Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter (/biːˈjɒnseɪ/ bee-YON-say; née Knowles; born September 4, 1981)[4] is an American singer and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Beyoncé performed in various singing and dancing competitions as a child. She rose to fame in the late 1990s as the lead singer of Destiny's Child, one of the best-selling girl groups of all time.

During Destiny's Child's hiatus, Beyoncé made her theatrical film debut with a role in the US box-office number-one Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002) and began her solo music career. She became the first music act to debut at number one with their first six solo studio albums on the Billboard 200.[5] Her debut album Dangerously in Love (2003) featured four Billboard Hot 100 top five songs, including the number-one singles "Crazy in Love" featuring rapper Jay-Z and "Baby Boy" featuring singer-rapper Sean Paul. Following the disbandment of Destiny's Child in 2006, she released her second solo album, B'Day, which contained her first US number-one solo single "Irreplaceable", and "Beautiful Liar", which topped the charts in most countries. Beyoncé continued her acting career with starring roles in The Pink Panther (2006), Dreamgirls (2006), and Obsessed (2009). Her marriage to Jay-Z and her portrayal of Etta James in Cadillac Records (2008) influenced her third album, I Am... Sasha Fierce (2008), which earned a record-setting six Grammy Awards in 2010. It spawned the UK number-one single "If I Were a Boy", the US number-one single "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" and the top five single "Halo".Her first acting role of 2006 was in the comedy film The Pink Panther starring opposite Steve Martin,[86] grossing $158.8 million at the box office worldwide.[87] Her second film Dreamgirls, the film version of the 1981 Broadway musical[88] loosely based on The Supremes, received acclaim from critics and grossed $154 million internationally.[89][90][91] In it, she starred opposite Jennifer Hudson, Jamie Foxx, and Eddie Murphy playing a pop singer based on Diana Ross.[92] To promote the film, Beyoncé released "Listen" as the lead single from the soundtrack album.[93] In April 2007, Beyoncé embarked on The Beyoncé Experience, her first worldwide concert tour, visiting 97 venues[94] and grossed over $24 million.[note 1] 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".
Beyoncé names Michael Jackson as her major musical influence.[255] Aged five, Beyoncé attended her first ever concert where Jackson performed and she claims to have realized her purpose.[256] 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."[257] She admires Diana Ross as an "all-around entertainer".