One name, one name only. Beyoncé is an icon. With her grace, beauty and charm, she’s praised for her wildly inventive presentations and respected for her down-to-earth persona. Beyoncé started performing at age seven and then, while still in her teens, she, cousin Kelly Rowland and Latavia Roberson formed one of the greatest female R&B groups of all time – Destiny’s Child, which sold 33 million albums by 2002 and earned a slew of Grammys. The group appeared unstoppable, but In 2001, the girls took a break and tried their hands at solo careers. It was her role in Austin Powers in Goldmember that eventually cemented Beyonce’s celebrity status. In 2003, she shed her last name and rejoined Jay-Z for her proper debut single, the funkadelic “Crazy in Love,” as the press and fans christened her a star. Beyonce’s full-length solo debut, 2003’s Dangerously in Love, spawned four Top Ten singles and garnered five Grammys. Beyonce released B’Day in September 2006 and, three months later, turned in an award-winning performance for the movie musica.l Dreamgirls. Beyoncé released her third solo album, I Am…Sasha Fierce in 2008, which debuted at Number One. The second single, “Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)” went to Number One. Throughout 2009, Beyoncé toured the world, grossing over $36 million. Billboard named her the Top Female Artist and Top Radio Songs Artist of the 2000s decade. Knowles was also ranked first on Forbes’ list of the “100 Most Powerful and Influential Musicians in the World.” More recently, just this year, she released Lemonade. Beyonce! She’s one of the biggest stars in the world – and can back that up.
