How well do you know Beyoncé?
From a Houston girl group to one of the most awarded musicians in history, these six questions trace the turning points of Beyoncé's career.
Did you know?
- During the Renaissance World Tour in 2023, fans were encouraged to wear silver and metallic outfits, turning stadiums into shimmering crowds. The tour's concert film opened in cinemas, and in some cities local businesses reported a rise in visitors on the days she performed.
- Beyoncé's charity, BeyGOOD, was set up to support education, housing and small businesses. It has funded scholarships for students at historically Black colleges and universities in the United States and given grants to small businesses, especially those owned by Black entrepreneurs.
- Destiny's Child had several changes of line-up, but the best-known trio of Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams recorded hits such as 'Survivor' and 'Say My Name'. The three have reunited on stage several times, including during Beyoncé's Super Bowl halftime show in 2013.
From Houston to history
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles grew up in Houston, Texas, where she took dance classes and entered local talent contests as a child. Her father, Mathew Knowles, left his sales job to manage her group, and her mother designed many of the group's early stage outfits. With Destiny's Child she became one of the best-selling singers of the early 2000s, and her solo career, beginning with Dangerously in Love in 2003, made her one of the most influential performers of her generation.
The visual album
Beyoncé treats albums as complete works with a story and images, not just collections of songs. Her 2013 album came with a video for every track, and Lemonade, released in 2016, was presented as an hour-long film on television before the music went on sale. Lemonade mixed R&B with rock, country and blues and drew on poetry by the Somali-British writer Warsan Shire. It became one of the most discussed and awarded albums of the decade.
Stage and screen
Her live shows are planned with enormous detail, from lighting to choreography. In 2018 she became the first Black woman to headline the Coachella festival, and her performance, featuring a marching band inspired by historically Black colleges, was later released as the film Homecoming. She has also acted in films such as Dreamgirls and voiced Nala in the 2019 version of The Lion King, for which she recorded the song 'Spirit'.
A trilogy of albums
Renaissance, released in 2022, celebrated dance music and paid tribute to the Black and queer club scenes where house and disco grew. Cowboy Carter followed in 2024, reworking country traditions and featuring guests including Dolly Parton and Willie Nelson. Beyoncé presented the two albums as the first acts of a trilogy, each exploring a musical style whose Black roots she felt were often overlooked, and toured each of them with huge stadium productions.