Beyoncé

Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter (Template:IPAc-en Template:Respell;<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most significant figures of the 21st century through her vocal ability, musical versatility, live performances, and culturally important works. Credited with revolutionizing the sound of popular music, Beyoncé is often deemed one of the most influential artists of all time.<ref name="Sourcesforinfluential">Sources for Beyoncé being one of the most influential artists of all time:

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• Template:Cite magazine</ref> Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2013, 2014, and 2023.

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; the R&B-influenced B'Day (2006) was her first release following Destiny's Child's disbandment in 2005; and her marriage to rapper Jay-Z inspired the pop, R&B and folk-imbued record I Am... Sasha Fierce (2008). The albums contained the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles "Crazy in Love", "Baby Boy", "Check on It", "Irreplaceable", and "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)". Beyoncé's career shifted after forming her own management company Parkwood Entertainment in 2010, creating monocultural events through acclaimed concept albums.<ref>Sources for Beyonce's releases being specifically named as monocultural events:

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Beyoncé's albums 4 (2011), Beyoncé (2013) and Lemonade (2016) explored themes of empowerment, introspection, and social commentary, respectively. Beyoncé is credited with popularizing the visual album and surprise album, while Lemonade 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. number-one singles "Break My Soul" and "Texas Hold 'Em". She has also starred in various films such as Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002), Dreamgirls (2006), The Lion King (2019), and Mufasa: The Lion King (2024).

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 her eight studio albums at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200. Beyoncé 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. The first woman to headline an all-stadium tour, Beyoncé is among the highest-grossing live acts in history. She has been listed amongst history's greatest artists by publications such as Billboard and Rolling Stone.

Life and career

Early life

Beyoncé Giselle Knowles was born at the Park Plaza Hospital in the Museum Park neighborhood of Houston, Texas, on September 4, 1981.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="s658">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Her mother, Tina Knowles (née Beyoncé; Template:Abbr 1954), was a hairdresser and salon owner;<ref name="o613">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="x268">Template:Cite web</ref> her father, Mathew Knowles (b. 1952), was a sales manager at Xerox.<ref name="m347">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="t636">Template:Cite web</ref> Mathew is African-American,<ref name="c134">Template:Cite web</ref> while Tina—an African-American Louisiana Creole—has African, French, Irish, and Native American ancestry.<ref name="t444">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="d979">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="m552">Template:Cite web</ref> Beyoncé researched her ancestry and discovered that she is descended from a slave owner who married his slave.<ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Her name is a tribute to her mother's maiden name.<ref name="c464">Template:Cite web</ref> Beyoncé's younger sister, Solange (b. 1986), is also a singer and actress.<ref name="g024">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="c938">Template:Cite web</ref>

Beyoncé was raised within multiple religious traditions, attending both St. John's United Methodist Church and St. Mary of the Purification Catholic Church in Houston.<ref name="a802">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="p361">Template:Cite web</ref> She received her early education at St. Mary's Catholic Montessori School in Houston, where she also enrolled in dance classes.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Her vocal talent was discovered when her dance instructor, Darlette Johnson, began humming a song and Beyoncé completed it, showing her ability to reach high-pitched notes.<ref name="k125">Template:Cite web</ref> Her passion for music and performance deepened after she won a school talent show at the age of seven by singing John Lennon's "Imagine", outperforming competitors aged fifteen and sixteen.<ref name="Biography Today">Template:Cite book</ref><ref name="People">Template:Cite magazine</ref> In 1990, a nine-year-old Beyoncé enrolled in Parker Elementary School, a music magnet school in Houston, where she performed with the school's choir.<ref name="k837">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="r633">Template:Cite book</ref> She later attended the Kinder High School for the Performing and Visual Arts and subsequently Alief Elsik High School.<ref name="l182">Template:Cite web</ref> Beyoncé was also a member of the choir at St. John's United Methodist Church where she sang her first solo and was a soloist for two years.<ref name="a802"/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

1990–2001: Career beginnings and Destiny's Child

Template:Main In 1990, Beyoncé met LaTavia Roberson while in an audition for an all-girl entertainment group.<ref name="Kaufman">Template:Cite news</ref> They were placed in Girl's Tyme with three other girls, a group that performed rap and dance routines on Houston's talent show circuit.<ref name="People"/><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> R&B producer Arne Frager noticed them and later entered the group in Star Search, the largest national talent show on television at the time. Although they lost, Beyoncé later attributed the failure to a poor song choice.<ref name="Farley">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="a414">Template:Cite book</ref> In 1995, Beyoncé's father Mathew left his job to manage the group, which halved the family's income and led to them moving into separated apartments.<ref name="Kaufman"/><ref name="i064">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="z360">Template:Cite web</ref> He reduced the group's lineup to four members, and they continued performing as an opening act for established R&B girl groups.<ref name="Kaufman"/> After being briefly signed by Elektra Records and later dropped, tensions led to a six-month separation of Beyoncé's parents.<ref name="g079">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="r105">Template:Cite web</ref> After the Knowles family later reunited, the group secured a contract with Columbia Records, aided by talent scout Teresa LaBarbera Whites.<ref name="Biography Today"/>

Destiny's child performing on stage as part of their 2005 tour

Beyoncé (center) performing as a member of Destiny's Child, during their 2005 Destiny Fulfilled... and Lovin' It concert tour

The group adopted the name Destiny's Child in 1997, based upon a passage in the Book of Isaiah.<ref name="p169">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="n204">Template:Cite web</ref> That year, they released their major-label debut song, "Killing Time", which appeared on the soundtrack for the film Men in Black.<ref name="u523">Template:Cite web</ref> In November of that year, the group issued their debut single and first major hit, "No, No, No" followed by their self-titled debut album in 1998, which established the group as a viable act in the music industry.<ref name="u523"/><ref name="u761">Template:Cite magazine</ref> In 1999, the group released their second studio album, The Writing's on the Wall, which achieved multi-platinum status.<ref name="e616">Template:Cite magazine</ref> The album featured several hit singles, including "Bills, Bills, Bills"—their first number-one song on the US Billboard Hot 100—"Jumpin', Jumpin'", and "Say My Name".<ref name="o111">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="v185">Template:Cite magazine</ref> The lattermost also reached number one and remains one of their signature songs.<ref name="x284">Template:Cite web</ref> "Say My Name" earned two awards at the 2001 Grammy Awards: Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and Best R&B Song.<ref name="w394">Template:Cite web</ref> The Writing's on the Wall became one of the best-selling R&B albums of all time.<ref name="m095">Template:Cite web</ref>

The remaining members of Destiny's Child—Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams—recorded "Independent Women Part I" in 2000, which was featured on the soundtrack of the film Charlie's Angels (2000). The song became the group's highest-charting single, spending eleven consecutive weeks at number one in the U.S.<ref name="z651">Template:Cite web</ref> In early 2001, while Destiny's Child was completing work on their third album, Beyoncé secured a leading role in the MTV made-for-television film Carmen: A Hip Hopera, starring alongside American actor Mekhi Phifer. Set in Philadelphia, the film is a 21st century interpretation of the 19th-century opera Carmen by French composer Georges Bizet.<ref name="Kaufman"/> Upon its release in May 2001, Destiny's Child's third album, Survivor, debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 663,000 copies in its first week.<ref name="l636">Template:Cite web</ref> Around the same time, former members LeToya Luckett and Roberson filed a lawsuit, alleging that some of the album's content was directed at them.<ref name="m733">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="b219">Template:Cite web</ref> The album produced "Bootylicious" and the title track, "Survivor", which peaked at number one and two in the United States, respectively.<ref name="e533">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="d320">Template:Cite web</ref> "Survivor" earned the group a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.<ref name="g739">Template:Cite web</ref> Following the release of their holiday album, 8 Days of Christmas (2001), Destiny's Child announced a hiatus to allow each member to pursue solo careers.<ref name="Kaufman"/>

2002–2007: Dangerously in Love, B'Day, and Dreamgirls

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Beyoncé performing "Baby Boy", which spent nine consecutive weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart<ref name="BabyBoy1" />

In July 2002, Beyoncé made her theatrical film debut, portraying the character Foxxy Cleopatra alongside Mike Myers in the comedy Austin Powers in Goldmember. The film debuted at number one at the U.S. box office and earned $73 million during its opening weekend.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> To accompany the film, Beyoncé released "Work It Out" as the lead single from its soundtrack.<ref name="g066">Template:Cite web</ref> Beyoncé's hit as a solo artist was a feature on Jay-Z's track "'03 Bonnie & Clyde" from his album The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse (2002).<ref name="n442">Template:Cite web</ref> The single peaked at number four on the Hot 100 chart.<ref name="v963">Template:Cite web</ref> Beyoncé appeared as Jay-Z's girlfriend in the music video for the song, fueling speculation about a relationship.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> She shared that they began dating when she was nineteen, after being friends for a year and a half before going on any dates.<ref name="y852">Template:Cite web</ref>

On June 14, 2003, Beyoncé premiered songs from her debut solo album, Dangerously in Love, during her first solo concert, which was broadcast as a pay-per-view television special.<ref name="Corey2">Template:Cite web</ref> The album was officially released on June 24, 2003, following the solo releases of her Destiny's Child bandmates Williams and Rowland.<ref name="Kaufman"/><ref name="n433">Template:Cite web</ref> Dangerously in Love debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 317,000 copies in its first week.<ref name="p938">Template:Cite web</ref> The album's lead single, "Crazy in Love", featuring Jay-Z, became Beyoncé's first number-one single as a solo artist in the US.<ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref> The single "Baby Boy" also reached number one,<ref name="BabyBoy1">Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref> while "Me, Myself and I" and "Naughty Girl" both reached the top-five.<ref name="beyoncehot100">Template:Cite magazine</ref> The album earned Beyoncé a then record-tying five awards at the 46th Annual Grammy Awards, including Best Contemporary R&B Album and Best R&B Song for "Crazy in Love".<ref name="2004 Grammys">Template:Cite news</ref> She later starred alongside Cuba Gooding Jr. in the musical comedy The Fighting Temptations (2003), portraying a single mother and the love interest of Gooding's character. It received mixed reviews from critics and underperformed at the box office.<ref name="c559">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="j444">Template:Cite web</ref> Beyoncé performed several songs for the film's soundtrack, including its two singles, "Fighting Temptation" and "Summertime".<ref name="j818">Template:Cite web</ref>

In November 2003, Beyoncé embarked on the Dangerously in Love Tour across Europe,<ref name="r168">Template:Cite web</ref> and later joined Missy Elliott and Alicia Keys for the Verizon Ladies First Tour in North America.<ref name="r846">Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On February 1, 2004, she performed the American national anthem at Super Bowl XXXVIII, held at Reliant Stadium in Houston.<ref name="t516">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="s003">Template:Cite web</ref> Beyoncé had planned to produce a follow-up to Dangerously in Love using several of the leftover tracks; this was put on hold so she could concentrate on recording Destiny's Child's final album, Destiny Fulfilled.<ref name="JPatel">Template:Cite news</ref> Released on November 15, 2004, in the U.S.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> and peaking at number two on the Billboard 200,<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref><ref name="riaadestinyschild">Template:Cite web</ref> Destiny Fulfilled included the singles "Lose My Breath" and "Soldier", both of which reached within the top five in the U.S.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Destiny's Child embarked on a global concert tour titled Destiny Fulfilled... and Lovin' It. It featured performances of many of the group's biggest hits, including "No, No, No" and "Say My Name", as well as selections from each member's solo career.<ref name="s756">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="b318"/> At the final stop of their European tour in Barcelona in June 2005, Rowland announced that Destiny's Child would disband following the North American leg of the tour.<ref name="b318">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="q991">Template:Cite web</ref> The group released their first compilation album, #1's, in October and were honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in March 2006.<ref name="y518">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="m016">Template:Cite web</ref>

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Beyoncé performing during the Beyoncé Experience tour in 2007

Beyoncé's second solo album, B'Day, was released in the United States on September 4, 2006, to coincide with her twenty-fifth birthday.<ref name="y215">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="q242">Template:Cite web</ref> The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 541,000 copies in its first week, making it her second consecutive number-one album in the U.S.<ref name="r060">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="n758">Template:Cite web</ref> The album's lead single, "Déjà Vu", featuring Jay-Z, reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.<ref name="u032">Template:Cite web</ref> The second international single, "Irreplaceable", topped the charts in several territories worldwide, including the U.S.<ref name="v514">Template:Cite web</ref> B'Day also produced several additional singles, including "Ring the Alarm", "Get Me Bodied", and "Green Light".<ref name="z617">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="s313">Template:Cite web</ref> At the 2007 Grammy Awards, B'Day received five nominations, including Best Contemporary R&B Album and Best R&B Song and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Déjà Vu".<ref name="g408"/> In 2008, the album garnered more nominations, including Record of the Year for "Irreplaceable".<ref name="m226">Template:Cite web</ref>

Beyoncé's first acting role in 2006 was in the comedy film The Pink Panther, in which she starred alongside Steve Martin.<ref name="v979">Template:Cite web</ref> The film was a commercial success, grossing $158 million worldwide.<ref name="h558">Template:Cite web</ref> Her second film that year, Dreamgirls—a cinematic adaptation of the 1981 Broadway musical—received critical acclaim and earned $154 million globally. Portraying a pop singer modeled after Diana Ross, Beyoncé starred alongside Jennifer Hudson, Jamie Foxx, and Eddie Murphy.<ref name="m019">Template:Cite web</ref> In April 2007, Beyoncé embarked on the Beyoncé Experience, her first worldwide concert tour, which visited 97 venues<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and grossed over $24 million.Template:Efn Beyoncé conducted pre-concert food donation drives during six major stops in conjunction with her pastor at St. John's and America's Second Harvest. At the same time, B'Day was re-released with five additional songs, including her duet with Shakira "Beautiful Liar".<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> In June 2007, Beyoncé and Jay-Z announced their engagement.<ref name="t076">Template:Cite web</ref>

2008–2010: I Am... Sasha Fierce and marriage

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Beyoncé performing during the I Am... Tour

On April 4, 2008, Beyoncé and Jay-Z married without publicity.<ref name="marriage">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Inspired by their marriage, Beyoncé released I Am... Sasha Fierce in November 2008 and formally introduced her alter ego Sasha Fierce.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> It was met with mixed reviews from critics,<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> but sold 482,000 copies in its first week, debuting atop the Billboard 200, and giving Beyoncé her third consecutive number-one album in the U.S.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The album featured her fourth UK number-one single "If I Were a Boy" and her fifth U.S. number-one song "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> "Halo" achieved the accomplishment of becoming her longest-running Hot 100 single in her career,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> "HaloTemplate:" 's success in the U.S. helped Beyoncé attain more top-ten singles on the list than any other woman during the 2000s.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

The music video for "Single Ladies" has been parodied and imitated around the world, spawning the "first major dance craze" of the Internet age according to the Toronto Star.<ref name="First dance craze">Template:Cite news</ref> At the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, the video won three categories, including Video of the Year.<ref name="VMA">Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> In March 2009, Beyoncé embarked on the I Am... Tour, her second headlining worldwide concert tour, consisting of 108 shows, grossing $119.5 million.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Beyoncé further expanded her acting career, starring as blues singer Etta James in the 2008 musical biopic Cadillac Records. Her performance in the film received praise from critics,<ref name="masterson">Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> and she garnered several nominations for her portrayal of James, including a Satellite Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress, and an NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Beyoncé donated her entire salary from the film to Phoenix House, an organization of rehabilitation centers for heroin addicts around the country.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Beyoncé starred opposite Ali Larter and Idris Elba in the thriller, Obsessed. She played Sharon Charles, a mother and wife whose family is threatened by her husband's stalker. The film received negative reviews from critics,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and did well at the U.S. box office, grossing $68 million – $60 million more than Cadillac Records<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> – on a budget of $20 million.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

At the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards, Beyoncé received ten nominations, tying with Lauryn Hill for most Grammy nominations in a single year by a female artist.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Beyoncé went on to win six of those nominations, breaking a record she previously tied in 2004 for the most Grammy awards won in a single night by a female artist with six. In 2010, Beyoncé provide guest vocals on Lady Gaga's single "Telephone".<ref name="UKChartHistory">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The song topped the U.S. Pop Songs chart, becoming the sixth number-one for both Beyoncé and Gaga, tying them with Mariah Carey for most number-ones since the Nielsen Top 40 airplay chart launched in 1992.<ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

2010–2012: 4 and first child

Beyoncé announced a hiatus from her music career in January 2010, heeding her mother's advice, "to live life, to be inspired by things again".<ref name="hiatus">Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref><ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> During the break, she and her father parted ways as business partners.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref><ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Beyoncé's musical break lasted nine months and saw her visit multiple European cities, the Great Wall of China, the Egyptian pyramids, Australia, English music festivals and various museums and ballet performances.<ref name="hiatus" /><ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref> "Eat, Play, Love", a cover story written by Beyoncé for Essence that detailed her 2010 career break, won her a writing award from the New York Association of Black Journalists.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Around this time, Beyoncé miscarried, describing it as "the saddest thing" she had ever endured.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She returned to the studio and wrote music to cope with the loss.<ref name="Loss"/>

The upper body of a woman is shown as she sings into a microphone

Beyoncé's performing during her 4 Intimate Nights with Beyoncé concert residency in August 2011

In April 2011, Beyoncé and Jay-Z traveled to Paris to shoot the album cover for her upcoming studio album, where she unexpectedly became pregnant.<ref name="Loss">Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> On June 26, 2011, she became the first solo female artist to headline the main Pyramid stage at the 2011 Glastonbury Festival in over twenty years.<ref>Template:Cite press releaseTemplate:Cbignore</ref><ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> The performance was lauded, with several publications noting an ascension in Knowles' capabilities as a live performer. Other publications discussed the polarized attitude of the UK music establishment in response to a Black woman performing on the same stages and to the same crowd sizes that were past reserved for legacy rock acts.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Her fourth studio album 4 was released two days prior in the U.S.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> 4 sold 310,000 copies in its first week and debuted atop the Billboard 200 chart, giving Beyoncé her fourth consecutive number-one album in the U.S. The album was preceded by two of its singles "Run the World (Girls)" and "Best Thing I Never Had".<ref name="beyoncehot100" /><ref name="UKChartHistory" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The fourth single "Love on Top" spent seven consecutive weeks at number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, while peaking at number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100, the highest peak from the album.<ref>"Love on Top":

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In August, Beyoncé and Jay-Z attended the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards, at which she performed "Love On Top" and ended the performance by revealing her pregnancy.<ref name="mtv2011">Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Her appearance helped that year's MTV Video Music Awards become the most-watched broadcast in MTV history, pulling in 12.4 million viewers;<ref name="Mitchell">Template:Cite news</ref> the announcement was listed in Guinness World Records for "most tweets per second recorded for a single event" on Twitter,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> receiving 8,868 tweets per second<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and "Beyonce pregnant" was the most Googled phrase the week of August 29, 2011.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In late 2011, she took the stage at New York's Roseland Ballroom for four nights of special performances:<ref name="beyonceonline1">Template:Cite web</ref> the 4 Intimate Nights with Beyoncé concerts saw the performance of her 4 album to a standing room only.<ref name="beyonceonline1" /> On August 1, 2011, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), having shipped 1 million copies to retail stores.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> By December 2015, it reached sales of 1.5 million copies in the U.S.<ref name="4 US Sales">Template:Cite web</ref> The album reached one billion Spotify streams on February 5, 2018, making Beyoncé the first female artist to have three of their albums surpass one billion streams on the platform.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> On January 7, 2012, Beyoncé gave birth to a daughter, Blue Ivy, at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.<ref name=BlueBirth>Template:Cite news</ref> In June 2012, she performed for four nights at Revel Atlantic City's Ovation Hall to celebrate the resort's opening, her first performances since giving birth to her daughter.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

2013–2014: Beyoncé

File:The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour London (1).jpg

Beyoncé performing at the Mrs. Carter Show World Tour in 2014

In January 2013, Beyoncé performed the American national anthem singing along with a pre-recorded track at President Obama's second inauguration in Washington, D.C.<ref name="secondinauguration">Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The following month, Beyoncé performed at the Super Bowl XLVII halftime show, held at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans.<ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref> The performance stands as the second most tweeted about moment in history at 268,000 tweets per minute.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Her feature-length documentary film, Life Is But a Dream, first aired on HBO on February 16, 2013.<ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref> The film was co-directed by Beyoncé herself.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

Beyoncé embarked on The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour on April 15 in Belgrade, Serbia; the tour included 132 dates that ran through to March 2014. It became the one of the most successful tours of her career.<ref name="v541">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="y132">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="n111">Template:Cite web</ref> In May, Beyoncé's cover of Amy Winehouse's "Back to Black" with André 3000 on The Great Gatsby soundtrack was released.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Beyoncé voiced Queen Tara in the 3D CGI animated film, Epic, released by 20th Century Fox on May 24,<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> and recorded an original song for the film, "Rise Up", co-written with Sia.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On December 13, 2013, Beyoncé unexpectedly released her eponymous fifth studio album on the iTunes Store without any prior announcement or promotion. The album debuted atop the Billboard 200 chart, giving Beyoncé her fifth consecutive number-one album in the U.S.<ref name=applePR>Template:Cite web</ref> This made her the first woman in the chart's history to have her first five studio albums debut at number one.<ref name="5th Album Billboard Debut">Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Beyoncé received critical acclaim<ref name=sisario>Template:Cite news</ref> and commercial success, selling one million digital copies worldwide in six days;<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Musically an electro-R&B album, it concerns darker themes previously unexplored in her work, such as "bulimia, postnatal depression [and] the fears and insecurities of marriage and motherhood".<ref name="NME">Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref> The single "Drunk in Love", featuring Jay-Z, peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.<ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), Beyoncé sold 2.3 million units worldwide, becoming the tenth best-selling album of 2013.<ref name="ifpi2013">Template:Cite web</ref> The album also went on to become the twentieth best-selling album of 2014.<ref name="ifpi2014">Template:Cite web</ref> Template:As of, Beyoncé has sold over 5 million copies worldwide and has generated over 1 billion streams, Template:As of.<ref name="streams">Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> At the 57th Annual Grammy Awards in February 2015, Beyoncé was nominated for six awards, ultimately winning three: Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Song for "Drunk in Love", and Best Surround Sound Album for Beyoncé.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref><ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

In April 2014, Beyoncé and Jay-Z officially announced their On the Run Tour. It served as the couple's first co-headlining stadium tour together.<ref name="joint tour">Template:Cite press releaseTemplate:Cbignore</ref> On August 24, 2014, she received the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards. Beyoncé also won home three competitive awards: Best Video with a Social Message and Best Cinematography for "Pretty Hurts", as well as best collaboration for "Drunk in Love".<ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref> In November, Forbes reported that Beyoncé was the top-earning woman in music for the second year in a row – earning $115 million in the year, more than double her earnings in 2013.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

2015–2017: Lemonade

Beyoncé released "Formation" in on February 6, 2016, and performed it live for the first time during the NFL Super Bowl 50 halftime show. The appearance was considered controversial as it appeared to reference the 50th anniversary of the Black Panther Party and the NFL forbids political statements in its performances.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref><ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref><ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Immediately following the performance, Beyoncé announced The Formation World Tour, which highlighted stops in both North America and Europe.<ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref><ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> It marked the first ever all-stadium tour by a female artist and ended on October 7, with Beyoncé bringing out her husband Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar, and Serena Williams for the last show.<ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref> The tour went on to win Tour of the Year at the 44th American Music Awards.<ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

File:FWT10.jpg

Beyoncé performing during The Formation World Tour in 2016. The tour grossed $256 million from 49 sold-out shows.

In April 2016, Beyoncé released a teaser clip for a project called Lemonade. A one-hour film which aired on HBO on April 23, a corresponding album with the same title was released on the same day exclusively on Tidal.<ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Lemonade debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200, making Beyoncé the first act in Billboard history to have their first six studio albums debut atop the chart; she broke a record previously tied with DMX in 2013.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> With all 12 tracks of Lemonade debuting on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, Beyoncé also became the first female act to chart 12 or more songs at the same time.<ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Lemonade was streamed 115 million times through Tidal, setting a record for the most-streamed album in a single week by a female artist in history.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> It was 2016's third highest-selling album in the U.S. with 1.554 million copies sold in that time period within the country<ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref> as well as the best-selling album worldwide with global sales of 2.5 million throughout the year.<ref name=":0">Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

Lemonade became the most critically acclaimed work of her career.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Several music publications included the album among the best of 2016, including Rolling Stone, which listed Lemonade at number one.<ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref> The album's visuals were nominated in 11 categories at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards, the most ever received by Beyoncé in a single year, and went on to win 8 awards, including Video of the Year for "Formation".<ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref> The eight wins made Beyoncé the most-awarded artist in the history of the VMAs (24), surpassing Madonna (20).<ref name="VMAS Record">Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Beyoncé occupied the sixth place for Time magazine's 2016 Person of the Year.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

In January 2017, it was announced that Beyoncé would headline the Coachella Music and Arts Festival. This would have made Beyoncé only the second female headliner of the festival since it was founded in 1999.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> It was later announced on February 23, 2017, that Beyoncé would no longer be able to perform at the festival due to doctor's concerns regarding her pregnancy. The festival owners announced that she would instead headline the 2018 festival.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Upon the announcement of Beyoncé's departure from the festival lineup, ticket prices dropped by 12%.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> At the 59th Grammy Awards in February 2017, Lemonade led the nominations with nine, including Album, Record, and Song of the Year for Lemonade and "Formation" respectively,<ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref> ultimately winning two, Best Urban Contemporary Album for Lemonade and Best Music Video for "Formation".<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

On February 1, 2017, Beyoncé revealed on her Instagram account that she was expecting twins. Her announcement gained over 6.3 million likes within eight hours, breaking the world record for the most liked image on the website at the time.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On July 13, 2017, Beyoncé uploaded the first image of herself and the twins onto her Instagram account, confirming their birth date as a month prior, on June 13, 2017,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> with the post becoming the second most liked on Instagram, behind her own pregnancy announcement.<ref name="n361">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="x092">Template:Cite web</ref> The twins, a daughter named Rumi and a son named Sir, were born at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in California via caesarean section.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In late 2017, Beyoncé featured on Eminem's "Walk on Water"—the lead single from his album Revival—and remix to Ed Sheeran's song "Perfect".<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> "Perfect Duet" reached number-one in the United States, becoming Beyoncé's sixth song of her solo career to do so.<ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

2018–2021: Everything Is Love and The Lion King

On January 4, 2018, the music video of Beyoncé and Jay-Z's 4:44 collaboration, "Family Feud" was released.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> It was directed by Ava DuVernay. On March 1, 2018, DJ Khaled released "Top Off" as the first single from his forthcoming album Father of Asahd featuring Beyoncé, husband Jay-Z, and Future.<ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref> On April 14, 2018, Beyoncé played the first of two weekends as the headlining act of the Coachella Music Festival. Her performance of April 14, attended by 125,000 festival-goers, was immediately praised, with multiple media outlets describing it as historic. It was also named one of the greatest concert performances of all time.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The performance became the most-tweeted-about performance of weekend one, as well as the most-watched live Coachella performance and the most-watched live performance on YouTube of all time. The show paid tribute to black culture, specifically historically black colleges and universities and featured a live band with over 100 dancers. Destiny's Child also reunited during the show.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Its livestream on YouTube was the most watched of all time.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On June 6, 2018, Beyoncé and husband Jay-Z kicked-off the On the Run II Tour in Cardiff, United Kingdom. Ten days later, at their final London performance, the pair unveiled Everything Is Love, their joint studio album, credited under the name The Carters, and initially available exclusively on Tidal. Its only single, "Apeshit", peaked at number 13 in the U.S.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Everything Is Love received generally positive reviews,<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> and debuted at number two on the U.S. Billboard 200, with 123,000 album-equivalent units, of which 70,000 were pure album sales.<ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref> On December 2, 2018, Beyoncé and Jay-Z headlined the Global Citizen Festival: Mandela 100 at FNB Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé, a documentary and concert film focusing on Beyoncé's historic 2018 Coachella performances, was released by Netflix on April 17, 2019,<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref><ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> accompanied by a surprise live album.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> It was later reported that Beyoncé and Netflix had signed a $60 million deal to produce three different projects, one of which is Homecoming.<ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref> The film received six nominations at the 71st Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards.<ref name=LATimes_20190716>Template:Cite news</ref>

File:Beyoncé at The Lion King European Premiere 2019.png

Beyoncé at The Lion King European premiere in 2019

Beyoncé starred as the voice of Nala in the remake The Lion King, which was released in July 2019.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Beyoncé is featured on the film's soundtrack, released on July 11, 2019, with a remake of the song "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" alongside Donald Glover, Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen, which was originally composed by Elton John.<ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref> An original song from the film by Beyoncé, "Spirit", was released as the lead single from both the soundtrack and The Lion King: The Gift – a companion album released alongside the film, produced and curated by Beyoncé.<ref name="TheGift">Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref><ref name="JohnRiceBeyoncé">Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> The album, influenced by R&B, pop, hip hop, gqom and Afro Beat,<ref name="TheGift" /><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> were produced by African producers, which Beyoncé said was because "authenticity and heart were important to [her]", since the film is set in Africa.<ref name="TheGift" /> In September of the same year, a documentary chronicling the development, production and early music video filming of The Lion King: The Gift entitled "Beyoncé Presents: Making The Gift" was aired on ABC.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

In April 2020, Beyoncé was featured on the remix of Megan Thee Stallion's song "Savage", marking her first music release for the year.<ref name="RapUpRemix">Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref> The song peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, marking Beyoncé's eleventh song to do so across all acts.<ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref> On June 19, 2020, Beyoncé released the nonprofit charity single "Black Parade".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> On June 23, she followed up the release of its studio version with an a cappella version exclusively on Tidal.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Black Is King, a visual album based on the music of The Lion King: The Gift, premiered globally on Disney+ on July 31, 2020. Produced by Disney and Parkwood Entertainment, the film was written, directed and executively produced by Beyoncé. The film was described by Disney as "a celebratory memoir for the world on the Black experience".<ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Beyoncé received the most nominations (9) at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards and the most awards (4), which made her the most-awarded singer, most-awarded female artist, and second-most-awarded artist in Grammy history.<ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref> In 2021, Beyoncé wrote and recorded a song titled "Be Alive" for the biographical drama film King Richard.<ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref> She received her first Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song at the 94th Academy Awards for the song, alongside co-writer Dixson.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

2022–present: Renaissance and Cowboy Carter

File:Beyoncé - Tottenham Hotspur Stadium - 1st June 2023 (47 of 118) (52946286530) (cropped).jpg

Beyoncé performing at the Renaissance World Tour in 2023

On March 27, 2022, Beyoncé performed "Be Alive" at the 94th Academy Awards. Choreographed by friend and past collaborator Fatima Robinson, Beyoncé was applauded for choosing to perform on the Compton tennis courts Venus and Serena Williams practiced on in their childhood instead of at the venue.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On June 9, 2022, Beyoncé removed her profile pictures across various social media platforms, causing speculation that she would be releasing new music.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Days later, Beyoncé caused further speculation via her nonprofit BeyGood's Twitter account hinting at her upcoming seventh studio album.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> On June 15, 2022, Beyoncé officially announced her seventh studio album, titled Renaissance.<ref name="rol">Template:Cite magazine</ref> The lead single of Renaissance, "Break My Soul", was released on June 20, 2022.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The album was released on July 29, 2022.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> "Break My Soul" became Beyoncé's 20th top ten single on the Billboard Hot 100, which made her join Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson as the only artists in Hot 100 history to achieve at least twenty top tens as a solo artist and ten as a member of a group.<ref name="Billboard July 5">Template:Cite magazine</ref>

As Renaissance was released, Beyoncé announced that the album was the first installment of a trilogy she conceived and recorded over three years during the COVID-19 pandemic, a time she found to be her "most creative [period]."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="rol" /> The three recorded projects are designated into acts under Roman numerals.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Upon release, Renaissance received universal acclaim from critics.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Renaissance debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, making her the first female artist to have her first seven studio albums debut at number one in the United States.<ref name="billboard.com">Template:Cite magazine</ref> "Break My Soul" concurrently rose to number-one on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the twelfth song to do so across her career discography.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

On January 21, 2023, Beyoncé performed in Dubai at a private show.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The performance, which was her first full concert in more than four years, was delivered to an audience of influencers and journalists.<ref name=":3">Template:Cite web</ref> Beyoncé was reportedly paid $24 million to perform.<ref name="rollingstone.co.uk">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Beyoncé faced criticism for her decision to perform in the United Arab Emirates where homosexuality is illegal.<ref name="rollingstone.co.uk" /><ref name=":3" /><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On February 1, Beyoncé announced the Renaissance World Tour with dates in North America and Europe,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> which would become for a short-span the highest-grossing tour by a female artist.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Her feature on rapper Travis Scott's "Delresto (Echoes)" became her 100th career appearance on the Billboard Hot 100 chart—including Destiny's Child, her solo career, and the Carters.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> On November 30, 2023, Beyoncé released documentary concert film Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé written, directed, and produced by her in collaboration with film distributor AMC Theatres. The film chronicles the development and execution of Beyoncé's Renaissance World Tour, and contained new song "My House" in the end credits.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

On February 11, 2024, immediately following a partner commercial with Verizon for the Super Bowl LVIII, she announced the second installment of her trilogy project and released its first two songs, "Texas Hold 'Em" and "16 Carriages".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> "Texas Hold 'Em" became her highest chart debut in her career, her ninth solo number-one and her thirteenth across all credits on the Billboard Hot 100. On March 12, 2024, she announced the album's title, Cowboy Carter.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> A country and gospel-tinged record, it was released on March 29 to universal acclaim from critics, and includes collaborations with artists including Tanner Adell and her daughter Rumi Carter, Miley Cyrus, Tiera Kennedy, Willie Jones, Post Malone, Linda Martell, Willie Nelson, Shaboozey, Brittney Spencer, Dolly Parton, and Reyna Roberts.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

In July 2024, NBC released two promotional commercials featuring Beyoncé for their coverage of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Set to Cowboy Carter songs "Ya Ya" and "Just For Fun", she introduced the entire USA Olympic Team and Gold-medal gymnast Simone Biles, respectively.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> On August 20, Beyoncé announced SirDavis, a whiskey in collaboration with Moët Hennessy developed for years prior and co-founded with master distiller Dr. Bill Lumsden.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In October 2024, Levi's launched a four-part global campaign with Beyoncé titled "Reiimagine" that stretched into 2025 and focused on women's history of the company, using the Cowboy Carter track "Levii's Jeans".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The first commercial starring Beyoncé amassed 2.4 billion impressions in under a month.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Beyoncé reprised her role as Nala for Mufasa: The Lion King, a prequel to the 2019 remake, released in December 2024.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She headlined the first ever NFL Christmas Gameday Halftime Show that month, performing songs from Cowboy Carter for the first time.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Cowboy Carter Tour was announced on February 1, 2025.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> At the 67th Annual Grammy Awards, Beyoncé became the first Black artist in 50 years, since Charley Pride and the Pointer Sisters, to win an award in the country music categories.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She became the first Black artist ever to win the Grammy Award for Best Country Album.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Additionally, she won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year, becoming the first Black woman to do so since Lauryn Hill won for The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill in 1999.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Artistry

Voice and musical style

Critics have described Beyoncé's voice as being mezzo-soprano.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Jody Rosen highlights her tone and timbre as particularly distinctive, describing her voice as "one of the most compelling instruments in popular music".<ref name=rosen2014>Template:Cite news</ref> Her vocal abilities mean she is identified as the centerpiece of Destiny's Child.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Jon Pareles of The New York Times commented that her voice is "velvety yet tart, with an insistent flutter and reserves of soul belting".<ref name="Pareles">Template:Cite news</ref> Rosen notes that the hip hop era highly influenced Beyoncé's unique rhythmic vocal style, but also finds her quite traditionalist in her use of balladry, gospel and falsetto.<ref name="rosen2014" />

Other critics praise her range and power, with Chris Richards of The Washington Post saying she was "capable of punctuating any beat with goose-bump-inducing whispers or full-bore diva-roars."<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> On the 2023 Rolling StoneTemplate:'s list of the 200 Greatest Singers of all time, Beyoncé ranked at number eight, with the publication noting that "in [her] voice lies the entire history of Black music".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Beyoncé's music is generally R&B,<ref name="AllMusic12">Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref><ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> pop<ref name="AllMusic12" /><ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> and hip hop<ref name="JayZ&BeyonceTheKing&QueenofHipHop">Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref> but she also incorporates soul and funk into her songs. 4 demonstrated Beyoncé's exploration of 1990s-style R&B, as well as further use of soul and hip hop than compared to previous releases.<ref name="billboard q&a" /> While she almost exclusively releases English songs, Beyoncé recorded several Spanish songs for Irreemplazable (re-recordings of songs from B'Day for a Spanish-language audience), and the re-release of B'Day. To record these, Beyoncé was coached phonetically by American record producer Rudy Perez.<ref name="Vineyard1">Template:Cite news</ref>

Songwriting

Beyoncé has received co-writing credits for most of her songs.<ref name="Fallon">Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Her early songs with Destiny's Child were personally driven and female-empowerment themed compositions like "Independent Women" and "Survivor", but after the start of her relationship with Jay-Z, she transitioned to more man-tending anthems such as "Cater 2 U".<ref name="Vineyard">Template:Cite news</ref> Beyoncé's songwriting process is also known for combining parts of different tracks, resulting in alteration of song structures. Sia, who co-wrote "Pretty Hurts", called Beyoncé "very Frankenstein when she comes to songs";<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Diana Gordon, who co-wrote "Don't Hurt Yourself" called her a "scientist of songs";<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Caroline Polachek who co-wrote "No Angel", called her a "genius writer and producer for this reason. She's so good at seeing connections."<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

In 2001, she became the first Black woman and second female lyricist to win the Pop Songwriter of the Year award at the ASCAP Pop Music Awards.<ref name="FOX">Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="CBS">Template:Cite news</ref> Beyoncé was the third woman to have writing credits on three number-one songs ("Irreplaceable", "Grillz" and "Check on It") in the same year, after Carole King in 1971 and Mariah Carey in 1991. She is tied with American lyricist Diane Warren at third with nine songwriting credits on number-one singles.<ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref> The latter wrote her song "I Was Here" for 4, which was motivated by the September 11 attacks.<ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref> In May 2011, Billboard magazine listed Beyoncé at number 17 on their list of the Top 20 Hot 100 Songwriters for having co-written eight singles that hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. She was one of only three women on that list, along with Alicia Keys and Taylor Swift.<ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

Beyoncé has received criticism, including from journalists and musicians, for the extensive writing credits on her songs.<ref name="Fallon"/> The controversy surrounding her songwriting credits began with interviews in which she attributed herself as the songwriter for songs in which she was a co-writer<ref name="Kritselis"/> or for which her contributions were marginal.<ref name="Fallon"/> In a cover story for Vanity Fair in 2005, she claimed to have "written" several number-one songs for Destiny's Child, contrary to the credits, which list her as a co-writer among others.<ref name="Kritselis">Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> During a 2007 interview with Barbara Walters, she claimed to have conceived the musical idea for the Destiny's Child song "Bootylicious",<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> which provoked the song's producer Rob Fusari to call her father and then-manager Mathew Knowles in protest over the claim. In 2010, Fusari told Billboard: "[Knowles] explained to me, in a nice way, he said, 'People don't want to hear about Rob Fusari, producer from Livingston, N.J. No offense, but that's not what sells records. What sells records is people believing that the artist is everything.Template:' "<ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref> However, in an interview for Entertainment Weekly in 2016, Fusari said Beyoncé "had the 'Bootylicious' concept in her head. That was totally her. She knew what she wanted to say. It was very urban pop angle that they were taking on the record."<ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

Influences

Template:Multiple image Beyoncé names Michael Jackson as her major musical influence.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Aged five, Beyoncé attended her first ever concert where Jackson performed and she claims to have realized her purpose.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> When she presented him with a tribute award at the World Music Awards in 2006, Beyoncé said, "if it wasn't for Michael Jackson, I would never ever have performed."<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Beyoncé was heavily influenced by Tina Turner, and once said "Tina Turner is someone that I admire, because she made her strength feminine and sexy".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

She admires Diana Ross as an "all-around entertainer",<ref name="Beyonce's Inspirations">Template:Cite magazine</ref> and Whitney Houston, who she said "inspired me to get up there and do what she did".<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Beyoncé cited Madonna as an influence "not only for her musical style, but also for her business sense",<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> saying that she wanted to "follow in the footsteps of Madonna and be a powerhouse and have my own empire".<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> She also credits Mariah Carey's singing and her song "Vision of Love" as influencing her to begin practicing vocal runs as a child.<ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref><ref name="new yorker">Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Her other musical influences include Rachelle Ferrell,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Aaliyah,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Janet Jackson,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Prince,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Lauryn Hill,<ref name="Beyonce's Inspirations" /> Sade Adu,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Donna Summer,<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Fairuz,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Mary J. Blige,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Selena,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Anita Baker, and Toni Braxton.<ref name="Beyonce's Inspirations" />

The feminism and female empowerment themes on Beyoncé's second solo album B'Day were inspired by her role in Dreamgirls<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and by singer Josephine Baker.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Beyoncé paid homage to Baker by performing "Déjà Vu" at the 2006 Fashion Rocks concert wearing Baker's trademark mini-hula skirt embellished with fake bananas.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Beyoncé's third solo album, I Am... Sasha Fierce, was inspired by Jay-Z and especially by Etta James, whose "boldness" inspired Beyoncé to explore other musical genres and styles.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Her fourth solo album, 4, was inspired by Fela Kuti, 1990s R&B, Earth, Wind & Fire, DeBarge, Lionel Richie, Teena Marie, The Jackson 5, New Edition, Adele, Florence and the Machine, and Prince.<ref name="billboard q&a" />

Beyoncé has stated that she is personally inspired by Michelle Obama (the 44th First Lady of the United States), saying "she proves you can do it all",<ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref> and has described Oprah Winfrey as "the definition of inspiration and a strong woman".<ref name="Beyonce's Inspirations" /> She has also discussed how Jay-Z is a continuing inspiration to her, both with what she describes as his lyrical genius and in the obstacles he has overcome in his life.<ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Beyoncé has expressed admiration for the artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, posting in a letter "what I find in the work of Jean-Michel Basquiat, I search for in every day in music ... he is lyrical and raw".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Beyoncé has also cited Cher as a fashion inspiration.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Videography and stage

File:Beyonce MTV EMA 2009.png

Beyoncé performing at the 2009 MTV Europe Music Awards

In 2006, Beyoncé introduced her all-female tour band Suga Mama (also the name of a song on B'Day) which includes bassists, drummers, guitarists, horn players, keyboardists and percussionists.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Her background singers, The Mamas, consist of Montina Cooper-Donnell, Crystal Collins and Tiffany Moniqué Riddick. They made their debut appearance at the 2006 BET Awards, re-appeared in the music videos for "Irreplaceable" and "Green Light", and have since supported Beyoncé in may of her subsequent live performances.<ref name="Vineyard1" />

Beyoncé has received praise for her stage presence and voice during live performances. According to Barbara Ellen of The Guardian, Beyoncé is the "most in-chargeTemplate:Nbsp[...] female artist [she's] seen onstage".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Similarly, Alice Jones of The Independent wrote she "takes her role as entertainer so seriously she's almost too good".<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The ex-President of Def Jam L.A. Reid has described Beyoncé as the greatest entertainer alive.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Jim Farber of the Daily News and Stephanie Classen of The StarPhoenix both praised her strong voice and her stage presence.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news Template:Dead linkTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

Beyoncé has worked with numerous directors for her music videos throughout her career, including Melina Matsoukas, Jonas Åkerlund, and Jake Nava. Bill Condon, director of Beauty and the Beast, stated that the Lemonade visuals in particular served as inspiration for his film, commenting, "You look at Beyoncé's brilliant movie Lemonade, this genre is taking on so many different forms ... I do think that this very old-school break-out-into-song traditional musical is something that people understand again and really want."<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

Alter ego

Described as being "sexy, seductive and provocative" when performing on stage, Beyoncé has said that she originally created the alter ego "Sasha Fierce" to keep that stage persona separate from who she really is. She described Sasha Fierce as being "too aggressive, too strong, too sassy [and] too sexy", stating, "I'm not like her in real life at all."<ref name="Depression">Template:Cite news</ref> Sasha was conceived during the making of "Crazy in Love", and Beyoncé introduced her with the release of her 2008 album, I Am... Sasha Fierce. In February 2010, she announced in an interview with Allure magazine that she was comfortable enough with herself to no longer need Sasha Fierce.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> However, Beyoncé announced in May 2012 that she would bring her back for her Revel Presents: Beyoncé Live shows later that month.<ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

Public image

A woman waves to the crowd on a red-carpet

Beyoncé at the premiere of her 2006 film Dreamgirls

Beyoncé has been described as having sex appeal, with music journalist Touré writing that since the release of Dangerously in Love, she has "become a crossover sex symbol".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> When off stage, Beyoncé says that while she likes to dress sexily, her onstage dress "is absolutely for the stage".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Due to her curves and the term's catchiness, in the 2000s, the media often used the term "bootylicious" (a portmanteau of the words "booty" and "delicious") to describe Beyoncé,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> the term popularized by the single of the same name by her group Destiny's Child. In 2006, it was added to the Oxford English Dictionary.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Beyoncé has been nicknamed "Queen Bey" by publications over the years. The term is a reference to the common phrase "queen bee", a term used for the leader of a group of females. The nickname also refers to the Queen bee of a beehive, with her fan base being named "BeyHive". BeyHive was previously titled "The Beyontourage", (a portmanteau of Beyoncé and entourage), but was changed after online petitions on Twitter and online news reports during competitions.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2013, 2014, and 2023.<ref name="w144">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="t616">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="i114">Template:Cite web</ref>

In September 2010, Beyoncé made her runway modelling debut at Tom Ford's Spring/Summer 2011 fashion show.<ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref> She was named the "World's Most Beautiful Woman" by People<ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref> and the "Hottest Female Singer of All Time" by Complex in 2012.<ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref> In January 2013, GQ placed her on its cover, featuring her atop its "100 Sexiest Women of the 21st Century" list.<ref name="GQstory">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref> VH1 listed her at number 1 on its 100 Sexiest Artists list.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Several wax figures of Beyoncé are found at Madame Tussauds Wax Museums in major cities around the world.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

According to Italian fashion designer Roberto Cavalli, Beyoncé uses different fashion styles to work with her music while performing.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Her mother co-wrote a book, published in 2002, titled Destiny's Style,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> an account of how fashion affected the trio's success.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The B'Day Anthology Video Album showed many instances of fashion-oriented footage, depicting classic to contemporary wardrobe styles.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2007, Beyoncé was featured on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, becoming the second African American woman after model and television personality Tyra Banks,<ref name="People2">Template:Cite magazine</ref> and People magazine recognized Beyoncé as the best-dressed celebrity.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Other ventures

Politics

Beyoncé performed "America the Beautiful" at President Barack Obama's 2009 presidential inauguration, as well as "At Last" during the first inaugural dance at the Neighborhood Ball two days later.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> The couple held a fundraiser at Jay-Z's 40/40 Club in Manhattan for President Obama's 2012 presidential campaign<ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref> which raised $4 million.<ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Beyoncé voted for Obama in the 2012 presidential election.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> She performed the American national anthem "The Star-Spangled Banner" at his second inauguration in January 2013.<ref name="secondinauguration" />

In May 2015, Beyoncé attended a celebrity fundraiser for 2016 presidential nominee Hillary Clinton<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and headlined in a concert for Clinton the weekend before the election.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> She endorsed the bid of Beto O'Rourke during the 2018 United States Senate election in Texas.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> In July 2024, Beyoncé gave Vice President Kamala Harris permission to use Lemonade promotional single "Freedom" as the official song for her 2024 presidential campaign.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Harris subsequently launched a digital ad in support of her candidacy featuring the song.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In October 2024, Beyoncé, alongside her mother Tina and Kelly Rowland endorsed Harris for president at a campaign rally in her hometown of Houston.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Activism

A woman performing using a microphone

Beyoncé has conducted several fundraising and donation campaigns during her tours.

In a 2013 interview with Vogue, Beyoncé stated that she considered herself to be "a modern-day feminist".<ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref> She sampled "We should all be feminists", a speech delivered by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, in her 2013 song "Flawless".<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Her performance at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards featured a giant backdrop reading "Feminist".<ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Beyoncé's self-identification incited a circulation of opinions and debate about whether her feminism is aligned with older, more established feminist ideals. Annie Lennox referred to her use of the word feminist as "feminist lite".<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref>

In December 2012, Beyoncé along with a variety of other celebrities teamed up and produced a video campaign for "Demand A Plan", a bipartisan effort by a group of 950 U.S. mayors and others<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> designed to influence the federal government into rethinking its gun control laws, following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Beyoncé publicly endorsed same-sex marriage on March 26, 2013, after the Supreme Court debate on California's Proposition 8.<ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref> She spoke against North Carolina's Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act, a bill passed (and later repealed) that discriminated against the LGBT community in public places in a statement during her concert in Raleigh as part of the Formation World Tour in 2016.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In February 2017, Beyoncé expressed her support for transgender youth following the withdrawal of protections for transgender students in public schools by Donald Trump's presidential administration.<ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

Beyoncé has also condemned police brutality against Black Americans. She and Jay-Z attended a rally in 2013 in response to the acquittal of George Zimmerman for the killing of Trayvon Martin.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> The music video for her song "Freedom" featured the mothers of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown and Eric Garner, holding pictures of their sons.<ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref> In a 2016 interview with Elle, Beyoncé responded to the controversy surrounding her song "Formation", which was perceived to be critical of the police. She clarified, "I am against police brutality and injustice. Those are two separate things. If celebrating my roots and culture during Black History Month made anyone uncomfortable, those feelings were there long before a video and long before me".<ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref> She performed "Formation" at the 2016 Super Bowl halftime show with backup dancers dressed to represent the Black Panther Party, ensuing criticism from conservative politicians and police officers.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Beyoncé responded to the backlash by releasing tour merchandise that said "Boycott Beyoncé".<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Philanthropy

Template:See also In 2002, Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland and Tina Knowles built the Knowles-Rowland Center for Youth, a community center in Downtown Houston. After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Beyoncé and Rowland founded the Survivor Foundation to provide transitional housing to displaced families and provide means for new building construction, to which Beyoncé contributed an initial $250,000.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The foundation has since expanded to work with other charities in the city,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and also provided relief following Hurricane Ike three years later.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Beyoncé also donated $100,000 to the Gulf Coast Ike Relief Fund.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> In 2007, Beyoncé founded the Knowles-Temenos Place Apartments, a housing complex offering living space for 43 displaced individuals. As of 2016, Beyoncé had donated $7 million for the maintenance of the complex.<ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

A woman is surrounded by several others, all behind a piece of white tape

Beyoncé (center) and her mother, Tina, (left) at the opening of the Beyoncé Cosmetology Center on March 5, 2010

After starring in Cadillac Records in 2009 and learning about Phoenix House, a non-profit drug and alcohol rehabilitation organization, Beyoncé donated her full $4 million salary from the film to the organization.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Beyoncé and her mother Tina opened the Beyoncé Cosmetology Center at the Brooklyn Phoenix House, offering a seven-month cosmetology training course for men and women.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> In April 2011, Beyoncé joined forces with U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama and the National Association of Broadcasters Education Foundation, to help boost the latter's campaign against child obesity<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> by reworking her single "Get Me Bodied".<ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Beyoncé became an ambassador for the 2012 World Humanitarian Day campaign.<ref name="WHD2012">Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In 2013, it was announced that Beyoncé would work with Salma Hayek and Frida Giannini on a Gucci "Chime for Change" campaign that aims to spread female empowerment.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> With help of the crowdfunding platform Catapult, visitors of a concert promoting the cause could choose between several projects supporting the education of women and girls.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Beyoncé and Jay-Z secretly donated tens of thousands of dollars to bail out Black Lives Matter protesters in Baltimore and Ferguson, as well as funded infrastructure for the establishment of Black Lives Matter chapters across the U.S.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Before Beyoncé's Formation World Tour show in Tampa, her team held a private luncheon for more than 20 community leaders to discuss how Beyoncé could support local charitable initiatives, including pledging on the spot to fund 10 scholarships to provide students with financial aid.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> In June 2016, Beyoncé donated over $82,000 to the United Way of Genesee County to support victims of the Flint water crisis. Beyoncé additionally donated money to support 14 students in Michigan with their college expenses.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> In August 2016, Beyoncé and Jay-Z donated $1.5 million to civil rights groups including Black Lives Matter, Hands Up United and Dream Defenders.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> After Hurricane Matthew, Beyoncé and Jay-Z donated $15 million to the Usain Bolt Foundation to support its efforts in rebuilding homes in Haiti.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

During Hurricane Harvey in August 2017, Beyoncé launched BeyGood Houston to support those affected by the hurricane in Houston. The organization donated necessities such as cots, blankets, pillows, baby products, feminine products and wheelchairs, and funded long-term revitalization projects.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> She additionally donated $75,000 worth of new mattresses to survivors of the hurricane.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Later that month, Beyoncé released a remix of J Balvin and Willy William's "Mi Gente", with all of her proceeds being donated to disaster relief charities in Puerto Rico, Mexico, the U.S. and the Caribbean after hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria, and the Chiapas and Puebla earthquakes.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

In April 2020, Beyoncé donated $6 million to the National Alliance in Mental Health, UCLA and local community-based organizations in order to provide mental health and personal wellness services to essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. BeyGood also teamed up with local organizations to help provide resources to communities of color, including food, water, cleaning supplies, medicines and face masks.<ref name="x242">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="o577">Template:Cite web</ref> The same month, Beyoncé released a remix of Megan Thee Stallion's "Savage", with all proceeds benefiting Bread of Life Houston's COVID-19 relief efforts, which includes providing over 14 tons of food and supplies to 500 families and 100 senior citizens in Houston weekly.<ref name="h781">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="c631">Template:Cite web</ref> In July, Beyoncé established the Black-Owned Small Business Impact Fund in partnership with the NAACP, which offered $10,000 grants to black-owned small businesses in need following the George Floyd protests.<ref name="p083">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="w856">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref name="s447">Template:Cite magazine</ref>

In October 2020, Beyoncé released a statement that she had been working with the Feminist Coalition to assist supporters of the End SARS movement in Nigeria, including covering medical costs for injured protestors, covering legal fees for arrested protestors, and providing food, emergency shelter, transportation and telecommunication means to those in need. Beyoncé also showed support for those fighting against other issues in Africa, such as the Anglophone Crisis in Cameroon, ShutItAllDown in Namibia, Zimbabwean Lives Matter in Zimbabwe and the Rape National Emergency in Liberia.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> In December 2020, Beyoncé donated $500,000 to help alleviate the housing crisis in the U.S. caused by the cessation of the eviction moratorium, giving 100 $5,000 grants to individuals and families facing foreclosures and evictions.<ref name=":2">Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

Wealth

Beyoncé is one of the wealthiest musical artists. By December 2023, Forbes estimated her net worth to be $800 million.<ref name=ForbesBey2>Template:Cite magazine</ref> The magazine named Beyoncé the annual highest-earning female musician in 2008,<ref name="Forb" /> 2010,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> 2014,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and 2017.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Forbes began reporting on her earnings in 2008, calculating that the $80 million earned between June 2007 to June 2008 made her the second highest-paid musician in 2008.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="Forb">Template:Cite magazine</ref> On the Forbes Celebrity 100 list, Beyoncé was placed fourth in 2008 and 2009,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> second in 2010,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> and fourth in 2013.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> She ranked at number one on the Celebrity 100 list in 2014, earning an estimated $115 million.<ref name=forbes14>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Billboard named Beyoncé the highest-paid musician of 2016, with estimated earnings of $62.1 million.<ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref> She was listed as the Forbes third highest-paid musician of the 2010s, earning $685 million.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

In 2012, Forbes placed Beyoncé and Jay-Z at number one on the "World's Highest-Paid Celebrity Couples" list, collectively earning $78 million.<ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref> The couple made it into the previous year's Guinness Book of World Records as the "highest-earning power couple" for collectively earning $122 million in 2009.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Beyoncé and Jay-Z also became the highest-paid celebrity couple in 2016, with combined earnings of $107.5 million.<ref name="2016-forbes">Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref> They officially became a billion-dollar couple in 2017, when Forbes estimated a combined net worth of $1.16 billion.<ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

Legacy

Beyoncé's silhouette is shown leaning back and singing into a microphone, surrounded by smoke

Beyoncé performing during her I Am... Tour in 2009

Beyoncé has been recognized as one of the most influential figures in music history by numerous publications, including Rolling Stone and the Associated Press.<ref name="Sourcesforinfluential"/> She was named Billboard's Greatest Pop Star of the 21st Century,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and topped NPR list of the "21st Century's Most Influential Women Musicians".<ref name="NPR">Template:Cite news</ref> She was repeatedly named the defining artist of both the 2000s decade<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the 2010s decade.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="EW">Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref> In The New Yorker, music critic Jody Rosen described Beyoncé as "the most important and compelling popular musician of the twenty-first century ... the result, the logical end point, of a century-plus of pop."<ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref> In 2018, Rolling Stone included her on its Millennial 100 list.<ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Several critics have listed some of her albums, singles, music videos, and live performances as some of the greatest of all time.<ref>Sources for Beyoncé's albums being the greatest in history:

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Beyoncé has revolutionized the music industry, transforming the production, distribution, promotion, and consumption of music.<ref name=":5">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Beyoncé has been credited with reviving the album format in an era dominated by singles and streaming, with albums becoming increasingly cohesive and narrative-led.<ref name="Low-Key2">Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> She revolutionized how music is released and marketed with the invention of the surprise album, which became a common practice in the 2010s and 2020s.<ref name="Five">Template:Cite web</ref> This move was "arguably the single most pivotal moment in all of 21st-century pop music" according to Billboard, with Beyoncé reorienting the music market to cohesive albums and unconventional promotional rollouts.<ref name=":5" /> She is also credited with reviving the music video as an art form and popularizing the visual album.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Her impact on the music industry led to the Global Release Day being moved to Friday.<ref name="Friday">Template:Cite web</ref>

Beyoncé's use of staccato rap-singing and chopped and re-pitched vocals have changed the sound of popular music and became defining features of the 21st-century music landscape.<ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref><ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref><ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> With her work frequently transcending traditional genre boundaries, Beyoncé has created new artistic standards that have shaped contemporary music and set the precedent for music artists to move between and beyond genre confines.<ref name="Change2">Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="Defined">Template:Cite web</ref> Beyoncé has helped to revive and popularize several genres of music, including hip-hop in the 2000s, R&B in the 2010s, Afrobeats in the late 2010s / early 2020s, and country music in the 2020s.<ref name=":5" /><ref name="Low-Key2"/><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Beyoncé has been recognized as setting the playbook for music artists in the modern era,<ref name="Change2"/> with several musicians citing her as a major influence on their career. Taylor Swift described Beyoncé's as a major influence and a "guiding light throughout my career", who has "paved the road" and shown how to "break rules and defy industry norms".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Lady Gaga explained how Beyoncé gave her the determination to become a musician, recalling seeing her in Destiny's Child music video and saying: "Oh, she's a star. I want that."<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Rihanna was inspired to start her singing career after watching Beyoncé, telling etalk that after Beyoncé released Dangerously In Love (2003), "I was like 'wow, I want to be just like that.' She's huge and just an inspiration."<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Dead link</ref> Ariana Grande learned to sing by mimicking other artists including Beyoncé.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Adele cited Beyoncé as "a huge and constant part of my life as an artist since I was about ten or eleven".<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Both Paul McCartney and Garth Brooks said they were inspired by Beyoncé's live performances, with Brooks saying, "take out your notebook and take notes. No matter how long you've been on the stage".<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

She is known for coining popular phrases such as "put a ring on it", a term for marriage proposal, "I woke up like this", which started a trend of posting morning selfies with the hashtag #iwokeuplikethis, and "boy, bye", which was used as part of the Democratic National Committee's campaign for the 2020 election.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In January 2012, research scientist Bryan Lessard named Scaptia beyonceae, a species of horse-fly found in Northern Queensland, Australia after Beyoncé due to the fly's unique golden hairs on its abdomen.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

Achievements

Template:See also Beyoncé has received numerous awards and is the most-awarded female artist of all time.<ref>Template:Cite episode</ref> Having sold over 200 million records worldwide (a further 60 million additionally with Destiny's Child), Beyoncé is one of the best-selling music artists of all time.<ref>She is one of the best-selling artists of all time:

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Beyoncé walking with a slight smile on her face

Beyoncé at the 2009 Academy Awards

Beyoncé has won 35 Grammy Awards—both as a solo artist and member of Destiny's Child and the Carters—making her the most honored individual by the award show.<ref name="s213">Template:Cite web</ref><ref name="GrammyTotal">Template:Cite web</ref> She is also the most nominated artist in Grammy Award history with a total of 99 nominations.<ref name="g408">Template:Cite magazine</ref> She set the record for the most Grammy awards won by a female artist in one night in 2010 when she won six awards, breaking the tie she previously held with Alicia Keys, Norah Jones, Alison Krauss, and Amy Winehouse, with Adele equaling this in 2012.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> At the 2011 Billboard Music Awards, Beyoncé received the inaugural Billboard Millennium Award.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Beyoncé has won 30 MTV Video Music Awards, making her the joint most-decorated artist in Video Music Award history.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> She won 26 awards as a solo artist, two awards each with The Carters and Destiny's Child.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> Beyoncé tied the record set by Lady Gaga in 2010 for the most VMAs won in one night for a female artist with eight in 2016.<ref name="VMAS Record" /> She is also the most-awarded and nominated artist in BET Award history,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> winning 36 awards (including two with Destiny's Child) from over 80 nominations,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> the most-awarded artist of the Soul Train Music Awards with 25 wins (21 as a soloist and four with Destiny's Child),<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and the most-decorated artist at the NAACP Image Awards with 27 wins as a solo artist and five with Destiny's Child.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Following her role in Dreamgirls, Beyoncé was nominated for Best Original Song for "Listen" and Best Actress at the Golden Globe Awards,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture at the NAACP Image Awards.<ref>Template:Cite press release</ref> Beyoncé won two awards at the Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards 2006; Best Song for "Listen" and Best Original Soundtrack for Dreamgirls: Music from the Motion Picture.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> The film Lemonade won a Peabody Award in 2017.<ref name="Entertainment Weekly">Template:Cite magazine</ref> In 2022, "Be Alive" was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song,<ref name="Oscar">Template:Cite web</ref> the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Song,<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> and the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

Business endeavors

In 2010, Beyoncé founded her own entertainment company Parkwood Entertainment which formed as an imprint based from Columbia Records. Originally launched in 2008 as a production unit,<ref name="Music World Ent">Template:Cite web</ref> it is headquartered in New York City and serves as an umbrella for Beyoncé's various brands in music, movies, videos, and fashion. Parkwood Entertainment's first production was the musical biopic Cadillac Records (2008), in which Beyoncé starred and co-produced.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> The company has distributed all of Beyoncé's albums since 4 (2011), including her self-titled fifth studio album (2013) and Lemonade (2016), as well as the Carters' Everything is Love (2018). Beyoncé has signed other artists to Parkwood such as Chloe x Halle, who performed at Super Bowl LIII in February 2019.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

In February 2024, Beyoncé launched Cécred, a hair care product line developed to fit different hair textures.<ref name="wwd.com">Template:Cite magazine</ref> Following its launch, she established an annual grant in collaboration with BeyGood. This is an effort to provide financial support to cosmetology students and professional hair stylists within the beauty industry.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> A yearly $500,000 is funding cosmetology school scholarships and salon business grants across five cities chosen for their large, diverse community of hair stylists: Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles and Clementon.Template:Efn<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Endorsements and partnerships

Beyoncé began working with Pepsi in 2002;<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> in 2004, she appeared in a Gladiator-themed commercial with Britney Spears, Pink, and Enrique Iglesias.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2012, Beyoncé signed a $50 million deal to endorse Pepsi.<ref name="pepsi2013">Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> The Center for Science in the Public Interest wrote her an open letter asking her to reconsider the deal due to the unhealthiness of the product and to donate the proceeds to a medical organization.<ref name="rumugam">Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Nevertheless, NetBase found that Beyoncé's campaign was the most discussed endorsement in April 2013, with a 70Template:Nbsppercent positive audience response to the commercial and print advertisements.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Beyoncé has also collaborated with Tommy Hilfiger for the fragrances True Star—for which she recorded a cover of "Wishing on a Star"<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>—and True Star Gold.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In 2007, she promoted Emporio Armani’s Diamonds fragrance.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Beyoncé launched her first official fragrance, Heat, in 2010, followed by Heat Rush in February 2011 and Pulse in September 2011.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref name="e311">Template:Cite web</ref>

The release of a video-game Starpower: Beyoncé was cancelled after she pulled out of a $100 million deal with GateFive who alleged the cancellation meant the sacking of 70 staff and millions of pounds lost in development.<ref name="GateFive">Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> It was settled out of court by her lawyers in June 2013 who said that they had cancelled because GateFive had lost its financial backers.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore Template:Dead link</ref> Beyoncé also has had deals with American Express,<ref name="Forb" /> Nintendo DS<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> and L'Oréal since the age of 18.<ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref> In March 2015, Beyoncé became a co-owner, with other artists, of the music streaming service Tidal. The service specializes in lossless audio and high definition music videos. Jay-Z acquired the parent company of Tidal, Aspiro, in early 2015.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Including Beyoncé and Jay-Z, sixteen artist stakeholders—including Kanye West and Nicki Minaj—co-own Tidal, with most owning a 3% equity stake.<ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

In November 2020, Beyoncé entered a multi-year partnership with the exercise equipment and media company Peloton. The collaboration was launched to celebrate homecoming season at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), offering themed workout experiences inspired by her film Homecoming (2019) and live album (2019), following the cancellation of 2020 homecoming events due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of the initiative, Beyoncé and Peloton provided free memberships to students at ten HBCUs, while Peloton pursued long-term recruitment partnerships with these institutions.<ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Upon news of the partnership, a decline in Peloton's shares reversed, and its shares rose by 8.6%.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

In 2021, Beyoncé and Jay-Z partnered with Tiffany & Co. for the company's "About Love" campaign. Beyoncé became the fourth woman, and first Black woman, to wear the 128.54-carat Tiffany Yellow Diamond.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> The campaign featured a robin egg blue painting by Jean-Michel Basquiat titled Equals Pi (1982).<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Both Beyoncé and the brand faced significant backlash for the campaign, as the Tiffany Yellow Diamond, which was discovered in the Kimberley diamond mines in South Africa in 1877, is classified as a blood diamond and viewed as a symbol of British colonialism over Africa.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref>

Fashion lines

Beyoncé and her mother introduced House of Deréon, a women's fashion line, in 2005.<ref name="BusWire" /> The concept is inspired by three generations of women in their family, with the name paying tribute to Beyoncé's grandmother, Agnèz Deréon, a respected seamstress.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref><ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> According to Tina, the overall style of the line best reflects her and Beyoncé's taste and style. Beyoncé and her mother founded their family's company Beyond Productions, which provides the licensing and brand management for House of Deréon, and its junior collection, Deréon.<ref name="BusWire">Template:Cite press release</ref> House of Deréon pieces were exhibited in Destiny's Child's shows and tours, during their Destiny Fulfilled era.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref><ref>Template:Cite news</ref> The collection features sportswear, denim offerings with fur, outerwear and accessories that include handbags and footwear, and are available at department and specialty stores across the U.S. and Canada.<ref name="BusWire" />

In 2005, Beyoncé teamed up with House of Brands, a shoe company, to produce a range of footwear for House of Deréon.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> In January 2008, Starwave Mobile launched Beyoncé Fashion Diva, a "high-style" mobile game with a social networking component, featuring the House of Deréon collection.<ref name="BusWire" /> In July 2009, Beyoncé and her mother launched a new junior apparel label, Sasha Fierce for Deréon, for back-to-school selling. The collection included sportswear, outerwear, handbags, footwear, eyewear, lingerie and jewelry.<ref name="Sasha Fierce clothing line">Template:Cite magazine</ref> It was available at department stores including Macy's and Dillard's, and specialty stores Jimmy Jazz and Against All Odds.<ref name="Sasha Fierce clothing line" />

In October 2014, Beyoncé signed a deal to launch an activewear line of clothing with British fashion retailer Topshop.<ref name="Time Alter">Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref><ref name="Forbes Adamczyk">Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> The 50–50 venture is called Ivy Park and was launched in April 2016. The brand's name is a nod to Beyoncé's daughter and her favorite number four (IV in Roman numerals), and also references the park where she used to run in Texas.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> She has since bought out Topshop owner Philip Green from his 50% share after he was alleged to have sexually harassed, bullied and racially abused employees.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> She now owns the brand herself.<ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref>

In April 2019, it was announced that Beyoncé would become a creative partner with Adidas, further develop her athletic brand Ivy Park with the company, and make new clothes and footwear. Shares for the company rose 1.3% upon the news release.<ref>Template:Cite newsTemplate:Cbignore</ref> They subsequently announced a launch date of January 2020.<ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref> Beyoncé uploaded a teaser on her website and Instagram.<ref>Template:Cite webTemplate:Cbignore</ref> The collection was previewed on the then-upcoming Elle January 2020 issue, in which Beyoncé is seen wearing several clothes from the first collection.<ref>Template:Cite magazineTemplate:Cbignore</ref> In February 2023, The Wall Street Journal reported that the line was struggling financially with revenue falling by more than 50% over the past fiscal year to $40 million; well short of the company's $250 million projected forecast.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> In March 2023, it was announced that Beyoncé and Adidas reached a mutual decision to end their partnership.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref><ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref>

In March 2023, Olivier Rousteing, the creative director of Balmain, announced that he and Beyoncé collaborated on a couture collection complete with sixteen looks corresponding to the sixteen tracks on her album Renaissance. This "Renaissance Couture" collection marked the first time that a Black woman oversaw the development of a collection from a Parisian couture house.<ref>Template:Cite magazine</ref> In September 2024, Beyoncé partnered with Levi Strauss & Co. to remake a classic '80s 'Launderette' campaign.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Michelle Gass, the CEO of Levis Strauss & Co., shared insights regarding the advantages of the company's collaboration with Beyoncé, emphasizing that the advertising campaign could significantly enhance sales in the women's clothing segment.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>

Discography

Template:Main Template:Col-begin Template:Col-2 Solo studio albums

• Dangerously in Love (2003)
• B'Day (2006)
• I Am... Sasha Fierce (2008)
• 4 (2011)
• Beyoncé (2013)
• Lemonade (2016)
• Renaissance (2022)
• Cowboy Carter (2024)

Template:Col-2 with Destiny's Child Template:Main

• Destiny's Child (1998)
• The Writing's on the Wall (1999)
• Survivor (2001)
• 8 Days of Christmas (2001)
• Destiny Fulfilled (2004)

with The Carters Template:Main

• Everything Is Love (2018)

Soundtrack albums

• The Lion King: The Gift (2019)

Filmography

Template:Col-begin Template:Col-2 Films starred

• Carmen: A Hip Hopera (2001)
• Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002)
• The Fighting Temptations (2003)
• Fade to Black (2004)
• The Pink Panther (2006)
• Dreamgirls (2006)
• Cadillac Records (2008)
• Obsessed (2009)
• Epic (2013)
• Lemonade (also director) (2016)
• The Lion King (2019)
• Black Is King (also director) (2020)
• Mufasa: The Lion King (2024)

Documentaries

• Live at Wembley (2004)
• The Beyoncé Experience Live (2007)
• I Am... Yours (2009)
• I Am... World Tour (also director) (2010)
• Live at Roseland: Elements of 4 (also director) (2011)
• Life Is But a Dream (also director) (2013)
• Live in Atlantic City (also director) (2013)
• On the Run Tour (2014)
• Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé (also director) (2019)
• Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé (also director) (2023)

Tours and residencies

Headlining tours

• Dangerously in Love Tour (2003)
• The Beyoncé Experience (2007)
• I Am... Tour (2009–2010)
• The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour (2013–2014)
• The Formation World Tour (2016)
• Renaissance World Tour (2023)
• Cowboy Carter Tour (2025)

Co-headlining tours

• Verizon Ladies First Tour (with Alicia Keys and Missy Elliott) (2004)
• On the Run Tour (with Jay-Z) (2014)
• On the Run II Tour (with Jay-Z) (2018)

Residencies

• I Am... Yours (2009)
• 4 Intimate Nights with Beyoncé (2011)
• Revel Presents: Beyoncé Live (2012)

See also

• Forbes list of highest-earning musicians
• List of artists with the most number-one European singles
• List of Billboard Social 50 number-one artists
• List of black Golden Globe Award winners and nominees
• List of highest-grossing live music artists
• List of most-followed Instagram accounts

External links

• Template:Official website
• Template:AllMusic
• Template:Amazon Music artist
• Template:Discogs artist
• Template:IMDb name