Beyoncé the singer with the three and a half octave vocal range is not only known for her amazing singing talent but also her ever fluctuating weight and some disastrous wardrobe choices which can probably be blamed on her mom. Born Beyonce Giselle Knowles in Houston Texas, the singer always had a penchant for performing arts and enrolled in various schools to hone her skills since an early age.At seven she was pegged as a possible winner of a local talent show award the Sammy, she went on to attend the Parker Elementary School, an establishment well known for its emphasis on the performing arts and The School for Performing and Visual arts.
While there, she forged a friendship with future band member La Tavia Robertson and the two girls along with Knowles's best friend Kelly Rowland were part of an all girl group with six members known as Girl Tyme. Eventually, only four members were actually chosen to perform and Knowles had her first brush with fame when the group performed Arne Frager.
Girl Tyme participated in Star Search but failed dismally to create an impact; however, Knowles took heart in the fact that Justin Timberlake and Britney Spears had also tried their hand at the show and lost.
In the mean time, Knowles's father decided that he could not continue with his job while his daughter was slated for a big showbiz career. So, he quit his job and took on the position of his daughter's full time manager. Although, this did put strain on the income pool of the Knowles family, Beyonce's parents continued to support their daughter and her band members by offering their services. While daddy managed their concert dates and appearances, mommy designed their clothes, a job she held on to steadfastly till the demise of Destiny's Child.
The band now had four members and eventually found its way to Atlanta and changed their name from Girl Tyme to Destiny's Child; they eventually earned themselves a contract with Columbia Records and hit the big time when their debut song Killing Time was used on the Men in Black OST.
The following years saw the release of their debut album which spewed their first discernible hit No, No, No. However, the sales figures of their album could best be described as mediocre but it did help them to establish a name for themselves in the music business.
Then came their mega opus, multi platinum album The Writings on the Wall; this album was comprised of some of their most memorable singles including Jumpin, Jumpin, Bills, Bills, Bills and of course Say my Name which got the Grammy in 2001. After several members walked in and out of the group, Destiny's Child finally had three members and they recorded a single for the sound track of Charlie's Angels which garnered some rave reviews. Their third album was an equally big hit.
Knowles not only worked with Destiny's Child but also concentrated on her solo career during the period. Working on a duet with Marc Nelson and was even part of a ‘made for television' film.
She even made it into The Austin Powers flick Gold Member at this point she had piled on a few pounds indicative of her new found fortunes in life. However, the studio bosses were adamant about wanting a svelte Foxy Cleopatra and told her in no uncertain terms that she would either have to lose weight or they would be happy to show her the door. She complied and this also led to a moderately successful acting career.
Along the way Knowles met her future husband Jay-Z and they worked together on a hit single Bonnie and Clyde. Once her other band members started concentrating on their solo efforts, Beyonce released her very own solo debut album, Dangerously in Love which spawned several hit singles, the singer won five Grammy Awards for her efforts
But by 2004 the rift in Destiny's Child was becoming apparent to everybody; Knowles continued with her acting career with a role in the Pink Panther; however, she hit gold with her rendition of a character based on Diana Ross in the movie Dream Girls. While Knowles continued her journey to a multi platinum career as a singer and an acclaimed actress, she struck a relationship with Jay-Z
Despite several attempts from the media to find out if the two stars were really seeing each other, they remained tight lipped about how serious the relationship was. She even managed to keep the wedding ceremony a private affair and only revealed her wedding ring much later to gasping paparazzi.
Beyonce holds an astounding 39 Grammy Awards and has done endorsements for several products and also owns her own clothing line.