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Beyonce Knowles - Biography |
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Now a world-wide pop phenomenon,
Beyoncé Knowles began her life on the stage at the age of 7, when she
formed an all-girl singing group with her cousin Kelly Rowland. Under the
management of Mathew Knowles, Beyoncé's father, the group struggled to
establish itself using a series of different names throughout the early
1990s. An unsuccessful appearance on Star Search, and a fruitless contract
with Electra Records did not bode well for the girls' future, but in 1997,
with the group now working under the name of Destiny's Child, Beyoncé's
father finally managed to attract the interest of Columbia Records. The
result was the platinum record Destiny's Child released in 1999.
On the heels of this success followed several years of turmoil for Beyoncé
and her bandmates. A growing resentment concerning what was perceived as
preferential treatment by Mathew Knowles to his daughter resulted in a
demand for his termination as manager of the group, and soon after singers
LeToya Luckett and LaTavia Roberson departed. Two replacements were found,
but by 2000 Destiny's Child was down to the trio of Knowles, Rowland and
Michelle Williams. Despite the personal hardships, the popularity of the
group never waned, each successive album (1999's The Writings on the Wall
and 2001's Survivor) becoming more popular than the last.
In 2003 Beyoncé struck out on her own with Dangerously in Love, which
featured collaborations with Missy Elliott, Jay-Z and Sean Paul, amongst
numerous others. The album did not deviate from the pattern of increasing
success that was established with Destiny's Child, and both it and its two
singles Crazy in Love and Baby Boy earned #1 chart positions. As is
inevitable in these cases, Beyoncé also took time away from her music to
establish a career as an actress -- taking a starring role in the
made-for-TV "hip-hop opera" Carmen, followed by big-screen appearances in
Goldmember (2002) and The Fighting Temptations (2003). Doubtless, more on
this front is forthcoming.
Soon after releasing their fifth studio album, 2005's Destiny Fulfilled,
Destiny's Child announced they would cease to exist that same year upon
completion of an extensive world-wide tour. Beyoncé subsequently released
the single Check On It (featuring rapper Slim Thug), which appeared both
as one of three new tracks on the Dentiny's Child greatest hits
compilation #1s and on the soundtrack to a remake of The Pink Panther
(2006) starring Beyoncé and Steve Martin. The end of her band certainly
did not result in an excess of free time for the singer, as solo and
acting careers still had to share her schedule with a clothing line (House
of Dereon, established with her mother Tina) and ongoing endorsement deals
that included Tommy Hilfiger, Pepsi and L'Oreal. |
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Beyonce Knowles - Personal Quotes |
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"There's plenty of days when
I'm like 'Oh God, why?' But that's just life. It's every job, not
just mine. Every moment is not perfect. But it's definitely more
good times than bad. You can't even compare. And when I'm on stage
it feels incredible. There are certain nights that you know you hit
that crazy note and you know that spin spinned extra fast. And you
look out and people are just into it and you've worked so hard and
now it's paying off and you can see why you dedicated your life to
this."
"It doesn't annoy me, no, because I respect J-Lo. I like her, I
think she's great. And I know that I'm over a decade younger than
her, it's so flattering that I'm so young and people are comparing
me to someone who has accomplished so much. But I don't think I'm
like anyone else and really, I'd rather not be compared to anyone
else." - on comparisions to J-Lo
"I wrote that because, at the time, I'd gained some weight and the
pressure that people put you under, the pressure to be thin, is
unbelievable. I was just 18 and you shouldn't be thinking about
that. You should be thinking about building up your character and
having fun and the song was just telling everyone just forget what
people are saying, you're bootylicious. That's all. It's a
celebration of curves and a celebration of women's bodies." - on her
song 'Bootylicious'
"Who I am on stage is very, very different to who I am in real life.
But I don't see that having a sexy image when you are on stage means
that you don't love God. No one knows what I'm really like from
that. I like to walk around with bare feet and I don't like to comb
my hair. I'm always so glammed up and so diva on stage and that's
what they see. People don't understand that... No one knows my
personal relationship with God and it's not up to me to prove that
to anyone."
"For me, it's about the way I carry myself and the way I treat other
people. My relationship and how I feel about God and what He does
for me, is something deeply personal. It's where I came from, my
family, I was brought up in a religious household and that's very
important to me. But I understand the mentality of people. I know
that people judge others based on certain things. I know how
celebrities really are. I've done it too. You meet people - rock
stars, rappers, whoever - who you have seen on television and you go
into their homes and they are regular people, just like everyone
else."
"Not because one person wants to go solo. Or not because we don't
like each other. Or because we're not selling records anymore. But
because it has to end at a certain point." (When asked about the
disbanding of Destiny's Child - June 2005) |
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Beyonce Knowles - Filmography |
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Overrated in '06 (2006) (TV)
Dreamgirls (2006) .... Deena Jones
The Pink Panther (2006) .... Xania
The Fighting Temptations (2003) .... Lilly
Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002) .... Foxxy Cleopatra
... aka Austin Powers: Goldmember (USA)
Carmen: A Hip Hopera (2001) (TV) .... Carmen
The 1999 Malibu MOBO Awards (1999) (TV) (as Destiny's Child) ....
Performer |
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Beyonce Knowles - Related Links |
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Wikipedia: Beyonce Knowles
YouTube: Beyonce Knowles
Beyonce Knowles at Celebs, Inc.
Beyonce Knowles at Babemania.com
Top Celebrities Sites:
The Celebrity
Cafe |
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