Audarshia Townsend - Beyonce: A Biography

Its fascinating to watch the onslaught of media attention for anything Beyonc- related. From the birth of her daughter Blue Ivy, to her very first tweet , to the stupendous honor of being named People's World's 2012 Most Beautiful Woman," the over-the-top coverage keeps this mega superstar in the spotlight.

Beyonc Knowles first grabbed headlines in the late-1990s with the African-American, all-girl group Destinys Child, which was originally comprised of childhood friends Knowles, Kelly Rowland, LeToya Luckett and LaTavia Roberson. They were constantly compared to preceding R&B female sensations like The Supremes, En Vogue and Xscape, yet this was a new type of girl group. At that time it was shocking to see teen girls brandish sexuality like weapons with such finesse, yet they did so in songs like Say My Name, No, No, No and Bills, Bills, Bills.

To the chagrin of the others, however, Beyonc stood out as Destinys Childs golden girl in the same fashion Diana Ross outshined her cohorts in The Supremes in the 1960s. Thats because Beyoncs dazzling style, exceptional beauty, and overpowering vocals made her bandmates look like backup singers.

ViaFlickr

When Luckett and Roberson allegedly complained, they were ousted (her father, Mathew Knowles, managed the group) and replaced with Michelle Williams and Farrah Franklin. Eventually DC was whittled down to threeeliminating a disgruntled Franklincreating the urban legend that the Knowles family was ruthless when it came to anything getting in the way of their daughter becoming a superstar.

Following the shakeups, a hit with the controversial Bootylicious, as well as a few lawsuits from the original members that quietly went away, Beyonc eventually emerged as a solo artist in 2001, according to VH1 ( Beyonc Bio ). Thats when Hollywood came calling, and she snagged starring roles as the resident sexpot in MTVs Carmen: A Hip Hopera (2001), Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002), and Dreamgirls (2006).

It was such an obvious choice for her in these roles, as her lioness mane of golden tresses, glowing skin, and spectacularly fit figure always stood out from the others in Destinys Child. Plus, she was always strategically placed in the center, in flamboyant clothing designed by her mother, Tina Knowles. Mrs. Knowles, in fact, styled all the members of the group in similar outfits, however, Beyoncs always had more va va voom .

Their outfits were streetwise and sexy, with an edge of sophistication, so it was only a matter of time before the Knowles mass marketed them. Beyonc and her mother served as the force behind the House of Dereon clothing line, with Beyonc, of course, as its face when it launched in 2004.

But its Beyoncs raw sexuality, as a member of DC as well as a solo artist, thats gotten more criticism than anything. Shes the poster child for bootylicious and her scantily clad performances leave little to the imagination. But at the same time, shes strategically kept her personal life fiercely private, particularly when it comes to details about her husband, Jay-Z.

Throughout the years, the pop stars been accused of plagiarizing artists dance moves and signature styles, ranging from Britney Spears to Kylie Minogue to even legendary dance great Bob Fosse (in her Single Girls [Put A Ring On It] choreography). But the biggest scandal of all likely led to the dismissal of her father as her manager in 2011.

According to biography.com :

Beyonc found herself under fire for performing a private concert for Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi on New Year's Eve in 2010. She later donated her fee from the event to help victims of the Haitian earthquake. According to some reports, Beyonc said that her father had been responsible for arranging the Libyan concert. She decided to drop her father as her manager in March 2011.

Regardless of a scandal here and there, whats kept Beyonc in the spotlight since those early years with Destinys Child goes beyond the fact that shes a celebrity. The style icons a true entertainerwhether shes on or off the stageand her fans want more and more of her unpredictable flavor. And after 16 Grammys later, she has proven that shes as irreplaceable as her hit song of the same name.

Her creative director, Frank Gatson, told VH1 ( Frank Gatson Speaks On Beyonc & Rihanna ):

Beyonc is the best in the game because she rehearses, plans and is very creative. She is nice, she is beautiful, she gets it, she is honest. She does not waste your time in rehearsal. When youre in rehearsals you work very hard which is exciting. You might say everyone rehearses, but Beyonc is full-out, working harder than the dancers. She comes from a place of love for what she does.

Most female dancers and performers dont love it like her. She never complains when it hurts; shes always in her heels killing it. She is a beast on stage and in rehearsal. She is so gracious, so fine, but not a ***** (she will push you to get the best out of you and I love that sh**) and that makes her agift to this business and the world.

As the song goes from Beyoncs highly acclaimed I AmSasha Fierce album from 2009, her life has been Sweet Dreams since childhood.

Her dad, Mathew Knowles, was an executive with Xerox before he turned in his corporate card to manage his talented daughter. And her mother was a hairstylist with a flair for fashion. They lived in a predominantly middle-class section of Houston, where Beyonc, her younger sister Solange, and best friend Kelly Rowland were encouraged to hone their talents.

Rowland, incidentally, was raised in the Knowles household, according to Solange in an article with MSNs Wonderwall ( Solange on Sister Beyonc ):

Kelly Rowland actually grew up with us. She moved in when she was five, and so we have sort of a blended family. I've only ever looked at her as a sister.

Many have speculated that Rowlands tight relationship with the Knowles played a factor in her not being ousted from Destinys Child. A star in her own right today, shes maintained a close friendship with Beyonc since those early childhood days.

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But before Rowland came to live with the Knowles, Beyonc Giselle Knowles was born on Sept. 4, 1981, in Houston. According to www.biography.com , she attended St. Mary's Elementary School; Parker Elementary School, a music magnet school; and High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. Her mother described her as painfully shy until she got her hands on a microphonebeginning at age seven.

She just came alive and just had all the confidence, so I was like, 'Wow, who is that?' We encouraged her to do that because it brought out her personality, Tina Knowles said in a CBS News interview ( Mom Rocks: Tina Knowles ).

She goes on to say that a string of talent shows, including Star Search, didnt pan out for Beyoncs first group (which included DCs original members) Gyrls Time, but it helped strengthen their stage presence. The group eventually morphed into Destinys Child, and Mathew Knowles knocked on the door of every record label until he found success with Columbia Records.

According to People.com , in Beyonc's Biography , Destinys Child released a self-titled debut in 1998. Their standout single from the album is a remix of No, No, No, with Wyclef Jean.