Beyoncé

Beyonce's father is African-American, and her mother is of Creole descent (French, African and Native American). Beyonce's maternal grandparents were French-speaking Louisiana Creoles, and Beyonce's name is a tribute to her mother's surname.

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American singer and actress Beyoncé Giselle Knowles, often known simply as Beyoncé, began singing with the original members of the popular R&B group Destiny's Child as a pre-teen. Knowles rose to fame in the late 1990s as the lead singer of the group, one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time.

During the hiatus of Destiny's Child, Knowles released her debut solo album Dangerously in Love (2003), which spawned the number one hits "Crazy in Love" and "Baby Boy" and became one of the most successful albums of that year, earning her a then record-tying five Grammy Awards. Following the group's disbandment in 2005, Knowles released B'Day in 2006. It debuted at number one on the Billboard charts and included the hits "Déjà Vu", "Irreplaceable" and "Beautiful Liar". Her third solo album I Am... Sasha Fierce, released in November 2008, included the anthemic "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)". The album and its singles earned her six Grammy Awards, breaking the record for most Grammy Awards won by a female artist in one night. Knowles is one of the most honored artists by the Grammys with 16 awards—13 as a solo artist and three as a member of Destiny's Child.

Knowles began her acting career in 2001, appearing in the musical film Carmen: A Hip Hopera. In 2006, she starred in the lead role in the film adaptation of the 1981 Broadway musical Dreamgirls, for which she earned two Golden Globe nominations. Knowles launched her family's fashion line, House of Deréon, in 2004, and has endorsed such brands as Pepsi, Tommy Hilfiger, Armani and L'Oréal. In 2010, Forbes ranked Knowles at number two on its list of the 100 Most Powerful and Influential Celebrities in the world; she was also listed as the most powerful and influential musician in the world. Time also included Knowles on its list of the "100 Most Influential People in the World".

Knowles has attained five Hot 100 number one singles as a solo performer and four with Destiny's Child, and as a solo artist, has sold over 35 million albums and singles in the U.S.; according to Sony, her total record sales, when combined with the group, have surpassed 100 million. On December 11, 2009, Billboard listed Knowles as the most successful female artist of the 2000s decade and the top Radio Artist of the decade. In February 2010, the RIAA listed her as the top certified artist of the decade.

Romantically linked to hip-hop mogul Jay-Z, whose real name is Shawn Carter, since September 2002, they performed together in music videos for two of her hit singles, Crazy in Love and Deja Vu. The couple married in April 2008. Among the guests sighted at the wedding were Beyonce's mother Tina Knowles, her father and manager Mathew, her sister Solange, Destiny's Child members Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams, and friend Gwyneth Paltrow.

• Reference: Ancestry Genealogy - SmartCopy: Feb 13 2019, 21:52:01 UTC