Beyonce

Photo Gallery

• Genre: Contemporary R&B
• Hometown: Houston
• Beyonce Website

About

Beyonce Knowles, arguably the most popular member of '90s powerhouse Destiny's Child, knew she wanted to be a star from an early age. As a child, she sang with her church choir and took dance lessons; she formed the first incarnation of Destiny's Child in 1990 -- when she was a mere 9 years old. By 2001, the highly successful trio began concentrating on solo projects. Knowles nabbed one of the lead roles in Mike Meyers' Austin Powers: Goldmember; an appearance in MTV's Carmen: A Hip Hopera cemented her reputation as a formidable entertainer in a variety of fields. Her solo debut, Dangerously in Love, came out in the summer of 2003. The first single, "Crazy in Love," was a duet with beau Jay-Z, and predictably zoomed to the top of the charts. B'Day, her stunning sophomore effort finessed by the likes of Pharrell, Sean Garrett and Swizz Beatz, took the charts my storm in 2006 with hits like "Deja Vu" and "Ring the Alarm." Later that year, Beyonce starred as Deena Jones in the Oscar-winning movie-musical Dreamgirls. In 2007, Beyonce made a Latin-crossover attempt, dueting with Shakira on the steamy "Beautiful Liar" and releasing a deluxe edition of B'Day, featuring "Amor Gitano" with Mexican crooner Alejandro Fernandez and a Spanish-language version of the girl-empowerment anthem "Irreplaceable."

- Linda Ryan