BEYONCÉ

Childhood

Beyoncé Giselle Knowles was born and raised in Houston, Texas, along with her younger sister, Solange, who would later follow her sister into the entertainment industry. Her father, Mathew, worked for many years as a sales representative selling medical equipment, while her mother, Tina, worked in a bank and later opened her own beauty salon, which became one of the most successful salons in Houston. As a young child, Knowles was shy and had few friends. Her parents signed her up for a dance class when she was seven years old, "to make friends more than anything else," as Tina Knowles described to Essence. The first time Beyoncé's parents saw her perform, they were stunned. "When we saw her on stage for the first time, it was incredible. I'd never seen her so alive and confident," Tina recalled. Beyoncé had found a way to break out of her shyness, and along the way she discovered she had real talent. She began singing in local talent contests, and soon her parents realized that performing made their daughter happy, and that she was gifted enough to have a shot at success.

In 1990, at the age of nine, Knowles auditioned for a singing group called Girl's Tyme. She won a spot with the group and began performing with them at local events. Knowles's cousin, Kelly Rowland, was also a member of Girl's Tyme, and when Rowland and her mother encountered financial problems, the Knowles family took Kelly in. The members of Girl's Tyme felt that success was close by when they participated in the television talent competition Star Search in 1992, but they did not win the contest. Believing that he could improve their chances of getting a record deal, Mathew became the group's manager and persuaded the group not to give up on their dream. Eventually he quit his job to manage the group full-time, taking them to talent competitions in Los Angeles, California, and elsewhere.

Music career

After a few years of rigorous rehearsals, Girls Tyme opened for established R&B acts like Dru Hill. After difficulties working with record labels, the group changed their name to Destiny’s Child in 1996. They released their self-titled debut album in 1998 with the lead single “No, No, No,” which peaked at the #3 spot on the Billboard Hot 100. The success of their first album was immediately followed by their second album The Writing’s on the Wall a year later. The Writing’s on the Wall included the first of their many signature songs such as “Say My Name,” “Bills, Bills, Bills,” and “Jumpin, Jumpin.” The Writing’s on the Wall era would produce two more lineup changes for Destiny’s Child: the departure of Robinson and Luckett who were replaced by Farrah Franklin and Michelle Williams. In less than a year, Franklin was fired from the group, leaving Destiny’s Child as a trio.

By the new millennium, Destiny’s Child achieved success as a trio with Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams. They released their third album Survivor in 2001, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200, went quadruple platinum, and earned them a Grammy. The mega success of Survivor established Destiny’s Child as R&B and Pop superstars. While still in the group during the early aughts, Beyoncé pursued solo endeavors. In 2003, Beyoncé released her debut solo album Dangerously in Love with the immediate hit “Crazy in Love” featuring rapper Jay Z, who she would eventually marry in 2008. Beyoncé went on to win five Grammys for her debut album. A year later, she returned to Destiny’s Child who released their final album Destiny Fulfilled, which produced several hits and a successful world tour in 2005. In 2006, Destiny’s Child officially disbanded.

After the group disbanded, Beyoncé continued her solo career, with the release of B’day (2006), her first visual album. I Am… Sasha Fierce (2008) spawned the viral hit single “Single Ladies” and dance craze. For 4 (2011), she famously promoted while pregnant with her first daughter Blue Ivy Carter.

Her following two releases changed the music industry. With absolutely no marketing, she released the widely praised visual album BEYONCÉ on December 13, 2013 which was never done before. The surprise release soon inspired other music artists to take control of when their albums drop. In 2016, Beyoncé released another visual album and her magnum opus, Lemonade, which premiered as a television special on HBO, a few months after the release of the lead single “Formation.” Lemonade marked a new era of Beyoncé’s career, one that was more political and centered her southern Black roots. Lemonade inspired countless think pieces and even college courses. It has also been named one of the greatest albums of the ‘10s by numerous music publications.

She took a brief hiatus to give birth to twins in 2017 but soon returned to the spotlight to headline Coachella 2018 as their first Black female headliner. The two-hour performance celebrated HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) and Black culture, creating arguably one of the most important pop culture moments of the ‘10s. Her performance was turned into a Netflix special and an album, Homecoming, the following year.

Closing the Lemonade era in 2018, Beyoncé with her husband, Jay Z, under the moniker “The Carters,” released a joint album titled Everything is Love while traveling for their record-breaking tour, On The Run II. Then in 2019, she worked with Disney, releasing an accompanying soundtrack to the live action movie, The Lion King. Named The Lion King: The Gift it also led to the creation of the related musical film Black is King in 2020.

With over 25 years of experience in music, Beyoncé is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, the most Grammy nominated woman artist, and arguably one of the greatest entertainers in history.

Movie career

Besides pursuing a solo music career, Beyoncé also dabbles in the movie industry. In 2001, she made her acting debut in the television movie Carmen: A Hip Hopera, which aired on MTV. Then her role as Foxxy Cleopatra in Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002) made her a film star and led to parts in The Fighting Temptations (2003) and The Pink Panther (2006). She also played Deena Jones in Dreamgirls, the film adaptation of the 1981 Broadway musical about a 1960s singing group, in 2006. Her performance was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and her song “Listen” for an Academy Award. n 2008 for Cadillac Records, she portrayed singer Etta James. She starred in the thriller Obsessed (2009) before providing the voice of a fairylike forest queen in the animated Epic (2013). For the 2019 remake of The Lion King, Beyoncé voiced the character of Nala.

Projects

#BEYGOOD

That there is a world filled with less fortunate people living outside her proverbial palace walls is not lost on Beyoncé, she understands the importance of giving back. In 2013 during the Mrs. Carter World Tour, the pop star has set up a philanthropic initiative, #BeyGOOD, to help the homeless, sick children and the unemployed. #BeyGOOD teams up with charities to help local causes. The program also funds scholarships and provides grants for Black-owned businesses.

IVY PARK

Originally co-founded between Beyoncé and Sir Philip Green, Ivy Park launched a joint venture with Topshop in October 2014, and operated under the company Parkwood Topshop Athletic Ltd. Initially set for the fall of 2015, Ivy Park's launch was pushed back to the spring of 2016, with an official launch date of April 14, 2016 for in-store and online retailers.

On March 31, 2016, Beyoncé announced the new line by revealing two covers for the May issue of Elle magazine. The issue includes an in-depth interview where Beyoncé shares her goals for the brand and its focus on women. Explaining that she hopes to "push the boundaries of athletic wear and to support and inspire women who understand that beauty is more than your physical appearance". That same day, Beyoncé also released a promotional video, titled "Where is your park" which gives viewers a look into her workout routine along with samples of the coming clothing line. Additionally included was the brand’s origin story and the significance of its name: Ivy, representing her daughter Blue Ivy Carter, and Park, representing Parkwood Park in Houston where Beyoncé used to go to exercise and find personal strength.

On November 14, 2018, Parkwood Entertainment acquired total ownership of the Ivy Park brand away from co-founder Green. Ivy Park and Adidas have collaborated on several collections with the company site boasting the "[unity of] two iconic brands, celebrating their heritage while creating uniforms of power,” in January 2021. Matt Powell, a senior footwear analyst at NPD Group, speculates that Ivy Park x Adidas could eventually surpass other Adidas collaborations in sales, including Yeezy by Kanye West.

PARKWOOD

Parkwood Entertainment, LLC is an American management and entertainment company founded by Beyoncé in 2010. The company began as a production unit for films and videos by Beyoncé. Named after a street in Houston, Texas where Beyoncé once lived, Parkwood was located in New York City until 2016, when its offices were moved to Los Angeles due to closer proximity to Beyoncé's primary residence. Its involvements include products for music production, motion pictures and television specials related to Beyoncé. The company's first release was the film Cadillac Records (2008).

During a private screening held at New York's School of Visual Arts Theatre following the release of her fifth self-titled studio album, Beyoncé briefly discussed her decision to found Parkwood Entertainment in front of her fans and the press, saying:

"I started my own company when I decided to manage myself. It was important that I didn't go to some big management company, I felt like I wanted to follow the footsteps of Madonna and be a powerhouse and have my own empire, and show other women when you get to this point in your career you don't have to go sign with someone else and share your money and your success—you do it yourself."

In 2015, Parkwood expanded into managing the careers of upcoming artists and signed Ingrid, Chloe x Halle, and Sophie Beem. Parkwood Entertainment has been listed twice by Fast Company as one of the Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in Music.

Impact

Beyoncé, at this point in time, is at the pinnacle of her success — in terms of popularity and net worth, rumoured to be $400 million. She is called ‘Queen Bey’ by her fans and has a three-decade career that has changed the direction of pop music. And it goes beyond hair, makeup, and some brilliant music. She is one of the most significant cultural icons of our time, a cult figure who speaks for a generation.

She has built an intensely loyal fanbase over the years. In 2011, the most ardent among them named themselves the ‘BeyHive’ and quickly proved they were a force to be reckoned with. They’re the reason seats to her shows are almost impossible to procure; in 2016, the announcement of the Formation tour crashed B’s website before selling one million tickets in 48 hours. Her 2013 The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour is one of the most successful of all time. The group of super-stans have proven themselves to be truly formidable.

With absolutely no marketing, she released the widely praised visual album BEYONCÉ on December 13, 2013 which was never done before. The surprise release soon inspired other music artists to take control of when their albums drop. In 2016, Beyoncé released another visual album and her magnum opus, Lemonade, which premiered as a television special on HBO, a few months after the release of the lead single “Formation.” Lemonade marked a new era of Beyoncé’s career, one that was more political and centered her southern Black roots. Lemonade inspired countless think pieces and even college courses.

Bey has shown she isn’t afraid to foray into social and political issues. In February 2016, the star released Formation, a song in which Beyoncé explicitly acknowledges and celebrates blackness with lyrics such as, “I like my baby hair, with baby hair and afros / I like my negro nose with Jackson Five nostrils.” The song’s video, which won a Grammy for Best Music Video, also referenced Hurricane Katrina and the Ferguson protests. Beyoncé performed the song at the Super Bowl 50 Halftime Show the day after its premiere, backed by dancers with afros and Black Panther berets, in clear support of the Black Lives Matter movement.

In 2018, she became the first Black female headliner for Coachella. The two-hour performance celebrated HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) and Black culture, creating arguably one of the most important pop culture moments of the ‘10s. Her performance was turned into a Netflix special and an album the following year, now known referred to by many as “Beychella.”

Black pride was there earlier too, it just became more celebrated in subsequent years. In Black is King, she says, ‘Let Black be synonymous with glory’ and ‘Be bigger than the picture they framed for us to see’.

Beyoncé managed to add a word to the Oxford English Dictionary. That's powerful. Only the most powerful woman in music could make a word like 'bootylicious' an actual, official word. Beyoncé’s cultural influence is unquestionable. She’s one of the most important musicians of a generation.