 Beyonce Knowles: Born in Houston in the fall of 1981, Beyoncé
Giselle Knowles started performing at age seven. From dance classes to singing
in the church choir, Beyoncé was a natural. She and cousin Kelly Rowland met
Latavia Roberson during this time, and the trio formed a group with Letoya
Luckett. Mathew Knowles, Beyoncé's father and Rowland's legal guardian, signed
on to be the girls' manager. This situation would ultimately lead to the
formation of one of the most popular female R&B groups of all time -- Destiny's
Child.
Destiny's Child made its debut 1990 and within ten years, the vocal act had
experienced personal and political highs and lows that fueled the group's desire
to make it big. Destiny's Child sold 33 million albums worldwide by 2002 and
earned a slew of Grammys and additional music awards. "Jumpin' Jumpin'," "Bills,
Bills, Bills," "Say My Name," and "Survivor" were smash hits, and the group
appeared unstoppable.
In 2001, Beyoncé, Rowland, and Michelle Williams allowed themselves a break from
the singing group and tried their hands at individual solo careers. Before
landing several movie roles, Beyoncé became the first African-American female
artist and second woman ever to win the annual ASCAP Pop Songwriter of the Year
Award. An appearance in the MTV drama Carmen: A Hip Hopera quickly followed, but
it was her role as Foxxy Cleopatra in Austin Powers in Goldmember in 2002 that
eventually moved Beyoncé from the stage to the screen.
Her first single, "Work It Out," coincided with the release of the Mike Myers
comedy and cemented her celebrity status. A guest spot on Jay-Z's "'03 Bonnie &
Clyde" was equally popular when it appeared in October. In 2003, she rejoined
Jay-Z for her proper debut single, the funkadelic "Crazy in Love," as the press
and fans christened her a bona fide star. Beyoncé's debut album, Dangerously in
Love, which appeared in June 2003, featured collaborations with Sean Paul, Missy
Elliott, and OutKast's Big Boi. The multi-platinum album spawned a total of four
Top Ten singles. Nearly two years after another Destiny's Child album (Destiny
Fulfilled), Beyoncé released her second album, B'day.
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