Celebrity Galore

Beyoncé Giselle Knowles (born September 4, 1981), commonly known as Beyoncé

is an American R&B singer-songwriter record producer and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various performing arts schools, and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child. Knowles rose to fame in the late 1990s as the lead singer of girl group Destiny’s Child. Knowles has sold more than 75 million albums throughout her career, counting her album sales with Destiny’s Child.

During the hiatus of the group, Knowles released her debut solo album, Dangerously in Love, in June 2003. Dangerously in Love, which spawned the number-one singles “Crazy in Love” and “Baby Boy”, became one of the most-successful albums of that year. It earned Knowles five Grammy Awards in a single night in 2004, and its reception signaled her viability as a solo artist. The disbandment of Destiny’s Child in 2005 facilitated her continued success; she released her second album, B’Day, in 2006, which contained the UK number-one singles “Déjà Vu” and “Beautiful Liar”, and the worldwide hit “Irreplaceable”. Her third solo album, I Am… Sasha Fierce, was released in November 2008, and spawned the worldwide hit, “If I Were a Boy”, and the US number-one hit “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)”.

The success of her solo albums has established Knowles as one of the most marketable artists in the music industry, and she has expanded her career to acting and product endorsement. In 2006, she starred in the comedy film The Pink Panther, and, in the same year, played the lead role in the film adaptation of the 1981 Broadway musical Dreamgirls, for which she received two Golden Globe nominations. Knowles launched her family’s fashion line, House of Deréon, in 2004, and has been engaged to endorse such brands as Pepsi, Tommy Hilfiger, and L’Oréal. Knowles has been with husband Jay-Z since 2002, though they have been discreet about their relationship. After much speculation, they married on April 4, 2008. She was the second highest paid musician between June 2007 and June 2008, with earnings of US$80 million.

Knowles was born in Houston, Texas, the daughter of Mathew Knowles, a successful record manager, and Tina Beyincé, a costume designer and hair stylist. Knowles’ father is African American and her mother is of Creole (African-American, Native American, and French) descent. Knowles was baptized after her mother’s maiden name, as a tribute to her mother and to prevent the name from becoming obsolete, since only a few of the Beyincé males carry the name.

“If I Were a Boy” and “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)”, the first and second singles off I Am… Sasha Fierce, were released to radio on October 14, 2008, preceding the album’s release on November 18, 2008. While the single “If I Were a Boy” became Knowles’ fourth UK number-one single, “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” went on to top the Hot 100 chart, for four non-consecutive weeks, giving Knowles her fifth number one single in the U.S. As a follow up to the top-charting first singles from the album, Knowles is set to release the songs “Diva” (as her Sasha Fierce alter-ego) and “Halo” (as herself) as the third and fourth singles, respectively, during the first quarter of 2009. On January 15, 2009, BET debuted the new videos for the new singles on 106 & Park: BET Top 10 Live, officially marking their release. By releasing two singles together at one time, one from each disc, it’s clear to average listeners that Knowles wishes to treat both discs as separate albums for herself and her alter-ego.

In addition to releasing a new album and continuing her growing film career with the recent release of Cadillac Records, Knowles will also star opposite Ali Larter and Idris Elba in a thriller film called Obsessed, which has been in production since May 2008. This film is due in the United States in April 2009, with an international release slated in March 2009.

Knowles will tour around the world for most of 2009 starting in the Spring, visiting venues all over the world from the America’s, Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania. Knowles will also include a week long stint of shows in Las Vegas. The tour will be named Beyoncé’s I Am… Tour.

On January 7, 2009, it was announced that she was nominated six times for five NAACP Image Awards: Outstanding Female Artist, Outstanding Music Video (“If I Were A Boy”), Outstanding Music Video (“Single Ladies”), Outstanding Song (“Single Ladies”), Outstanding Album (“I Am…Sasha Fierce”) and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture (“Cadillac Records”). Knowles earned her third Golden Globe nomination of “Best Original Song” for the film Cadillac Records.

Source [ Wikipedia ]