tulle of the bottom of the dress. I’m singing on one tiptoe, and I’m trying to balance it. . . . It was a mess.”

I tell her it didn’t look like a mess. She thanks me. (The first thing I noticed about Beyoncé are her impeccable manners—so unusual in a big star.) The pizza arrives. I groan. “One little piece won’t kill you,” she says, and I recall being at a Grammy party last February when a plate of cakes and cookies was brought to our table and Beyoncé took a knife and cut a teensy slice of a two-inch-square brownie. “If you cut little slices,” she told me at the time, “it’s not so bad.”

Here’s the thing about Beyoncé Knowles: whether it’s a flawless performance in front of millions balanced on one foot, or privately limiting herself to a tiny slice of carbohydrates, this supremely talented singer, dancer, songwriter, producer, and actress—who started performing at the age of seven—has, in just 17 years in show business, absorbed a lifetime’s worth of focus, determination, and discipline.

Beyoncé (rhymes with “fiancé”) Knowles was born on September 4, 1981, into a middle-class family in Houston. Her mother, Tina, owned a successful hair salon, and her father, Mathew, was a sales executive with Xerox. When she was seven, Beyoncé started to enter, and win, talent contests. By the time she was nine, she was in a girl group called Girls Tyme that had a devastating loss on Star Search, but by then she was obsessed: practicing dance routines at home, singing pop hits with a karaoke machine, writing songs, wearing costumes designed by her mother, and getting “media training” from her father—who would eventually quit his job to manage full-time the group that became known as Destiny’s Child. Beyoncé co-wrote the group’s first hit when she was 17; a succession of hits followed, and Destiny’s Child went on to sell 40 million albums of catchy, sophisticated pop. Beyoncé’s 2003 solo debut, Dangerously in Love, sold more than seven million albums, earned her five Grammy Awards—to add to the three she already had with Destiny’s Child—star appearances on the Grammys and the Oscars, four movie roles (including the forthcoming Pink Panther, with Steve Martin), and assured her current status as the biggest star to emerge from the biggest-selling female group in the world.

On the way, she endured everything from microphones that stopped working mid-performance to dancing in shoes made for two left feet, to falling down onstage wearing platforms: “She got on her knees and did this thing and jumped back up like it was all a part of the routine,” says Tina Knowles. While success did not come without struggle—there were I.R.S. problems after her father quit his job to manage the group, the family had to move, and her parents split up for six months—Beyoncé says, “I didn’t grow up poor. I went to private school; we had a very nice house, cars, a housekeeper. I wasn’t doing this because I didn’t have a choice, or to support the family, or because I had to get out of a bad situation. I just was determined; this is what I wanted to do so bad.”

‘Beyoncé was very shy around children, and one of the reasons we put her in dance classes was so she’d have some little kid friends,” says Tina Knowles, talking about her daughter in a private dining room on the 35th floor of the Sony Building in New York City. “When she was seven, her dance teacher, Miss Darlette, told me she was special, and you know, everyone thinks their child is special, so I just said ‘O.K.’ But then Beyoncé entered this contest—she was going to sing John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’—and her dad started working with her three days before, telling her what the song was about. When she got onstage she was just a different kid; she was so confident and she looked so happy, and we were like, ‘Who is that ?’ After that, there was no stopping her—she was obsessed.”

The first incarnation of Destiny’s Child was composed of Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland, and two other girls, LeToya Luckett and Latavia Roberson, who left the group and then filed a lawsuit that claimed manager Mathew Knowles favored his daughter. When her friends left the group, in December 1999, “I was so depressed,” Beyoncé says. “I didn’t leave my room for weeks. I learned from it, but at the time, I was sick. This was my dream, and it wasn’t just the career. Those were my friends. It was like a breakup, like breaking up with your boyfriend. But Kelly and I decided to try and get two more girls and still do the video for ‘Say My Name.’”

They found two new members, Farrah Franklin and Michelle Williams; Farrah didn’t stick around too long, but Michelle joined Kelly and Beyoncé to complete the trio that has ruled the pop charts for the past decade. And Beyoncé’s parents were always there to give total support. “My mother is the balance,” says Beyoncé. “She’s very strong and will say whatever she feels and protects me always, but she always kept me a normal kid; she made sure I had slumber parties, made sure we hung out with our friends—even after eighth grade, when we started being home-schooled. My father was more focused. He wanted it for me and did everything because he’s my father and wanted me to be happy, but he’s a workaholic.”

“It’s not an easy thing, working with your father,” she says. “We bump heads, we have arguments. People expect me to be a certain way, like a Diana Ross—and they expect my father to be like Joe Jackson, because that’s been the pattern when parents manage children. People think that he just controls everything and does everything, but I actually control everything. People think I have the same story as the Jackson 5, and I have a completely different story. I had a very healthy, happy childhood—my mother made sure of it and I love her for it.” Did you have boyfriends? “I had a boyfriend from 9th grade until 12th grade, the same guy. I met him in church, and I went to his prom, but I preferred to be at home singing in front of a stereo—recording, making songs, listening to the music I grew up with. My mom loved Anita Baker and Donny Hathaway, and my dad got us this Motown series, and that was just the most fascinating thing—especially the Supremes. They were so glamorous and beautiful and poised. All I wanted to do was watch videos and write songs and perform.”

“I remember the first album Beyoncé wrote on,” says Tina. “She gave so much to that producer. I’d go to the studio and she’d be so excited. She’d say, ‘Mom, they let me produce, they let me write, they let me produce all the vocals.’ She was in there doing all this work and I’d say, ‘Where’s the producer?,’ and he’s out there on the cell phone. And she’s like, ‘He’s so nice to me.’ And I’m like, ‘Yeah . . . he is, and the next record you do, you won’t need as much “help.”’ Because she learns. She’s like a sponge.”

For the past four years, Beyoncé has been romantically involved with rapper, record executive, and entrepreneur Jay-Z, who is currently the coolest man in music. Actually, though, they may not have been together for four years. They may have been together longer, because, in a refreshing change of pace from today’s blabbermouth celebrities, they do not publicly discuss their relationship. Here’s what you have never seen with these two: A reality show where they eat with their hands and discuss bodily functions. Beyoncé kissing Madonna on TV. Beyoncé throwing plates in a hotel in the midst of a drunken crack-up, or having a drunken crack-up. Beyoncé racing into her boyfriend’s arms as he’s released from jail, or having a boyfriend in jail. Beyoncé and Jay-Z fleeing the police after a shoot-out in a nightclub. There are no drug rumors. No quickie Las Vegas marriage or annulment. No PIMPS UP, HO’S DOWN jackets worn at a wedding-rehearsal dinner. No jumping on sofas during Oprah. Beyoncé—she of the “bootylicious,” sexy dances—still manages to wear her success well while maintaining a sense of decorum in a world gone absolutely mad. Beyoncé Knowles is very much a lady. And when was the last time anyone used that word to describe a superstar?

It’s possible that Beyoncé and Jay may have already been dating when they both participated in the cover shoot for *Vanity Fair’*s Music Issue in July 2001—they just laugh when asked about it. Two years ago, whenever I would talk to Jay about Beyoncé, I took elaborate care to refer to her only as “that girl you know.” However, for the past two years, a glut of paparazzi photos attest to their togetherness. They’re hugging on boats on vacation in the South of France. They’re wearing Santa hats and bringing toys to the kids in the Marcy projects in Brooklyn, where Jay (né Shawn Carter) grew up. They’re courtside at Knicks and Nets games. They’re at Jay’s 40/40 Club in Manhattan. They’re at the MTV Video Music Awards, the Oscars, the Vanity Fair Oscar party.

Last February, at Clive Davis’s pre-Grammy party at the Beverly Hills Hotel, Beyoncé sang along when Carlos Santana performed “Oye Come Va.” The next night, at Universal Music Group C.E.O. Doug Morris’s Grammy TV-viewing party, she quietly sang along as her friend Bono and an all-star lineup performed the Beatles’ “Across the Universe.” I asked Jay how she knew all the words to these songs from the 1960s. “It’s crazy,” he said. “She’s a student of the game. She’s a student of all types of music. The sounds she can hear in music and memorize off of one listen are amazing. She has a wonderful ear for music—knows if people are flat, on pitch, on tone—she has the whole thing down pat.”

Their musical collaboration began when Jay asked Beyoncé to sing on his 2002 song “03 Bonnie and Clyde,” because, he said with a laugh, “I wanted a singer on the song, and I knew one who was exceptional.” He returned the favor on her ubiquitous 2003 mega-smash single, the Grammy-winning “Crazy in Love.” I asked Jay what he thought they brought to each other musically. “We exchanged audiences,” he said. “Her records are huge Top 40 records, and she helped ‘Bonnie and Clyde’ go to Number 1. What I gave her was a street credibility, a different edge.”

According to Beyoncé, “‘Crazy in Love’ was really hard to write, because there was so much going on. I let Columbia hear it with the rest of my album, and people liked it, but they didn’t go crazy for it. I was so stressed, because I thought, I don’t have a single. I mean, I had written—what?—seven, eight Number 1 songs with Destiny’s Child, in a row. But I guess if you haven’t written a Number 1 song in three months, you have to prove yourself again. I knew the song wasn’t complete, because the horns were so old-school, and I thought if a rapper was on it people would give it more of a chance—because rappers can flow over old-school beats and people accept it. So Jay came into the studio, and it could have been 10 minutes, it could have been 2 minutes—he listened to it and recorded this rap without writing anything down. He just sits there and his mouth starts moving silently, and all of a sudden he does this rap. I have seen him do this many times, but this was like three in the morning. He had to be exhausted, I was exhausted. I don’t know how he did this. . . . He rapped on the song and he added a lot to the energy of it. It really completed the song.”

‘Sasha” is the name Beyoncé has given to her alter ego, that “other person” she becomes when she’s onstage. But, she says, “I always held back in Destiny’s Child, because I was comfortable in a group and felt that I didn’t have to do anything 100 percent, because there were other people onstage with me. I would not lose myself or go all the way.” When do you think you first went all the way? “The first step to that was Dangerously in Love. I just wanted people to really hear me, hear my voice and my tastes. For the first time, I wasn’t afraid, I didn’t feel limited. I wanted people to hear my range, because I can sing like a rapper, I can flow, I can sing soul songs, I can do rock, and I wanted people to hear that. All the Destiny’s Child songs like ‘Independent Woman’ and ‘Survivor’ were all so strong. I wanted people to hear the more vulnerable side.” To come out with “Crazy in Love,” with the sexy lyrics and video with Jay, you must have been in love. “Yes, it was very real. And when we did that video, everybody was like, ‘Who is that?’ Because for the first time I danced all the way. I let go.” What about your famed ass-shaking dance in the video? “I told the choreographer that when I sang the ‘Uh-oh’ part of the song I wanted to do something like a signature dance that people would do when they hear it. I wanted it to be kind of simple and repetitive, visually the same as the vocal.” It looks hard to do. “It’s not—you could do it.” No, I couldn’t. “Yes, you can. It was the last thing we did in the video. We had 15 minutes before daylight, and I told my mom to make sure I had long pants on, because I thought if I had shorts on it would be too much. Now it’s shocking how every single person—including Oprah—wants me to teach them how to do the dance. So it worked.” Do you see any conflict between being so religious and your sexy image? “No, it’s a way of life for me. What’s more important to me is the way I treat people, what I think, what I give to other people. When I go back to Houston and go to church and see those people, I feel like the same country girl.” (After Hurricane Katrina, the Knowles family and Kelly Rowland worked with the city government in Houston to get 100 families out of the Astrodome and to set up the transitional “Destiny Village.” They began with the purchase of mobile homes, with the goal to create cost-free housing for those families by Christmas.) Are you still shy? “I’m not shy anymore, but I’m still private. I’ll sit in a room in a corner and watch people. I don’t have to be the person walking around with people looking at me. I’ve always been that way. I like to go to parties every once in a while and see friends, but I don’t dance in public.” I read that you and Jay were salsa-dancing somewhere. “We went salsa-dancing, I’ll do that, but at a party I’m not going to go out on the dance floor. People expect me to go do that, but that’s for the stage.” You’ve never run wild. There’s not going to be a Behind the Music about you? “Well, I hope not. I’m still only 23, and I know enough to think, Never say never, but I very much doubt that happening. I respect my mother so much. She would kill me if any of that ever happened.” Are you growing away from your parents a bit? “My mother and I are friends. We go out to dinner together. I can tell her anything. The older I get, the more we become friends.” And your father? “It’s harder for my father to let go than my mom.” Do you talk about business with Jay? Does he give you advice? “We give each other advice, but we respect each other’s business, and we don’t really get involved with that. When I’m not working, I don’t want to talk about business. I don’t want to think about it. I want to turn my phone off.”

It’s difficult to imagine that Beyoncé often gets to turn her phone off. This summer she was on tour with Destiny’s Child in Europe with just 10 days off for a vacation with Jay, sailing around the South of France. She came right back for two months of Destiny’s Child concerts in the U.S. While that was going on, she was scheduled to write and record a song for the Pink Panther soundtrack, write songs for her sophomore solo album, and work with her mother on the designs for the House of Deréon, their clothing line named for Beyoncé’s maternal grandmother. When we meet again in August, she has slept about six hours in two days, with appearances on Good Morning America and at a Manhattan Ronald McDonald House sandwiched in between concerts at Madison Square Garden and the Nassau Coliseum. And, having announced the amicable Destiny’s Child “breakup” several weeks earlier onstage in Barcelona, she found herself having to address what some people considered “shocking” news.

“We’d been saying the entire time that this last album was going to be the final album,” Beyoncé said. “That’s why we called it Destiny Fulfilled. I didn’t think it was like breaking news. I was on vacation right after we said it, and when I got back Kelly and Michelle said, ‘Oh my God, it was on CNN.’”

You’ve said you’re ‘not single.’ Are you married? “No.” You know there’s a rumor that you and Jay are secretly married. “No, I didn’t.” There’s also a rumor that you’re engaged. “I’m not. But I’m engaged and married at the same time?” (Laughs.) Two different rumors. Do you want kids? “Yes.” Soon? “Well, after I just babysat my nephew [her sister Solange’s 11-month-old son, Daniel] yesterday . . . no. I mean, he’s a good baby, and he’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen in my life—I love him to death. But yesterday I got up at four in the morning, I did the [TV] show, and I thought, Since he’s leaving tomorrow, I have to see him. So the time I should have been asleep, I was watching him. I played, I had the stroller . . . and I was like, I don’t know how my sister does it.” You wouldn’t have a nanny? “I think having a nanny is great to help, but I want to be there for my kids. My mom was there for me.” Destiny’s Child did quite a lascivious “lap dance” performance of “Cater 2 U” on the BET Awards in June—actor Terrence Howard is still talking about it. “Oh God. . . . It was fun . . . but we didn’t expect for people to still be talking about it now. I saw the tape. . . . Oh God. . . . [Dissolves into laughter.] It was very sexy, but I’m very embarrassed about it. I’m not overtly sexy, even though ‘Sasha’ is. Onstage I just go for it.” You started out writing “Independent Woman” and “Survivor” and wound up with “Cater 2 U”—about bringing your man his slippers, drawing his bath. What happened? “I grew up. I feel it’s still very strong, because in order to be a strong woman, you have to have a strong man. There’s nothing wrong with women doing that for their man if their man deserves it and he does the same for you.” Did you ever worry that you wouldn’t find somebody? “Absolutely. Yes. Because I don’t go out, I’m not exposed to people that much.” Did you once say that you go for the “weird” ones? “I might have. I like people who make me think—that’s what I meant. People who are interesting and not the typical person that has nothing to offer me.” Why do you do so many commercial endorsements? “With L’Oréal, I was so excited to get a sponsorship because I was 17 and I wore their makeup. Then with Pepsi, I thought, Michael Jackson did a Pepsi commercial—this is iconic, this is amazing. With True Star, I was one of the only black women to have a perfume, and I thought that was quite an accomplishment. McDonald’s is all about children; these Ronald McDonald Houses help kids with cancer and other diseases, and it was important for me and the other ladies to do something that meant something.” Did Destiny’s Child get $7 million to perform at a Bar Mitzvah? “No. We did do a Bar Mitzvah, in one of my favorite places in the world, in Monaco.” Did you get millions of dollars for it? (Silence.) “We didn’t get $7 million for it.” (Laughs.) Do you think it’s vulgar to talk about money? “I don’t think it’s appropriate. I don’t think it’s anyone’s business.”

Here’s what else the Knowles family doesn’t think is anyone’s business: all the rumors they’ve had to deal with for years. “It’s been going on since the group started,” says Tina Knowles. “We just tune it out. If you don’t, you’ll be crazy. We have had some of the craziest rumors. One time they said I was gay and was going with Michelle, and that’s why Michelle got to sing lead on a song. It was so stupid. . . . I’m a mother. I don’t care what they say about me, but when it’s about our kids, I’m ready to get them. It was on the Internet that my grandchild had a clubfoot and my daughter Solange put him in a bariatric chamber to bleach him.” What did the bleaching have to do with the clubfoot? “First he had a clubfoot. And then she was bleaching him. I was furious because my child was crying, and they said it was in our hometown paper, the Houston Chronicle. So I had our attorney call the Chronicle, and they said they would never do anything like that, but it was all over the Internet and it was terrible. So after all this stuff, what can you get upset about?” What about the rumors that Beyonccé is firing her father, and you and he are splitting up, and Jay is going to manage her? “Jay doesn’t want to manage her, and all the rumors about how I’m getting a divorce and I’m going to manage her or Jay is going to manage her . . . it’s just crazy.”

‘There’s no way I can know every person in the world, and people just know you from what they read,” Beyoncé says. “When people meet me, they say they think I’m so normal. . . . If someone says I’m married or engaged and I’m not, I don’t pay attention to it. But when someone says something about my family, I don’t like that.” What about when they talk about Destiny’s Child and they say, “Beyoncé, what’s-her-name, and the other one?” “That is very, very, very, very hurtful. Actually, if one of them is hurt, I’m even more hurt, because they’re my sisters. The girls are very talented, they work very hard, and it’s just disrespectful. People just have no couth.”

Beyoncé says she’s determined to take the entire month of October off. “I’m not doing one thing,” she says. “I just bought a place [in Manhattan], and I want to just stay at home and watch TV and do whatever I want to do.” The Pink Panther won’t come out until February, but in December she’ll start shooting the leading role in the movie of the Broadway musical Dreamgirls, with Eddie Murphy and Jamie Foxx. “When I watched the movie Chicago, I wanted to cry—I wanted to be in it so bad. It was the first musical I saw since the old musicals, and I was just so excited. I was like, They’re coming back! I love to sing and dance and I love acting—even though I haven’t really lost myself acting. What has to happen is like a tingling, something that happens where I can do anything, and I’m not scared—I’m just lost in the moment. I haven’t done that with acting yet, but I know I can.” How do you know you can? “I don’t know. I just know I can.”

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Lisa Robinson

Cocktail hour.

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Beyonce Height, Age, Husband, Family, Children, Biography & More

Some lesser known facts about beyonce.

• Does Beyonce smoke?: Yes (occasionally)
• Does Beyonce drink alcohol?: Yes
• Her father, Mathew Knowles was her manager for 12 years until she started being her own manager.
• Beyonce has powerful roots as her mother descends from  Acadian leader, Joseph Broussard.
• Name of Beyonce’s cat is Master P.
• It was during her dance lessons that she discovered her singing talent when she completed the song that her instructor started.
• On the  “100 Greatest Women in Music” list of 2012, she was ranked at number 3.
• Beyonce has been nominated for Grammys more than any female artist and has won a whopping 20 Grammy Awards.
• Beyonce is named after her mother’s maiden name.
• She met her band mates for Destiny’s Child,  Kelly Rowland and LaTavia Robertson, in an audition where they were put in a group of five.
• Beyonce held depression well after Destiny Child won a Grammy. She was depressed for two years.
• Her mother used to design her costumes when she was part of the band ‘Destiny Child’.
• Beyonce and Jay Z hold the Guinness World Record for being the Highest Power Earning Couple because they earned $122 million in the year 2010.
• Beyonce also holds a record of maximum tweets per second for announcing her pregnancy. It’s not just any record but a Guinness World Record.
• Her daughter Blue Ivy is the youngest person alive to appear on the Billboard. Jay Z recorded her crying in his song ‘Glory’.
• Her voice-type is mezzo-soprano.
• Sasha Fierce was her alter ego that she needed to shed off the shyness.
• She was named as the most beautiful woman of 2010 by People Magazine.
• Beyonce has a very different relationship with music. She said, “I see music. It’s more than just what I hear (…) When I’m connected to something, I immediately see a visual or a series of images that are tied to a feeling or an emotion-a memory from my childhood, thoughts about life, my dreams or my fantasies. And they’re all connected to the music.”
• She was the first person who was from a non-sports background and still was on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s swimsuit issue in 2007.
• She won six Grammys in a one Grammy Awards Show night creating history and an all time record at the time.
• Beyonce’s father used to make all the girls of Destiny’s Child sing while jogging, so that have good stamina and lung power.
• She was teased for her big ears in school and the kids teased her saying that they are bigger than her head.
• To sing in front of her parent’s friends, she used to charge them $5 to entertain. No wonder, She is a good entrepreneur.
• She suffered depression after her band mate sued Beyonce’s father for mismanagement.
• She said if she met her alter ego Sasha Fierce backstage, she wouldn’t like it. In 2010, she said that she can handle it now and can merge both of her personalities and would like for people to see her for what she is.

References/Sources: [ + ]

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All about Beyoncé's Parents, Tina Knowles Lawson and Mathew Knowles

Tina Knowles is not here for critics of Beyoncé.

After Beyoncé announced she was coming out with a country album during the Super Bowl , she received a bit of backlash online from people who thought she knew nothing of the music genre and its culture.

However, in response to those critics, Knowles posted a photo montage on Instagram , which included many throwback photos of her daughter in cowboy attire.

"I just came across this video on my IG feed! We have always celebrated Cowboy Culture growing up in Texas," Knowles wrote. "We also always understood that it was not just about it belonging to White culture only. In Texas there is a huge black cowboy culture."

"Why do you think that my kids have integrated it into their fashion and art since the beginning. When people ask why is Beyonce wearing cowboy hats? It’s really funny, I actually laugh because it’s been there since she was a kid ,we went to rodeos every year and my whole family dressed in western fashion," she continued. "Solange did a whole brilliant Album and Project based on Black Cowboy Culture. . It definitely was a part of our culture growing up.❤️❤️ video @yvettenoelschure."

It's not unusual for the mother of two to defend her eldest daughter, Beyoncé, who, for the most part, does not respond to public scrutiny. Their relationship was highlighted in concert film "Renaissance: A Film By Beyoncé," as was Mathew Knowles, Beyoncé's father and Tina Knowles' former husband.

In behind the scenes footage and documentary-style interviews, Tina Knowles sits in the background, subtly supporting her daughter. She became more vocal on social media after the movie premiered, celebrating Beyoncé's wins and defending her against criticism.

Read on to learn more about the parents of one of the most iconic performers of all time.

Beyoncé's parents were married from 1980 to 2011

Tina and Mathew Knowles tied the knot in 1980 and were married for nearly 30 years. Tina Knowles filed for divorce in 2009, and the couple issued a joint statement to the Associated Press.

“The decision to end our marriage is an amicable one. We remain friends, parents and business partners,” they said at the time. “If anyone is expecting an ugly messy fight, they will be sadly disappointed. We ask for your respect of our privacy as we handle this matter.”

The former couple finalized their divorce in 2011.

Both remarried following their divorce

Tina Knowles tied the knot with the actor Richard Lawson in 2015. She filed for divorce in July 2023, citing "irreconcilable differences" as the reason for the split.

Meanwhile, Mathew Knowles said “I do” to model Gena Avery Knowles in 2013.

They share two children and four grandchildren

Tina and Mathew Knowles welcomed their first daughter, Beyoncé, on Sept. 4, 1981 ( yes, she's a Virgo ). Their second daughter, Solange, was born June 24, 1986. Both went on to have successful careers in the music industry.

Tina and Mathew Knowles also have four grandchildren: Solange's son with ex-husband Daniel Smith, Daniel Julez, 19, and Beyoncé's children with husband Jay-Z: Blue Ivy, 11, and twins Sir and Rumi, 6.

Kelly Rowland was an honorary daughter

Beyoncé's father was the manager of Destiny's Child, the girl group that helped catapult her and bandmates to fame.

When Destiny's Child bandmate Kelly Rowland was 11 years old, she moved in with the Knowles family, Tina Knowles  said in a 2015 essay for TIME.

"You came to live with us when you were only 11 years old. You were the sweetest, most kind person I had ever met and you still are. You are also a true survivor. You never give up. Your discipline and drive always inspires me," Tina Knowles wrote.

Beyoncé got her name from Tina

When it came time to name her first born child, Tina Knowles took inspiration from her own maiden name, as reported by ET.

“A lot of people don’t know that Beyoncé is my last name. It’s my maiden name,” she said in 2020 while appearing on the  "In My Heart With Heather Thomson " podcast.

“My name was Celestine Beyoncé, which at that time was not a cool thing to have that weird name. I wanted my name to be Linda Smith because those were the cool names,” she said. 

Mathew Knowles managed his daughter's career until 2011

Mathew Knowles played an active role in building Beyoncé’s successful career and served as her manager until 2011. In a 2011 statement, the singer announced that they were parting ways professionally.

“I am grateful for everything he has taught me,” she said at the time. “I grew up watching both he and my mother manage and own their own businesses. They were hardworking entrepreneurs and I will continue to follow in their footsteps.”

In his own statement, Mathew Knowles called the decision "mutual," as reported by Billboard.

"We did great things together, and I know that she will continue to conquer new territories in music and entertainment," he said.

“Business is business and family is family,” he continued. “I love my daughter and am very proud of who she is and all that she has achieved. I look forward to her continued great success.”

Mathew Knowles managed Destiny's Child and would love to see them reunite one day

Knowles told ET in 2023 that he'd love it if Beyoncé, Rowland and Michelle Williams reunited. “It’s a decision that the ladies would have to make,” he said. "And I would certainly, certainly support that decision as I still manage Destiny’s Child. I would love to see that as well."

Knowles' time as a manager was criticized. Former band members LaTavia Roberson and LeToya Luckett both brought multiple lawsuits against Beyoncé, Rowland and their manager and Knowles’ father, Mathew Knowles, as well as the group’s label, Sony Music, all of which were  settled out of court .

Tina Knowles helped create her daughter's ‘Austin Powers’ character

Beyoncé made her screen debut in 2002 playing Foxxy Cleopatra in "Goldmember."

Producer John Lyons told Vulture in 2022 that Knowles-Lawson was present for her audition.

“It was clear that (Beyoncé) was so nervous at that audition, and Tina came with her, both as moral support and, I’m sure, to size us up and see if we were going to be respectful of her daughter and if we deserved her,” producer John Lyons told the publication.

Once on set, Knowles-Lawson helped the character come to life.

“Her mom was very much into blaxploitation movies,” director Jay Roach told Vulture. “She could tell that was the DNA for Foxxy. Her mom was so cool and so helpful and instantly had ideas for us.”

Beyoncé gets her sense of style from her mom

Tina Knowles' fashion prowess, which was shouted out in "Renaissance," has been part of Beyoncé's entire career.

She was Destiny's Child's official stylist and handmade some of their costumes. She reflected on that time in her career in an interview with The Washington Post .

Their wardrobe was inspired by Motown groups — which, she said, became a "problem" for other people connected to the group, who pressured her to make the band members look more like Christina Aguilera or Britney Spears.

"(The costumes) were just a little too flashy, a little too Motown, but what they really meant was that they were a little too Black,” she recalled.

Mathew Knowles survived breast cancer

Mathew Knowles announced that he had been diagnosed with breast cancer in 2019. In a statement to TODAY.com , he explained why he shared the private news publicly.

“We need men to speak out! Men want to keep it hidden, because we feel embarrassed — and there’s no reason for that. I want to continue the dialogue on awareness and early detection — male or female. The key to this is early detection,” he said.

Tina Knowles is not afraid to stand up for herself

In January 2024, Tina Knowles said she learned an important lesson after she was criticized for liking a post that took issue with Janet Jackson’s upcoming tour prices.

“I am saddened by this,” she wrote on Instagram Jan. 24, captioning her video addressing the backlash of the perceived Jackson diss .

“Janet Jackson is an icon and I would never question another artist. I took Destiny’s Child to see Janet when they were 15 years old,” she explained, noting the pop star’s influence on her daughter and the group.

“They always looked up to her and she opened doors for Beyoncé,” her captioned continued. “Why would I hate on her?”

In the video, Knowles said she received a phone call that she’s “trending for liking a post about ticket prices of an artist.”

“Being on the other side of it, I know better than anyone what a great production cost and that it’s expensive,” she said. “And I would never criticize another artist, let alone Janet Jackson who is the queen of production and her family. They’re the first family of music. Always have been and always will be and I love and respect them.”

Reflecting on her experience, Knowles said she learned a valuable lesson: “Stay way from negativity.”

“If you follow me, then you know that I am not involved in mess,” she said. “What I am guilty of is liking post, going through when I’m in a big hurry and I don’t have time to really and liking things because I trust that these are people that I follow. That was a big mistake. I will never do it again.”

Tina Knowles is her daughter's biggest fan

Don't mess with Mama Tina! Knowles regularly comes to Beyoncé's defense when necessary. Most recently, she slammed critics who suggested that Beyoncé bleached her skin for the premiere of her concert film, "Renaissance."

“How sad is it that some of her own people continue the stupid narrative with hate and jealousy. Duh, she wore silver hair to match her silver dress as a fashion statement...” she wrote on Instagram.

“Every time she does something that she works her a-- off for and is a statement of her work ethic, talent and resilience,” she continued. “Here you sad little haters come out the woodwork. Jealousy and racism, sexism, double standards, you perpetuate those things. Instead of celebrating a sister or just ignoring if you don’t like her.”

“I am sick of you losers,” she finished. “I know that she is going to be pissed at me for doing this, but I am fed up! This girl minds her own business. She helps people whenever she can. She lifts up & promotes black women and underdogs at all times.”

Knowles also defended her daughter when critics slammed Beyoncé for wanting to do country music for her new album.

In response to the naysayers, Knowles posted a photo montage on Instagram , which included many throwback photos of her daughter in cowboy attire.

“I just came across this video on my IG feed! We have always celebrated Cowboy Culture growing up in Texas,” Knowles wrote.

“When people ask why is Beyonce wearing cowboy hats? It’s really funny, I actually laugh because it’s been there since she was a kid ,we went to rodeos every year and my whole family dressed in western fashion,” she added. “Solange did a whole brilliant Album and Project based on Black Cowboy Culture. . It definitely was a part of our culture growing up.❤️❤️."

Chrissy Callahan covers a range of topics for TODAY.com, including fashion, beauty, pop culture and food. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, watching bad reality TV and consuming copious amounts of cookie dough.

BlackPast is dedicated to providing a global audience with reliable and accurate information on the history of African America and of people of African ancestry around the world. We aim to promote greater understanding through this knowledge to generate constructive change in our society.

Beyoncé giselle knowles (1981- ).

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Beyoncé Giselle Knowles, one of the most successful African American women artists in today’s music industry, was born on September 4, 1981 in Houston, Texas, to Mathew and Célestine Ann Knowles. Her father was a salesman and her mother owned a hair salon. Beyoncé began performing when she was seven years old when her dance teacher insisted that she participate in her school’s talent show. Beyoncé’s surprisingly poised performance before this audience, despite her shyness, persuaded her parents to begin preparing her for a music career.

In 1990, at the age of nine, Beyoncé successfully auditioned to become the lead singer for the music group Girl’s Tyme which two years later performed on the national television show Star Search . The group, which also included Támar Davis, Kelly Rowland, LaTavia Roberson, Nikki Taylor, and Nina Taylor, did not win, which prompted the girls to work intensely to improve their dancing and singing skills. They also performed once a week during the school year and twice a week during the summer. In 1995, Silent Partner Productions/ Elektra offered Girl’s Tyme its first contract when most of the girls were 14 years old.

In 1996, Columbia Records signed Girl’s Tyme, promptly renaming them Destiny’s Child. They quickly had a series of hit singles, the first of which was No, No, No .  In 1997 they recorded “ Killing Time” for the movie Men in Black . The following year, 1998, they released their first album, Destiny’s Child .  In 1999, the group released its second album, The Writing’s on the Wall which included the single, “Bills, Bills, Bills,” their first song to reach number one on the US Charts. In March of 2000, the group’s song, “ Say My Name,” also hit number one on the US Charts. Their growing popularity led President George W. Bush to invite them to perform at the White House in February 2001. Later that year, Beyoncé won the “2001 Songwriter of the Year” award from the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers. She was the second woman, the first black woman, and the youngest person ever to win this award.

In 2001, 20-year-old Beyoncé began a career as an actress.  Her film credits include Carmen: A Hip-Hopera (2001), Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002) The Fighting Temptations (2003), The Pink Panther, and Dream Girls (2006).  She also starred in Cadillac Records (2008) and Obsessed in 2009.

Beyoncé released her first solo album, Dangerously in Love , in 2003 which won five Grammy Awards the following year.  Later in 2004 she, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams recorded their final album as Destiny’s Child which they titled, Destiny Fulfilled. Beyoncé’s second solo album B’Day was released in 2006 and in 2008 she released her third album, I Am…Sasha Fierce. Beyoncé has sold over 75 million CDs worldwide as a solo artist since her first release in 2003.

In 2005, Beyoncé and her mother launched the clothing line, “House of Dereon” named after her grandmother.  That year also marked the beginning of her major philanthropic work.  She founded the Survivor Foundation to help victims of Hurricane Katrina , and in 2007 she held food drives during her concert tour engagements. For her various acts of philanthropy for children, Beyoncé was initiated into the International Pediatric Hall of Fame in 2008.

In April, 2008, Beyoncé married Shawn Corey Carter, who is also known as the rapper and record mogul Jay-Z , in Scarsdale, New York.  Less than a year later, in January 2009, she performed at President Barack Obama ’s inaugural ball.

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Janice Arenofsky, Beyoncé Knowles: A Biography (Westport: Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc., 2009); Beyonce?, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams, Soul Survivors: the Official Autobiography of Destiny’s Child (New York: Regan, 2002); Kathleen Tracy, Beyoncé (Hockessin, DE: Mitchell Lane, 2004).

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How Beyoncé Made History With Her Coachella Performance

Meanwhile, the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival had started in 1999 as an “ anti-Woodstock ” to make artists accessible to music goers but had turned into such an influential event that it attracted the likes of Clint Eastwood , Snoop Dogg and Cameron Diaz .

Then on April 14, 2018, both the singer and the music festival reached new levels of fame with Beyoncé's two-hour performance which combined performers from HBCUs, surprise reunions and her greatest hits. Not only did Beyoncé impress with her performance and vocal chops, but as the first Black woman to headline Coachella, she also seized the opportunity to showcase African American culture in a way it had never been done before.

Beyoncé had a history of surprise Coachella performances

Beyoncé long had family ties to the festival held in the desert in Indio, California. When her husband, rapper Jay-Z , headlined in 2010, she popped out to join him in a duet of “Young Forever,” shocking the audience. Four years later, she again surprised the crowd when she joined her sister, singer Solange Knowles , on stage in a choreographed routine to “Losing You.”

So when it was announced that she would be performing her own set at Coachella in 2017, it almost seemed overdue. But there was another due date looming: Beyoncé had announced she was pregnant with twins, and according to doctor’s orders, she had to pull out of the long-anticipated performance.

Fans who already had their tickets were disappointed. There was an upside: She was able to take a rain check and confirm that she’d headline the 2018 festival.

The new mom had to undergo a rigorous diet and exercise schedule to prep for her performance

While welcoming her twins Sir and Rumi in June 2017 was a major milestone for the singer, she admitted that the process had changed her body in ways that she didn’t recognize. “I was a woman that felt like my body was not mine,” she said in a YouTube video .

As a performer, she felt the need to take control, sharing in her documentary Homecoming that she was 218 pounds the day she gave birth via c-section. “I had to rebuild my body from cut muscles,” she said, noting how hard it was to balance that with spending time with her newborns.

Knowing that she had Coachella on the calendar in April 2018, she set out on a strict nutrition plan , showing that she weighed 175 pounds on Day One of rehearsals, calling it a “long way to go.” While she went on Marco Borges’ 22 Days Nutrition Program for 44 days, which included cutting out carbs, sugar, dairy, meat, fish and alcohol, and successfully fit into her desired costume by the end.

Beyoncé also went on a strict exercise plan, saying in the video, “It's time to work, so I have to get in that zone. It's like a different headspace. Me getting the weight off, was so much easier than getting back in shape and my body feeling comfortable.”

She was intimately involved with every detail of the planning

With her physical transformation in the works, the Houston-born star then focused on the performance itself. And she didn’t want it to just be another flashy performance — this time she wanted to put some meaning behind it.

The singer had “always dreamed of going to an HBCU [Historically Black College/University],” as she said in Homecoming . She had visited Prairie View A&M University and rehearsed at Texas Southern University, and her father had gone to Nashville’s Fisk University — and she always loved their Battle of the Bands marching band showcases. “I grew up seeing those shows and that being the highlight of my year,” Beyoncé explained.

So she set off to recreate the experience exactly the way she remembered. “I personally selected each dancer, every light, the material on the steps, the height of the pyramid, the shape of the pyramid,” she explained . “Every tiny detail had an intention.”

She paid special attention to portraying each element accurately. “I wanted a Black orchestra...I wanted the steppers. I needed different characters, I didn't want us all doing the same thing,” she explained further. And their talents even impressed the chart-topper. “The things that these young people can do with their bodies and the music they can play… it’s just not right. It’s just so much damn swag.”

Beyoncé performing during Coachella in April 2018

The set honored Black culture and had several surprise performances

For her performance, Beyoncé's already iconic library of hits was reimagined through the lens of an HBCU marching band halftime show. There were trumpets, trombones and nearly 100 dancers, singers and musicians backing her up on stage.

She dropped in vocal snippets of Malcolm X and Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, and honored Nina Simone ’s “Lilac Wine” and Pastor Troy’s “No Mo’ Play in G.A.” And, in one of the most poignant moments, she sang what is often called the Black national anthem, “Lift Every Voice and Sing.”

She upped her star status by bringing onstage those in her life who had played such a crucial part of her career. First, she returned the favor to her family members , with Jay-Z joining her for “Deja Vu” and Solange for “Get Me Bodied.”

But one of the biggest highlights was a Destiny’s Child reunion, when Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams — who Beyoncé called “my sisters” — surprised the already enthusiastic crowd with a medley of their songs , including “Lose My Breath.”

The performance went down as one of historic measures

Even those involved were surprised by just how massive the performance — which was live-streamed to audiences around the world and then repeated again for Coachella’s second weekend — turned out to be.

“I don’t think any of us were expecting it to be this big of a thing,” JaQuel Knight, one of the main choreographers told The New York Times . “It’s still blowing my mind. We even had a quick conversation with Bey as we were rehearsing for Week Two. She was like: ‘Wow. People really loved the show, huh?’”

University of Maryland guitarist Ari O’Neal, who also was part of the show, told NPR , “I knew it was going to be an amazing show, but I didn't know that impact that it would have… Being [part of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority of Black college-educated women] and being in the Black Student Union at school, to see those elements made me so excited… To see all the positive feedback made me feel so good.”

And Beyoncé herself was so taken that she decided to commit $100,000 in scholarships to four HBCUs: Bethune-Cookman University, Tuskegee University, Wilberforce University and Xavier University.

Even though Beyoncé has performed on some of the world's biggest stages, the historic nature of her performance was not lost on the Grammy winner who expressed her gratitude mid-performance, saying, “Thank you for allowing me to be the first Black woman to headline Coachella.”

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Beyonce Biography, Family, Facts

Beyonce is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, actress and producer. Her full name is Beyoncé Giselle Knowles. Beyonce is widely regarded as one of the greatest artists of current generation and has been referred to as the “Queen Bey.”

She was born on September 4, 1981, in Houston, Texas. She was raised Catholic and She attended St. Mary’s Montessori School in Houston, Where she won a prize in school talent show. From that time she developed her interest towards music & dance. From the young age she performed in various singing and dancing competitions.

From the mid 90’s she started receiving recognition. Beyonce first gained fame as a member of the R&B group Destiny’s Child, which became one of the world’s best-selling girl groups of all time.

After Destiny’s Child disbanded in 2006, Beyonce launched a successful solo career, releasing six studio albums to date. Her debut album “Dangerously in Love” was a transnational success. She is known for her powerful vocals, elaborate stage performances, and her ability to seamlessly blend different genres of music, including R&B, pop, hip hop, and soul.

Beyonce has won numerous awards throughout her career, including 32 Grammy Awards, 26 MTV Video Music Awards, 24 NAACP Image Awards, 31 BET Awards, and 17 Soul Train Music Awards, making her the most awarded female artist in the music history.

She is also recognized for her activism, particularly for her support of gender equality and Black Lives Matter.

Beyonce Family

Beyonce Parents

Beyonce father Mathew Knowles is a Talent manager & businessman. He also worked as a sales manager at Xerox Holdings Corporation. Beyonce mother Tina Knowles is a fashion designer and owns a salon. Beyonce parents took divorce in 2009 & Tina Knowles married actor Richard Lawson in 2015.

Beyonce Sister

Beyonce has a younger sister named Solange Knowles, who is also a singer, songwriter, and actress. The both sisters are worked together in Destiny Child.

Beyonce Husband

In 2008, Beyonce is married to popular rapper Jay-Z (Shawn Corey Carter), and they have three children together.

The couple welcomed their first daughter Blue IVy on 7th January 2012.  On June 18, 2017 The couple had welcomed twins, daughter Rumi and son Sir.

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Beyonce Facts & Worksheets

Beyonce, whose full name is beyoncé giselle knowles-carter, is an american singer, songwriter, and actress who has performed in various singing and dancing competitions since her childhood., search for worksheets.

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Table of Contents

Beyoncé , whose full name is Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress who has performed in various singing and dancing competitions since her childhood. Beyoncé’s rise to popularity came when she became the lead singer of one of the best-selling R&B girl-groups Destiny’s Child. Beyoncé started her solo career in the hiatus of her girl-group. She released her first solo album in 2003, titled Dangerously in Love, an album that debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart and made her win five Grammy Awards.

See the fact file below for more information on the Beyonce or alternatively, you can download our 22-page Beyonce worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

General facts.

• Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter was born in Houston Texas , U.S. on September 4, 1981.
• Beyoncé’s career is not only confined to performing.
• Aside from being a singer, actress, songwriter, and record producer, she is also a director, model, fashion designer, and a businesswoman.
• She is the co-founder of activewear clothing line named Ivy Park, in partnership with London based fashion retailer Topshop, launched in April 14, 2016.
• Beyoncé also founded her own management and entertainment company named Parkwood Entertainment. Its involvements include products for music production, motion pictures, and television specials related to Beyoncé. Parkwood Entertainment was founded in 2010.
• With all of those businesses owned by Beyoncé, her net worth sums up to $470 million as of 2019.

FAMILY AND NOTABLE RELATIVES

• Beyoncé is married to Shawn Corey Carter, professionally known as Jay-Z.
• He is an American rapper, songwriter, producer, entrepreneur, and record executive.
• Jay-Z is a rapper considered a significant cultural icon that has been a figure of popular culture for the past decades.
• Beyoncé is a mother of three kids.
• Beyoncé’s sister is also a popular singer, dancer, record producer, and actress, named Solange Knowles. Simply known as Solange.
• Their father was Mathew Knowles, a record executive, talent manager, and businessman. He was the manager of the girl-group Destiny’s Child.
• He was married to Tina Knowles, but their relationship ended in divorce in 2011.
• Their mother, Celestine Ann Beyoncé is also known as Tina Knowles-Lawson, and she is an American businesswoman and fashion designer who owns the fashion line House of Dereón and Miss Tina by Tina Knowles.

DESTINY’S CHILD

• Beyonce started singing at a very early age by competing in local talent shows and often winning.
• Her girl-group, Destiny’s Child was formed when Beyonce teamed up with her cousin, Kelly Rowland, and her two classmates.
• Destiny’s Child landed a record deal in 1997 with Columbia Records and quickly became a popular R&B act.
• Beyonce explored other projects, such as acting while enjoying Destiny’s Child peak in popularity. Her first acting experience was in 2001 with a starring role in MTV’s Carmen: A Hip Hopera.
• Destiny’s Child released their last studio album, Destiny Fulfilled, in 2004 and officially broke up the following year.

SOLO CAREER

• When Beyonce released her first solo album in 2003, Dangerously In Love, it became an instant success and won five Grammy Awards.
• She released her 2nd album in 2006, titled B’Day.
• She was able to perform for the Libyan leader Muammar al-Qaddafi on New Year’s Eve in 2010 and donated profits from the event to help victims of the Haitian earthquake .
• She decided to drop Mathew Knowles as her manager in 2011.
• In January 2013, she performed The Star-Spangled Banner for President Barack Obama’s inauguration in Washington, D.C.

GRAMMY AWARDS

• Beyonce has 23 Grammy Awards making her the female artist to have the second-most awards, next to Alison Krauss.
• She has earned awards in the following categories: Best Urban Contemporary Album (2018, 2016); Best Music Video (2016); Best R&B Performance (2014); Best R&B Song (2003, 2009, 2014); Best Surround Sound Album (2014); Best Traditional R&B Performance (2009, 2012); Song of the Year (2009); Best Female Pop Vocal Performance (2009); Best Female R&B Vocal Performance (2003, 2009); Best Contemporary R&B Album (2003, 2006, 2009); Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals (2003, 2005); Best Rap/Sung Collaboration (2003).

Beyonce Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about Beyonce across 22 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Beyonce worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about Beyonce, whose full name is Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter, who is an American singer, songwriter, and actress who has performed in various singing and dancing competitions since her childhood. Beyoncé’s rise to popularity came when she became the lead singer of one of the best-selling R&B girl-groups Destiny’s Child. Beyoncé started her solo career in the hiatus of her girl-group. She released her first solo album in 2003, titled Dangerously in Love, an album that debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart and made her win five Grammy Awards.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

• Beyonce Facts
• From Group To Solo
• Beyonce’s Relations
• Lyrics Match
• Most Grammys
• Vocal Powerhouses
• Listen and Design
• Watch and React
• My Favorite Beyonce Song
• My Own Song

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She’ll be their protector .

Beyoncé sweetly paid a rare tribute to her husband, Jay-Z, and their three kids during the 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles on Monday night.

“My husband, my rock, my best friend, I love you,” she said while accepting the Innovator Award. “My three beautiful children, who continue to be my inspiration and my biggest blessing.”

Beyoncé, 42, married Jay-Z , 54, in 2008. They welcomed daughter Blue Ivy in 2012 followed by twins Rumi and Sir in 2017.

The “Texas Hold ‘Em” singer also took a moment to shout out the innovators who paved the way for her illustrious career, including Stevie Wonder, who presented her with the trophy.

“Thank you to Rosetta Tharpe, Miss Tracy Chapman, Linda Martell, Prince, Stevie Wonder, André 3000, Tina Turner, Michael Jackson and so many more who defied any label placed upon them,” she said while dressed in a Western-themed black leather Versace outfit .

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“Thank you for executing your dream so we could all follow.”

iHeartRadio recognized Beyoncé’s achievements just three days after she released her eighth album, “Cowboy Carter,” which Page Six reviewed as “the revival that country music so desperately needed.”

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Queen Bey has said that she decided to record the 27-track project, which features legendary artists including Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson, after feeling unwelcome when she performed at the 2016 CMA Awards .

In Monday’s acceptance speech, Beyoncé touched upon the backlash she has received over the years for crossing genres.

“Innovation starts with a dream, but then you have to execute that dream, and that road can be very bumpy. Being an innovator is seeing what everyone believes is impossible. Being an innovator often means being criticized, which often will test your mental strength. Being an innovator is leaning on faith and trusting that God will catch you and guide you,” she said.

“So to all the record labels, every radio station, every awards show, my hope is that we’re more open to the joy and liberation that comes from enjoying art with no preconceived notions.”

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Beyoncé makes ultra-rare comment about three children Blue, Sir and Rumi

Beyoncé shares three children with husband jay z.

Beyoncé fans are being treated right now thanks to the release of the triumphant new album Cowboy Carter and her recent appearance on stage at the   iHeart Radio Awards in Los Angeles on Monday night.

It's not often that the superstar makes such surprise appearances and it's even less frequent that she speaks about her three children, Blue Ivy Carter, 12 , and her six-year-old twins, Sir and Rumi , whom she shares with her rapper husband Jay Z .

The 'Texas Hold 'Em' singer was awarded the Innovator Award on the night by none other than music legend Stevie Wonder and Beyoncé took the opportunity to thank artists who came before her and broke boundaries, before giving a heartwarming shout-out to her husband and their three children.

Taking to the stage, the 42-year-old looked nothing short of sensational in an all-black leather cowgirl getup by Versace, complete with a hat, killer heels, and studded trousers.

Beyoncé referred to Jay Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, as her "best friend" and her "rock" and then thanked Blue, Sir and Rumi for being her "inspiration" and her "biggest blessing", watch the sweet moment in the video below...

Beyoncé's children are making quite the name for themselves in the industry. Not only did Blue Ivy appear on stage as a dancer for multiple shows during her mom's Renaissance World Tour last year, but in 2021 she also broke the record for the youngest individually credited artist to win a Grammy Award for the song 'Brown Skin Girl'.

It seems little sister Rumi is now following in Blue's footsteps . Rumi is featured on Beyoncé's latest album Cowboy Carter on the song 'Protector' in a spoken-word interlude. 

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And with Cowboy Carter already a contender for the 2025 Grammys, it could be that Rumi earns a title for herself.

Beyoncé and Jay Z famously keep their private lives away from the spotlight, rarely giving insight into their family. At the February Super Bowl , however, Rumi and Blue's bond was clear to see.

Although their brother Sir wasn't seen at that moment in time , the sisters took to the field alongside their dad to have some photos before the game started and looked to be having the time of their lives.

Meanwhile, Beyoncé's latest project has already shattered records. On its day of release, Cowboy Carter became Spotify’s most-streamed album in a single day in 2024 so far and marked the singer's biggest debut of her career in the streaming era.

The global superstar explained in a statement that the album was created over five years and was born out of the "rejection" she felt after performing at the Country Music Awards back in 2016.

MORE:  Beyoncé and Jay-Z's kids: their cutest photos and more  

MORE:  Blue Ivy's adorable bond with ultimate 'girl dad' Jay Z - rare photos  

"It was born out of an experience that I had years ago where I did not feel welcomed," she wrote on Instagram.

"And it was very clear that I wasn't. Because of that experience, I did a deeper dive into the history of country music and studied our rich musical archive." 

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Beyoncé’s ‘Cowboy Carter’ Adopts the Music of Opera Singers, Too

On the star’s new album, the track “Daughter” includes her take on an 18th-century Italian song most often heard in classical music recitals.

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By Joshua Barone

You don’t need opera glasses to see that Beyoncé’s “Cowboy Carter” takes on more than just country music.

Nearly two minutes into “Daughter,” a track of ballad-like storytelling, she inserts a famous operatic song from the 18th century: “Caro Mio Ben.” And, in Beyoncé fashion, she makes it her own.

Singers of all vocal types have performed “Caro Mio Ben”; most of them have been from the opera world, including it on recital programs. But as the song has been adapted for high and low ranges, its sound has stayed more or less the same.

It was written in the early 1780s by a member of the Giordano family. At different points it has been attributed to Giuseppe or his likely older brother Tommaso. (This history is all a bit hazy.) And, like many Italian arias and songs, its lyric is brief. The singer expresses heartache in the absence of a loved one, and begs for the end of a conflict with them before returning to the sentiment of the pain caused by loss.

Like much music of longing and sorrow from this time — such as the sadly beautiful arias of Mozart’s operas — “Caro Mio Ben” is in a major key, and has endured as such for more than two centuries as a concert and recording staple. But that’s also where Beyoncé comes in.

“Daughter” excerpts “Caro Mio Ben” as a bridge and distorts its major-key atmosphere into a minor one to fit with the rest of the song. After opening with a moody guitar ostinato, Beyoncé enters with the dark, melodramatic storytelling of a murder ballad, with a refrain like something out of “Carmen” in its bravado and rustic flavor. In Beyoncé’s “If you cross me, I’m just like my father/I am colder than Titanic water,” you can hear a spiritual descendant of Carmen’s warning to “be on your guard” from another opera classic, the Habanera .

Beyoncé keeps “Caro Mio Ben” in its original Italian, but its melancholy and yearning get across the feeling of the text, which complicates the rest of the song, introducing to her toughness a vulnerability and desire for peace — most ardent in the wailing and ghostly vocalise, or wordless singing, that follows.

She doesn’t have the voice of an opera singer, but that doesn’t really matter. “Caro Mio Ben” is not an aria from opera; it is a song, and was most likely performed in its time in intimate settings, with the comparatively direct, human-scale sound you hear in “Daughter.” What’s more significant is that Beyoncé finds in this old tune a quality shared by the finest music from any century: something to say.

Joshua Barone is the assistant classical music and dance editor on the Culture Desk and a contributing classical music critic. More about Joshua Barone

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By Jason Parham

Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter Meets Online Fandom at the Crossroads

There’s a nasty not-so-secret secret no one likes to talk about, so it’s best to start there: Black women are among the most hated demographic worldwide. In America especially, anti-Blackness is the air. It’s everywhere even when you can’t see it. From the ivory halls of Washington to C-suites at Fortune 500 companies, Blackness is treated as less than. And because that is how it works and how it has worked generation after generation, not even Beyoncé , currently the most commanding force in music, can escape the fangs of misogynoir.

Tell me if you’ve heard this one before: A Black woman was told she did not belong, that she was not welcome in a certain space, so she paved a path all her own. That’s the story Beyoncé recounted in an Instagram post in March, the day she announced her new country album, Cowboy Carter . “The criticisms I faced when I first entered this genre forced me to propel past the limitations that were put on me,” she wrote. Unlike other musical genres, country is infamous in who it chooses to exclude. The genre’s history is rife with allegiances to the old ways of American prejudice, and no bearing or social position can change that.

The sweet irony, of course, is that now we have Cowboy Carter , the second installment in a three-act project of historical and musical restoration that Beyoncé began in 2022 with Renaissance , her dance-floor tribute to house music. She is on a mission to reclaim her time .

The rare artist who can pull off such a canny move, Beyoncé now represents something bigger than music. She’s an industry unto herself: swaggering and audacious in reach, with a built-in fan base that anticipates every album drop, Instagram post, and product release. Whether you agree with the motivations behind her work or not (and there are valid criticisms to be made for artists who create at such a grand scale as her; mass influence in all arenas of life necessitates questioning, there’s no denying that), no other contemporary Black musician will bring more awareness to country’s gated meadowlands—its past, present, and possible futures—than Beyoncé. If nothing else, she gets people talking.

“I’d like to actually thank the CMAs for pissing her off,” X user @gardenoutro wrote Friday morning, just past midnight, in the hour following the album’s official release, calling attention to Beyoncé’s 2016 performance with the Chicks that was later shunned by Country Music Association members. Where Lemonade was scorned memoir and Renaissance flirted with fantasy—a disco-lit dreamscape where freedom and love have no inverse— Cowboy Carter unravels like autofiction, blending biography with novelistic flair on songs like “Daughter” and “Spaghettii.” It takes country into uncharted terrain. “It’s easy to listen to 27 tracks when they’re all good,” songwriter Rob Milton wrote on X .

That’s the other thing about the Beyoncé Effect: There is no room for dissent in her universe. Online, and particularly across social media, new albums of hers are given billboard status. It is cause for celebration but rarely one for challenge or sharp inquiry.

“A lot of people still want to join in with something larger than themselves. Fandom offers them a way to do that. It is not, though, entirely a utopian space,” says Mark Duffett, a professor at the University of Chester who researches fandom. “The concerns and issues that society has are mirrored in fan communities. They do not escape from being part of the wider social world.”

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What the release of a Beyoncé album exposes is the fiction of a shared internet. There is not one but many. On Beyoncé’s internet, as with comparable fan cultures, logic finds comfort in the sideways geometry of the echo chamber. In its most intense form, fan logic thrives in isolation. Its reasoning animorphs into blind zealotry, wagging its finger in the face of disagreement. Fan logic butts against balanced judgment. It has led Barbs (Nicki Minaj fans), Beliebers (Justin Bieber fans), Hive members (Beyoncé fans), and the like into a cycle of heated confrontation, and sometimes wild irrationality.

Brittany Luse wasn't expecting death threats when she commented about a Cowboy Carter ad that was projected onto the front of the Guggenheim Museum. But she also knew “the Hive can be so intense in their defense of any criticism of Beyoncé, let alone any perceived slight,” she says. “So I wasn't expecting nothing to happen.” Luse is the host of NPR’s pop culture podcast It’s Been a Minute and a fan of the singer. “I maintain a pretty low-key presence online, so over the years, I’ve only dealt with wild social media attacks a handful of times, with the Swifties or the manosphere, but never death threats. They probably should have stressed me out, but they mostly just confounded me. I said I didn’t like an ad, and now you want me to choke ? That’s too much.”

That, more than anything, is the tenor of fandom on the internet today: Perceived disloyalty is met with Tony Soprano–style intimidation. The rise and permanence of social media has led, in part, to the decomposition of fan culture. Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram brought us closer together. Platforms that prized connection boosted the careers of artists from burgeoning to box office stars. But it had costs, Luse says. Instant access to celebrities rewired our relationships entirely.

“You can find seemingly endless content from your fave and befriend other fans more easily than ever before. Of course that would bring people joy,” she says. “But that constant, instant access also at least partially fuels an us-against-them mindset that puts some people into attack mode over their favorite artist.”

But perhaps the problem is not that such intense fandoms exist, but where they take root and make a home. “Another thing that has happened is that fans might be talking on social media to each other in ways that they do not necessarily anticipate nonfans will seek out or understand,” Duffett says. “It raises the question of whether a community can keep to itself and yet communicate in a public space.”

Beyoncé represents a monoculture at a moment when monocultures have gone all but extinct. For her, extreme fandom is both anchor and ascendence. There are downsides, unquestionably so, but the people who power Beyoncé’s platform provide a necessary function too: When the door has been slammed in her face and she’s told she’s not welcome inside, or when the Recording Academy twice overlooks her for Album of the Year, it is her fans who give her the authority to reboot country music in her image, and perhaps, in doing so, chart a new course altogether. “It would be cool if she never mentioned the Grammys again,” Luse said on X. “When you can do all this, who cares?”

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• Thoughts on ‘Cowboy Carter,’ which is not a country album but a Beyoncé album

O PINION: On her eighth studio album, Beyoncé goes beyond country and attacks the notion of genre, but one of “Cowboy Carter’s” larger themes is of her being a protector.

Editor’s note: The following article is an op-ed, and the views expressed are the author’s own.   Read more  opinions  on theGrio.

Has the pre-release buzz for any album ever been so deeply overshadowed by genre? With “Texas Hold ‘Em” and “16 Carriages,” the first singles from “Cowboy Carter,” Beyoncé signaled that her eighth solo studio album would be a country album. And the world of culture kind of exploded in two different directions. Everyone had thoughts . Beyoncé diehards were thrilled to hear about a new sound from their queen and about the idea that Bey was reclaiming a genre from the white interlopers who’d taken it over. Country loyalists were divided. A few welcomed Beyoncé, hoping she would bring in new fans. Many were openly upset to see her moving into their supposedly gated sonic community. They declared “Texas Hold ‘Em” wasn’t even country, which I refuted . I had to. That idea was giving “Barack Obama isn’t a citizen” vibes.

But “Cowboy Carter” turned out to be something much more complex than a one-genre album. As opposed to “Renaissance,” which was a focused conversation about the sounds and the people of house and disco, “Cowboy Carter” is a broad-ranging album that employs a lot of country sounds and tropes but also pulls in the sounds of pop, hip-hop and soul. As Beyoncé told us on Instagram , “This ain’t a country album, it’s a Beyoncé album.” 

Without question “Texas Hold ‘Em,” “16 Carriages,” “Jolene,” and “II Most Wanted” are country songs, but “Blackbiird,” “Bodyguard,” “Spaghettii,” “Levii’s Jeans” and “Desert Eagle” are surely not. Linda Martell, a Black country legend, tells you before “Ya Ya,” “This tune stretches across a range of genres.”

Neatly defining musical genres can be tricky and that’s part of what this album is about. Beyoncé makes that explicit when Martell says, “Genres are a funny little concept.”

Most of the time, artists don’t think a lot about genre. Genre is really a way for the music industry to help fans find other albums they might like. But Beyoncé is so large that she’s post-genre in the sense that her fans don’t care what genre she’s working in. Whether she’s giving us the soul of “Lemonade,” the disco of “Renaissance” or the countrified sound of “Cowboy Carter,” we’ll ride with her wherever she goes.

Taking that ride into country was fraught; for me and many urban-centered Black people, the tropes of country may feel off-putting or foreboding. In our lifetime, country has sometimes been associated with white Southerners who don’t like Black folks. But Beyoncé has such a hold on me and on her fans that she can take country sounds that would be triggering on someone else’s album and make them sound delicious. Sometimes on “Cowboy Carter” I find myself thinking, if a traditional country artist was doing this song I probably wouldn’t like it, but Beyoncé knows how to serve it so I’ll love it.

Perhaps more interesting than trying to figure out what genre(s) “Cowboy Carter” touches is noticing the major themes of the album. One idea that comes up repeatedly is Beyoncé as a protector. From “Protector” to “Bodyguard” to “Daughter,” she’s constantly talking about protecting her loves. “On Daughter” she warns, “I am colder than Titanic water,” to reflect how fierce she can be protecting her family. On “Jolene” she vows to get rough if Jolene comes any closer, so she’s protecting her family. And I lost track of how many times Bey mentions her guns on this album.

My favorites on “Cowboy Carter” are, in no particular order: “Texas Hold ‘Em,” “Ya Ya,” “Spaghetti,” “Blackbiird,” “Protector,” “II Most Wanted” and “Bodyguard.” I appreciate the epic sweep of this album and how she references Chuck Berry, Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Son House while singing alongside Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson, Miley Cyrus and Tanner Adell, creating a conversation between Black music history and country music present. 

I will never forget how Beyoncé took a very real slight from the country music world at the CMAs and, in retaliation, spent years making a countrified album in order to take on the whole country establishment and roar back at them in her way. Now that she’s sitting atop the Country music chart, they’re eating humble pie. The genesis of this album constitutes a historic move from Beyoncé that spans beyond music and into a beautiful way of showing up some racists who tried to reject her. That is legendary. 

That said, I now turn away from addressing country fans who hated and face my fellow Beyoncé fans who love “Cowboy Carter.” Specifically, those who say “Cowboy Carter” is better than “Renaissance.” Please just stop. “Cowboy Carter” is great but it’s not “Renaissance.” I’m talking about the difference between a great album and a transcendent one. 

“Renaissance” has a sonic cohesion that makes it a gorgeously singular entity as opposed to “Cowboy Carter,” which pulls from a world of influences. This is similar to the reason why many of us think Michael Jackson’s “Off the Wall,” which is almost all pure disco, is superior to “Thriller,” which blends a much wider variety of sounds. The narrower sonic focus makes it feel, to me, smarter, sharper and more powerful. “Renaissance” remains Beyoncé’s best album. But, bigger than that, Beyoncé is on a three-album run — “Lemonade” to “Renaissance” to “Cowboy Carter” — that makes up one of the best three-album runs from any artist ever. 

Touré is a host and Creative Director at theGrio. He is the host of Masters of the Game on theGrioTV. He is also the host and creator of the docuseries podcast “Being Black: The ’80s” and the animated show “Star Stories with Toure” which you can find at TheGrio.com/starstories. He is also the host of the podcast “Toure Show” and the podcast docuseries “Who Was Prince?” He is the author of eight books including the Prince biography Nothing Compares 2 U and the ebook The Ivy League Counterfeiter.

Never miss a beat:  Get our daily stories straight to your inbox with theGrio’s newsletter .

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The post Thoughts on ‘Cowboy Carter,’ which is not a country album but a Beyoncé album appeared first on TheGrio .

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Beyoncé & Post Malone’s ‘Levii’s Jeans’ Puts Levi’s in ‘Cowboy Carter’ Mode

The denim brand gave its social media accounts an update inspired by Beyoncé and Post Malone's flirty duet.

By Ashley Iasimone

Ashley Iasimone

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“Levii’s Jeans,” the Beyoncé and Post Malone duet on Cowboy Carter , has the Levi’s brand joining the BeyHive this weekend.

“Oh to be Levi’s jeans right now,” the denim company posted — along with jeans and cowboy hat emojis — on Instagram and TikTok on Friday (March 29). The caption was made on a post featuring mostly photos of the backside of various Levi’s jean styles, inspired by the content of the song.

Beyoncé Accepts Innovator Award at 2024 iHeartRadio Music Awards

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The two artists smoothly share vocal duties on the flirty, radio-ready song.

“You call me pretty little thing/ And I love to turn him on/ Boy, I’ll let you be my Levi’s jeans/ So you can hug that a– all day long,” Beyoncé sings during an earworm of a chorus, with Post Malone picking up at “Come here, you sexy little thing/ Snap a picture, bring it on/ Oh, girl, I wish I was your Levi’s jeans/ The way you poppin’ out my phone/ I love you down to the bone.”

Other features on Beyoncé’s Cowboy Carter include Miley Cyrus, Dolly Parton, Willie Nelson and more.

Next up, music fans will hear Post Malone on a track with Taylor Swift — “Fortnight,” the opener of Swift’s upcoming The Tortured Poets Department album, out on April 19.

Post also collaborated in the studio with Noah Kahan for an updated version of Kahan’s “Dial Drunk” that was released over the summer, with Kahan describing their get-together as “exactly what I wanted an experience with Post Malone to be; he was sitting crossed-legged, drinking Bud Lights [and] smoking cigarettes.”

Listen to Cowboy Carter ‘s “Levii’s Jeans” collab between Beyoncé and Post Malone below.

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