Portal:Beyoncé

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Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter (née Knowles; born September 4, 1981), known mononymously as Beyoncé (/biˈjɒnseɪ/ bee-YON-say), is an American singer and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she performed in various singing and dancing competitions as a child, and rose to fame in the late 1990s as lead singer of R&B girl-group Destiny's Child. Managed by her father Mathew Knowles, the group became one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time. Their hiatus saw the release of Beyoncé's debut album, Dangerously in Love (2003), which established her as a solo artist worldwide; it sold 11 million copies, earned five Grammy Awards and featured the Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles "Crazy in Love" and "Baby Boy". Following the disbandment of Destiny's Child in June 2005, she released her second solo album, B'Day (2006), which contained hits "Déjà Vu", "Irreplaceable", and "Beautiful Liar". Beyoncé also ventured into acting, with a Golden Globe-nominated performance in Dreamgirls (2006), and starring roles in The Pink Panther (2006) and Obsessed (2009). Her marriage to rapper Jay-Z and portrayal of Etta James in Cadillac Records (2008) influenced her third album, I Am... Sasha Fierce (2008), which saw the birth of her alter-ego Sasha Fierce and earned a record-setting six Grammy Awards in 2010, including Song of the Year for "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)". Beyoncé took a hiatus from music in 2010 and took over management of her career; her fourth album 4 (2011) was subsequently mellower in tone, exploring 1970s funk, 1980s pop, and 1990s soul. Her fifth studio album, Beyoncé (2013), was critically acclaimed and was distinguished from previous releases by its experimental production and exploration of darker themes. A self-described "modern-day feminist", her songs are often characterized by themes of love, relationships, and monogamy, as well as female sexuality and empowerment. On stage, her dynamic, highly choreographed performances have led to critics hailing her as one of the best entertainers in contemporary popular music. Throughout a career spanning 17 years, she has won 17 Grammy Awards and sold over 75 million records as a solo artist, and a further 60 million with Destiny's Child, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time. The Recording Industry Association of America recognized Beyoncé as the Top Certified Artist in America during the 2000s decade. In 2009, Billboard named her the Top Radio Songs Artist of the Decade, the Top Female Artist of the 2000s and their Artist of the Millennium in 2011. In 2014, she ranked atop of Forbes' Celebrity 100 and became the highest-paid black musician in history. She was included in Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2013 and 2014. Read more ... Beyoncé has released several music videos, working with many directors, as well as co-producing some of them. She took her first lead role in the film for Carmen: A Hip Hopera. Beyoncé's first solo music video was the soundtrack single, "Work It Out", for a film "Austin Powers in Goldmember" she had a lead role in. The music video contained clips of the film as well as a 70's disco theme with Knowles debuting a curly afro. After the parting of Destiny's Child, Knowles debuted her first official music video as a solo artist for "Crazy in Love" featuring long time boyfriend Jay-Z. The song spent 9 weeks on the top of the billboards and the video topped charts all around the world for its iconic simple theme and fierce walking tracks. Other videos released from Dangerously in Love included cameo appearances by Sean Paul & Usher. Read more... B'Day is the second studio album by American R&B recording artist Beyoncé, released on September 4, 2006 by Columbia Records in collaboration with Music World Music and Sony Urban Music. It was released to coincide with Knowles' twenty-fifth birthday. The album was originally planned for a 2004 release as a follow-up to her debut album Dangerously in Love (2003). However, the project was put on hiatus due to the recording of Destiny's Child's final studio album, Destiny Fulfilled (2004), and her starring role in the film Dreamgirls (2006). While on vacation after filming Dreamgirls, Knowles began contacting various producers; she rented Sony Music Studios, and completed B'Day in three weeks. Most of the lyrical content of the album was inspired by Knowles' role in the film. The album's musical style ranges from 1970s–80s funk and balladry to urban contemporary elements such as hip hop and R&B. Live instrumentation was employed in recording most of the tracks as part of Knowles' vision of creating a record using live instruments. B'Day Anthology Video Album, which features thirteen music videos to accompany the songs, was released alongside the deluxe edition of B'Day. The album debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 chart, selling 541,000 copies in its first week, and has been certified triple platinum by the RIAA. It was also successful in international music markets and yielded six singles, including three commercial hits: "Déjà Vu", "Irreplaceable" and "Beautiful Liar". Upon its release, B'Day received generally positive reviews from most music critics and earned Knowles several accolades, including the Grammy Award for Best Contemporary R&B Album at the 49th Grammy Awards. Knowles embarked on her second solo concert tour in 2007, which she titled The Beyoncé Experience. A live album, The Beyoncé Experience Live, was released which featured footage from the tour. Read more... "Green Light" is a song recorded by American R&B singer Beyoncé. The song was written by Knowles, Sean Garrett, and Pharrell for Knowles's second solo studio album, B'Day (2006). Produced by The Neptunes, it was released as the fifth UK and seventh overall single on July 30, 2007 through Columbia Records. "Green Light" is an R&B-funk song with lyrics detailing a break-up song in which the female protagonist gives her love interest the permission to move out. The song samples the "uh-oh-oh-oh-oh" vocals which music critics noted to have a flagrant resemblance to "Crazy in Love" (2003). "Green Light" was generally well received by music critics who universally praised the beat, bass, groove, and angry tone of the song. The single performed moderately on charts, peaking at number twelve on the UK Singles Chart and at number forty-six in Ireland, and the Freemasons remix of the track peaked at number eighteen on the Dutch Top 40 chart. Its accompanying music video was directed by Melina Matsoukas and co-directed by Knowles. It is inspired by Robert Palmer's 1985 music video "Addicted to Love". Knowles considered the video, which is her second to feature her all-female tour band Suga Mama, her toughest shoot. The song was a part of her set list on The Beyoncé Experience in Los Angeles and her world tour, I Am... Tour. Read more... Beyoncé singing "Ave Maria" in the "I Am... Tour" in 2009 More media... Template:/box-footer Template:/box-header {{Wikipedia:WikiProject Beyoncé/Recognized content}} Template:/box-footer Template:/box-header Beyoncé WikiProject is a project that helps to assemble writers and editors interested in Beyoncé. The aim of this project is to standardize and improve articles related to Beyoncé and create missing articles. More info on project.... Rihanna Brandy Michael Jackson Britney Spears 90x90px Christina Aguilera Mariah Carey Whitney Houston Shania Twain The Supremes Shakira Madonna Rihanna More music portals... The following Wikimedia sister projects provide more on this subject:

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