Born September 4, 1981 in Houston, Texas to Tina and Matthew Knowles, Beyonce started her public singing career when she was seven years old. Her first public appearance came when she competed in a talent show. Beyonce won the contest and soon began to gain the attention of local media.
Beyonce Knowles’ Early Years
Beyonce attended Parker Elementary and Houston’s High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. In 1989 when she was eight years old, she started to sing and train with LaTavia Robertson, LeToya Luckett and Kelly Rowland. Like many Virgos, Beyonce committed to her dreams and her goals. She focused and put in the work necessary to help her achieve the success that she desired.
Initially the quartet referred to themselves as Girl’s Tyme. They later changed the name of their group to Destiny’s Child. Matthew Knowles, Beyonce and her sister Solange’s father, resigned from his job in 1995 to focus all of his efforts on Destiny’s Child.
Matthew distributed fliers and tapes of the female group to music business executives and local and national media. He and his wife, Tina, made financial sacrifices that Beyonce and her group mates were unaware of. As Matthew continued to invest large sums of money in Destiny’s Child, the stakes increased; there was a lot on the line.
Success With Destiny’s Child
Two years of hard work, touring and taping went by before Destiny’s Child received a major break. The break came in the form of a Columbia Records contract. The first album that Destiny’s Child put out in 1998 under Columbia Records was self-titled and warmly received, but not a major hit.
It was the group’s second album, The Writing’s On the Wall, that began to solidify their place in the music industry. Songs “Bills, Bills, Bills” and “Say My Name” from the album gained national and international attention.
Amid the long awaited success came controversy and change. LeToya and LaTavia filed a breach of contract lawsuit against Matthew. The situation covered the entertainment blogs, websites and radio and television shows. Admittedly, it was a difficult time in Beyonce’s life.
Changes for Beyonce Knowles
The event, likely one of the major life shifts the entertainer had experienced thus far, brought on a depressive mood. Yet, as with many Virgo entertainers like Sophia Loren, Michael Jackson, Loren Bacall, Barry White, Ingrid Bergman and Bruce Springsteen, Beyonce pushed through.
Destiny’s Child went from a four member group down to a trio of Kelly Rowland, Beyonce and Michelle Williams, the newest member in the group. During its latter years, the group performed the cover song for the hit move Charlie’s Angels. They also recorded and released their third album, Survivor.
Destiny’s Child and Solo Careers
Soon the group was being compared to Motown’s phenomenal 1960s women’s group, The Supremes. Platinum selling records and music albums pushed Destiny’s Child to the front of the industry. Less than 20 years after they recorded and released their first album, the trio Destiny’s Child, fronted by Beyonce, became the biggest selling female group of all time.
It was clear that the young ladies in Destiny’s Child were growing up and becoming women. Songs on their third album like “Independent Women,” “Survivor” and “Fancy” illustrated their growing independence. At the height of the group’s success, talk about the ladies taking time to pursue solo careers began to circulate. The group would officially announce their plans to disband, even if only for awhile, in 2005.
Beyonce Knowles On Stage By Herself
In 2003, nearly 14 years after she started to work toward the music career she’d dreamed about since she was a child, Beyonce released her first solo album, Dangerously In Love. By year’s end, Beyonce picked up five Grammy awards as a result of her hard work.
Her next two albums were BDay and Sasha Fierce. The latest album was released in 2008 and gave tribute to the artist’s alter ego, Sasha Fierce. Beyonce has stated in interviews that Sasha is her stage personality, the side of her that allows her to put on memorable performances.
Away from the stage, Beyonce married her longtime beau, rapper Jay-Z, on April 4, 2008 in a private ceremony. The Virgo singer has appeared in several movies including Austin Powers In Goldmember, The Fighting Temptations, Cadillac Records and Obsessed.
Sources
Beyonce Knowles Official Website. 4 August 2009.
Destiny’s Child Official Website. 4 August 2009.
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