Born: 4 September 1981Birthplace: Houston, Texas
Best Known As: Singer of "Crazy in Love" and "Irreplaceable"
Name at birth: Beyoncé Knowles
Beyoncé's 2003 solo debut album, Dangerously in Love, won her five Grammy Awards, including best contemporary R&B album and best female R&B performance. Only 21 when the album was released, Beyoncé already was a pop music veteran: she had spent years with the all-female R&B group Destiny's Child, which won its own Grammys with hits like "No No No" and "Say My Name." Destiny's Child was formed and managed by Beyoncé's father, Mathew Knowles, and Beyoncé gradually became first among equals in the manner of Diana Ross and the Supremes.
Destiny's Child went on hiatus in 2002 and Beyoncé went solo, appearing as sexy secret agent Foxxy Cleopatra in the Austin Powers sequel Goldmember and adding a hit single, "Work It Out," to the movie's soundtrack. In 2003 she had another hit with the single "Crazy in Love" (featuring rapper Jay-Z). Knowles also continued her screen career in 2003, co-starring with Cuba Gooding, Jr. in The Fighting Temptations. Destiny's Child reunited in 2004 to record the album Destiny Fulfilled, but then formally split up amid much fanfare at the end of 2005. Beyoncé in 2006 had a number one hit with "Irreplaceable" and appeared in the movie Dreamgirls (co-starring Eddie Murphy), then spent most of 2007 picking up awards and touring the world. Her romance with Jay-Z topped headlines until they were finally married in April of 2008, and in November of that year she released a new album, I Am... Sasha Fierce.
Originally billed as Beyoncé Knowles, she now prefers to be known by the single name Beyoncé, in the manner of Prince and Sting... She was named ASCAP's Songwriter of the Year in 2001, the first African-American woman ever to win that award... She and Stevie Wonder won a Grammy award in 2006 their duet "So Amazing."
