Beyoncé

Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( ; born September 4, 1981) is an American singer-songwriter, actress and businesswoman. She has had a significant impact on the music industry and is known for her vocal ability, musical versatility, live performances, and culturally important works.

Beyoncé rose to fame in 1997 as a member of Destiny's Child, one of the best-selling girl groups of all time. Her debut solo album, ''Dangerously in Love'' (2003), became one of the best-selling albums of the 21st century and spawned the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 number-one singles "Crazy in Love" and "Baby Boy". Beyoncé's commercial success continued with the albums ''B'Day'' (2006), ''I Am... Sasha Fierce'' (2008) and ''4'' (2011), all of which featured hit singles including "Check on It", "Irreplaceable", "If I Were a Boy", "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on it)", "Halo", "Run the World (Girls)", and "Love On Top". She has also ventured into acting, starring in the films ''Austin Powers in Goldmember'' (2002), ''Dreamgirls'' (2006), ''Cadillac Records'' (2008), ''Obsessed'' (2009) and ''Black Is King'' (2020), as well as voicing Nala in ''The Lion King'' (2019) and ''Mufasa: The Lion King'' (2024).

Beyoncé's career shifted after forming her own management company Parkwood Entertainment, creating monocultural events through acclaimed concept albums. She explored personal and political themes on ''Beyoncé'' (2013) and ''Lemonade'' (2016), which are credited with popularizing the surprise album and visual album. The former inspired setting Friday as the Global Release Day, while the latter was the best-selling album worldwide in 2016. Her ongoing trilogy project – currently consisting of the queer-inspired dance album ''Renaissance'' (2022) and Americana epic ''Cowboy Carter'' (2024) – has highlighted the contributions of Black pioneers to American musical and cultural history, spawning the U.S. ''Billboard'' Hot 100 number-one singles "Break My Soul" and "Texas Hold 'Em".

Beyoncé is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with estimated sales of over 200 million records. She is the only female artist to debut all of their eight studio albums at number one on the ''Billboard'' 200. She is the most awarded and nominated artist in the history of the Grammy Awards, as well as the most awarded artist at the BET, NAACP Image, and Soul Train Music Awards. Her inductions include the ''Guinness World Records'' Hall of Fame and the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame. The first woman to headline an all-stadium tour, Beyoncé is one of the highest-grossing live acts in history. ''Billboard'' named her the Top Female Artist of the 2000s and the Greatest Pop Star of the 21st Century. ''Rolling Stone'' listed her as one of the greatest singers ever and included several of her albums, singles, and music videos among the greatest of all time. Provided by Wikipedia