Beyoncé Knowles

Beyoncé Knowles, who got her start in R&B girl group Destiny’s Child, is one of the best-selling music artists of all time and the most-nominated woman in the history of the Grammy Awards.

After a highly successful and record-breaking stint as the lead singer of Destiny’s Child, Knowles started her solo career with her 2003 debut album, Dangerously in Love, which topped the Billboard 200 chart. She followed with 2006’s B’Day, which became her second consecutive No. 1 album. Her third and fourth albums, 2008’s I Am… Sasha Fierce and 2011’s 4 both hit No. 1, as well.

In December 2013, Knowles released her fifth album, Beyoncé, on iTunes without prior promotion or announcement. The visual album was critically acclaimed and made her the first woman in Billboard 200’s history to have her first five albums debut at No. 1.

In April 2016, two months after releasing hit single and video “Formation,” Knowles released her latest album, Lemonade. It was her most critically acclaimed album to date with a five-star rating from Rolling Stone. It also debuted No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart and earned her eight wins at the MTV Video Music Awards, making her the most-awarded artist in VMA history.

Six years later, Knowles hinted at an upcoming seventh studio album when she removed all profile pictures across her various social media platforms. In June 2022, the songstress officially announced Renaissance, which was released the following month. The first single from the record, “Break My Soul,” became Knowles’ 20th top 10 single on the Billboard Hot 100, making her one of the only artists in Hot 100 history to achieve at least twenty top 10 as a solo artist, alongside Michael Jackson and Paul McCartney.

In 2008, the singer tied the knot with longtime love Jay Z. They welcomed daughter Blue Ivy Carter in January 2012. The “Church Girl” artist revealed via her Instagram five years later that she and her husband were expecting twins, which subsequently broke the world record for most “likes” on an image on the website. Daughter Rumi and son Sir were born in September 2018.

Knowles also considers herself a feminist, incorporating those views into motifs that appear throughout her music. She has also made public artistic statements standing against police brutality and racial injustices.