Beyoncé has seemingly ascended into pop culture immortality. The 28-time Grammy winner boasts
nearly 170 million Instagram followers, and a decades-long career that shows zero signs
of stopping. But the Queen didn't always run the world. From her Texas childhood to her
global icon status, here's why Beyonce is seriously turning heads.
Beyoncé was born in 1981, to parents Matthew and Tina Knowles . But unlike her husband,
Jay-Z, Beyonce enjoyed a relatively privileged upbringing. She told Vanity Fair,
"I didn't grow up poor. I went to private school; we had a very nice house, cars, [and]
a housekeeper."
From an early age, Beyoncé knew that she was destined to be an entertainer, and she
pushed herself to do her best. She said,
"I wasn't doing this because I didn't have a choice, or to support the family, or because
I had to get out of a bad situation. I just was determined; this is what I wanted to do
so bad."
"I always knew who I was. And I never felt the need to follow anyone."
Beyoncé dove into her singing and dancing with full force, and began winning talent
competitions as a result. By the time she was a pre-teen, she was part of the girl group
Girls Tyme — who landed on the Star Search stage in the early '90s. For B, this was a
dream come true.
"The hip-hop rappin' Girls Tyme."
B recalled in her biographical featurette, Self-Titled,
"In my mind, we would perform on Star Search, we would win, we would get a record deal.
There's no way in the world I would have ever imagined losing as a possibility."
But Beyonce would ultimately be devastated by the group's lower score on the show. She
said,
"At that time, you don't realize that you could actually work super hard, and give everything
you have, and still lose. […] It was the best message for me."
"I embrace mistakes. They make you who you are. I've never been afraid to fall, so. And
I say all these things but now I'm getting tested."
All of Beyonce's hard work finally paid off when Destiny's Child broke out as a pop sensation.
While there were initially other members of the group, it would be Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland,
and Michelle Williams who would become known as the mainstay members of the group.
Destiny's Child's future was cemented when they inked a deal in 1997 with Columbia Records.
After some initial success, they were launched into mainstream stardom with the release of
"Say My Name," off of their album The Writing's on the Wall. After that, the hits kept coming,
with singles "Independent Woman," "Survivor," and "Soldier," dominating the airwaves. They
even picked up two Grammy Awards in 2000 and 2001, as well as nine nominations.
After a short hiatus, Destiny's Child regrouped in 2004 and recorded their final album, Destiny
Fulfilled. Then in 2005, while on tour for the album, they announced that they were officially
disbanding. Still, they leave behind a rich musical legacy and remain friends to this
day.
"We grew up together. And you know, we've been in this group since we were 9 years old."
"It's beautiful support each other and to be secure and to be happy for each other."
It was around this time that Beyoncé began to focus on her solo career. She released
her first album Dangerously in Love in 2004, and fans were more than ready for it. The
album was a huge success, led by the hit single "Crazy in Love," featuring Jay-Z.
Along with making the transition from girl group to solo performer, B's fashion sense
also started to evolve, according to Vogue. Free from the constraints of Destiny's Child
style, she began to take her inspiration directly from the runway, sporting looks that amplified
her personality, power, and message.
"My life was award shows and tour busses and hotels and…"
"It just was like, 'Thank you, thank you, thank you."
But while she was making a name for herself as an independent woman, she was about to
become half of one of the most powerful couples in entertainment.
Beyoncé and Jay-Z first met when she was just 18 years old. After collaborating on
projects like Jay-Z's "Bonnie & Clyde," and cultivating a solid friendship, the pair started
dating. They made it official when they stepped out together on the red carpet at the 2004
VMAs, though the paparazzi had been photographing the couple together for years.
"I would not be the woman I am if I did not go home to that man."
Four years later, in 2008, the pair tied the knot with a secret ceremony at Jay-Z's Tribeca
penthouse, with friends and family. If you were lucky enough to get an invite, the wedding
was reportedly a meaningful one, with a source telling People,
"It was a very emotional wedding — lots of crying — and really very spiritual."
"Make sure you have your own life before you're someone else's wife."
For many years, Beyoncé's dad, Matthew, was also her manager. And although he was accused
of favoring his daughter — by former members of Destiny's Child, according to Faze magazine
— their professional partnership was reportedly drama-free. Still, in 2011, Beyoncé was ready
to stand on her own, professionally, and she amicably split from her dad's management.
She explained to Us Weekly,
"I've only parted ways with my father on a business level. He is my father for life and
I love my dad dearly. I am grateful for everything he has taught me."
"It was something that was hard, y'know, I don't know what else to say."
Beyoncé also acknowledged the lasting impact that both of her parents had on her as a person.
She said,
"I grew up watching both [my dad and] my mother manage and own their own businesses. They
were hard-working entrepreneurs and I will continue to follow in their footsteps."
Everything changed for Beyoncé and Jay-Z when their daughter, Blue Ivy, arrived in
2012. And she made quite the splash with the public, as well. As of 2021, even a Blue Ivy
Instagram fan account has nearly 200,000 followers.
"She introduced me to myself. My daughter introduced me to myself."
Initially, Beyoncé admitted to being scared of the unknown, when it came to her first
pregnancy. But when her daughter finally arrived, she recalled to Vogue,
"My family and my closest people were there when I gave birth. Everything that scared
me just was not present in that room. […] It was the best day of my life."
In 2016, Beyonce dropped "Formation," played the halftime show at the Super Bowl, launched
a world tour, and released her critically-acclaimed album Lemonade with an accompanying movie.
And while she didn't take home the Grammy for album of the year in 2017, winner Adele
spent a significant part of her own acceptance speech praising Beyoncé's deeply personal
work.
"We chose to fight for our love, for our family, to give our kids a different outcome."
It didn't take long for fans to figure out that Lemonade was all about Beyonce's perspective
on Jay-Z's infidelity, the ripples it caused in the couple's marriage, and their eventual
reconciliation. Jay-Z's 2017 album 4:44 was also a meditation on their relationship. He
explained to the New York Times that the two albums were created in joint recording sessions.
Even though the Carters had been through a challenging chapter, they used the experience
to make some of the most compelling art of its time.
"Forget all the — trying to compete, or trying to outdo yourself, you should be doing
it just because you love it."
Beyoncé has been hailed as a pop culture icon for a long time, and is responsible for
plenty of style trends. If you need proof, there are entire Instagram accounts devoted
to cataloging literally everything she wears. In addition to her style, B made waves with
her natural look for the September Issue of Vogue, in 2018. She told the outlet,
"I think it's important for women and men to see and appreciate the beauty in their
natural bodies. That's why I stripped away the wigs and hair extensions and used little
makeup for this shoot."
Sources revealed to HuffPost that Anna Wintour even gave Queen B unprecedented creative control.
But Beyoncé's creative looks have also inspired makeup artists everywhere. And that's thanks
in no small part to her makeup artist, Sir John — the man behind B's stunningly innovative
looks over the years.
"Beyonce is my inspiration. I really draw from her and how she's grown as a person."
"You can't help but be inspired on the sidelines."
In 2017, the Carters welcomed their twins, Rumi and Sir. Beyoncé has since opened up
about how difficult the birthing process was the second time around and the impact it had
on her body. She told Vogue,
"I was 218 pounds the day I gave birth to Rumi and Sir. I was swollen from toxemia and
had been on bed rest for over a month."
The twins were delivered via emergency C-section, and the Carters spent weeks in the NICU . At
the time, Beyoncé made the focus of her recovery all about healing and embracing her body.
"I had to rebuild my body from cut muscles. It took me a while to feel confident enough
to freak it and give it my own personality."
She remembered,
"I was patient with myself and enjoyed my fuller curves. My kids and husband did, too."
Beyonce positively stunned with her headline performance at Coachella , in 2018, which
was later captured for fans everywhere in the Netflix documentary Homecoming. She shared
with Vogue,
"I swear I felt pure joy shining down on us. I know that most of the young people on the
stage and in the audience did not know the history of the black national anthem before
Coachella. But they understood the feeling it gave them."
"We're gonna build this thing together, so, let's just do it."
Beyoncé made history at the festival that year, becoming the first black woman headliner.
She said,
"It was a celebration of all the people who sacrificed more than we could ever imagine,
who moved the world forward so that it could welcome a woman of color to headline such
a festival."
It's probably no surprise to anyone that Beyoncé is very, very rich. According to Forbes, she
clocked in at Number 51 on the 2019 list of "America's Self-Made Women," and was worth
a whopping $400 million at the time, thanks to tour revenue, her Ivy Park activewear line,
and more. She secured the 55th spot in 2020, with a net worth of $420 million.
But Beyoncé's personal wealth doesn't really tell the whole story. She is Mrs. Carter after
all, and Mr. Carter's net worth is positively jaw-dropping. In 2019, Forbes reported that
Jay-Z was officially worth over $1 billion. And as of 2021, he's now worth $1.4 billion.
That's mostly due to his impressive investment game, which includes holdings in art, real
estate, liquor, and stakes in a variety of companies, including Uber.
Beyoncé proved once again that she's one of the greatest creative forces of our time
in 2020 when she dropped the visual album, Black Is King. The ambitious film grew out
of footage for her album The Gift, but it soon took on a life of its own. She told British
Vogue,
"It took an incredible group of creatives from all around the world, and so many of
us were of African descent, telling a part of our own family's story and its hidden history.
Black Is King was a huge production that employed a large number of brilliant artists who may
not typically see themselves working on a Disney project. Until now!"
"It all started in my backyard."
Beyoncé deliberately tapped into diverse, undiscovered talent for the project in an
effort to showcase their myriad talents, adding,
"I am hoping this film will show that we all have to make a conscious decision to look
into untapped talent in multiple and diverse communities."
The whole world was impacted by the 2020 pandemic. And just like the rest of us, Beyonce and
her family had to find creative ways to stay occupied. For B, that included bringing a
little "New York Fashion Week" home for her kids. She told British Vogue,
"During quarantine, fashion was a place of escape for me. Every Friday, we would dress
up in my clothes or make clothes together and take each other's pictures. It became
a ritual for us and an opportunity to handle this crazy year together."
"I know it's very hard, but please be patient, stay encouraged, keep the faith, stay positive
and continue to pray for our heroes."
But not like the rest of us, Beyoncé didn't stay home in her sweatpants the rest of the
time. She helped set up COVID testing in underserved Houston communities, had supplies and resources
sent to a Houston hospital, and donated all of the proceeds from her "Savage" remix with
Megan Thee Stallion and "Black Parade" to COVID victims.
If you needed more proof that Beyoncé is the greatest of all time when it comes to
music, the singer broke a new record at the 2021 Grammy Awards. Just before announcing
B as the winner of Best R&B performance, presenter Jimmy Jam said,
"History has just been made. Breaking the all-time record for the most Grammy wins ever
by any female artist, or any singer, male or female, the Grammy goes to Beyoncé!"
Beyoncé took the stage to accept the historical award, with words of hope and support. She
said,
"It's been such a difficult time, so I wanted to uplift, encourage, and celebrate all of
the beautiful black queens and kings that continue to inspire me and inspire the whole
world."
"The trophy represents all of the sacrifices I made as a kid. All of the time that I lost."
To date, Beyoncé has earned a whopping 28 Grammy Awards, along with 79 nominations.
And it turns out the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. 9-year-old Blue Ivy won her
first Grammy, too, for her writing on "Brown Skin Girl."
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