Born on September 4, 1981 in Houston, Texas, Beyoncé Knowles first captured the public's eye as lead vocalist of the R&B group Destiny's Child. She later established a solo career, becoming one of music's top-selling artists with sold-out tours and a slew of awards. Knowles has also starred in several films, including Dream Girls. She married hip-hop recording artist Jay-Z in 2008.
She and her group were discovered by Whitney Houston. One of her favorite songs is "Lovefool" by The Cardigans. Her favorite item of clothing is a pair of path work metallic boots. She writes & produces many of the group's songs, including smash hits "Jumpin Jumpin", "Bootylicious", "Nasty Girl", "Independent Women", "Happy Face" and "Apple Pie a la mode".
Beyoncé's father, Mathew, leaves his six-figure sales job at Xerox to manage the girls full-time, and helps negotiates a deal for them with Columbia Records. They are eventually renamed Destiny's Child and release their self-titled debut in 1998. Their standout single from the album is a remix of "No, No, No," with Wyclef Jean.
