We knew she was ‘Bad‘, but today saw Eve confirm that she is most certainly back.
That’s right, 11 years after the release of her last album ‘Eve-olution‘, the Rap mogul has now confirmed the release date for its follow up ‘Lip Lock‘.
Just as excited as we are?!
All the details below…
Set for launch on May 14th, ‘Lip’ will boast collaborations with Pusha T, Snoop Dogg and the ever impressive Chrisette Michelle, and will feature her club smash ‘She Bad Bad’ and the freshly squeezed ‘Make It Out This Town’.
As far as production goes, the world can look forward to jams crafted by ‘Tambourine‘ producer Swizz Beatz and Claude Kelly, the man responsible for Christina Aguilera‘s digital hit, ‘Just A Fool’.
Chile we all know it’s never coming out
Come onnnn, give her a chance
…..she sings better than Beyawnce flop b****…
🙁
I like Eve and I’m checking for it kinda but the album was supposed to come out 6 years
Beautiful like Bey in the toilet…giving birth to her A** baby.
RIP
Thats a disgraceful unnecessary comment^^
Beyonce is a fraud, fake, who steals from others to further her own career..she bought her own Grammys.
🙁
BEYONCE————-> THE GIRL WHO EATS TAMPON
YOU WILL LIKE ME….B****** 😉
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter[2][3] (born September 4, 1981), known mononymously as Beyoncé ( /biˈjɒnseɪ/ bee-yon-say), is an American singer, songwriter, dancer and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child. Knowles rose to fame in the late 1990s as the lead singer of Destiny’s Child, one of the world’s best-selling girl groups of all time.
During the hiatus of Destiny’s Child, Knowles released her debut solo album, Dangerously in Love, in 2003, which spawned two number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100—”Crazy in Love” and “Baby Boy”—and became one of the most successful albums of that year, earning her a then record-tying five Grammy Awards. Following the disbandment of Destiny’s Child in 2005, Knowles released her second solo album, B’Day, in 2006, which spawned the top ten singles “Déjà Vu”, “Irreplaceable” and “Beautiful Liar”. Her third solo album I Am… Sasha Fierce (2008), spawned the hit singles “If I Were a Boy”, “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)”, “Halo” and “Sweet Dreams”. The album helped Knowles earn six Grammys in 2010, breaking the record for most Grammy Awards won by a female artist in one night. Knowles’ fourth solo album, 4 (2011), became her fourth consecutive number one album on the Billboard 200 as a solo artist. This made her the third artist in the chart’s history to have her first four studio albums debut atop the chart.
Apart from her work in music, Knowles has also ventured into acting and designing clothes and various perfumes. She made her acting debut in the musical TV film Carmen: A Hip Hopera (2001), prior to appearing in major films, Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002), The Fighting Temptations (2003), Dreamgirls (2006), which earned her two Golden Globe nominations, Cadillac Records (2008) and Obsessed (2009). Knowles introduced her family’s fashion line House of Deréon in 2005, and has endorsed such brands as L’Oréal, Pepsi, Tommy Hilfiger, Nintendo and Vizio. In 2010, Knowles was ranked first on Forbes list of the “100 Most Powerful and Influential Musicians in the World”,[4] and second on its list of the “100 Most Powerful and Influential Celebrities in the World”.[5]
Knowles’ work has earned her numerous awards and accolades, including 16 Grammy Awards, 12 MTV Video Music Awards, a Billboard Millennium Award, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame with Destiny’s Child. In 2009, Billboard named her the Top Female Artist and Top Radio Songs Artist of the 2000s decade,[6][7] and ranked her as the fourth Artist of the Decade.[8] The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) also recognized Knowles as the Top Certified Artist of the 2000s.[9][10] She is the eighth best-selling digital artist in the United States, with more than 30.4 million digital singles sold as of January 2012.[11] Knowles has sold over 13 million albums in the US and over 75 million records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time.[12][13] In 2010, she appeared on VH1′s list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time”,[14] and was ranked third on their “100 Greatest Women in Music” list in 2012.[15] In April 2008, Knowles married American rapper Jay-Z, and gave birth to their first child, Blue Ivy Carter, in January 2012.
Contents [hide]
1 Biography
1.1 1981–96: Early life and career beginnings
1.2 1997–2001: Destiny’s Child era and depression
1.3 2002–07: Films, Dangerously in Love, Destiny Fulfilled and B’Day
1.4 2008–10: Marriage, I Am… Sasha Fierce and films
1.5 2011: New management and 4
1.6 2012: Motherhood and upcoming projects
2 Artistry
2.1 Music and voice
2.2 Influences
2.3 Stage and alter ego
2.4 Public image
3 Legacy
4 Other ventures
4.1 House of Deréon
4.2 Products and endorsements
5 Philanthropy
6 Discography
7 Filmography
8 Tours and revues
9 See also
10 References
11 External links
Biography
1981–96: Early life and career beginnings
Knowles was born in Houston, Texas, the daughter of Mathew Knowles, a professional record manager, and Tina Knowles (née Beyincé), a costume designer and hair stylist. Knowles’ father is African American. Her mother, a Louisiana Creole, has African, French, Native American, and Irish ancestry; she is a descendant of Acadian leader Joseph Broussard.[16][17] Knowles was baptized after her mother’s maiden name, as a tribute to her mother.[16] She is the elder sister of Solange Knowles, a singer, songwriter and actress.
Knowles was educated at St. Mary’s Elementary School in Fredericksburg, Texas, in the Texas Hill Country, where she was enrolled in dance classes, including ballet and jazz. Her talent in singing was discovered when her dance instructor began humming a song and she finished it, hitting the high-pitched notes.[18] Knowles’ interest in music and performing began after participating in a school talent show. She sang John Lennon’s “Imagine” and won the competition.[19][20] At age seven, Knowles started gaining attention from the press, having been mentioned in the Houston Chronicle as a nominee for the local performing arts award The Sammy.[21] In the fall of 1990, Knowles enrolled in Parker Elementary School, a music magnet school in Houston, where she would perform on-stage with the school’s choir.[18] She also attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston[22] and later went to Alief Elsik High School, located in the Houston suburban munincipality, Alief.[16][23] Knowles was a member of the choir at St. John’s United Methodist Church for two years, performing as a soloist.[18][24]
At the age of eight, Knowles met LaTavia Roberson while in an audition for an all-girl entertainment group.[25] They, along with Knowles’ childhood friend Kelly Rowland, were placed into a group that performed rapping and dancing.[26] Originally named Girl’s Tyme, they were eventually cut down to six members.[18] West coast R&B producer Arne Frager flew into Houston to see them. He eventually brought them to his studio, The Plant Recording Studios, in Northern California, with Knowles’ vocals being featured.[18] As part of efforts to sign Girl’s Tyme to a major label record deal, Frager’s strategy was to début them in Star Search, the biggest talent show on national TV at the time.[18] Girl’s Tyme participated in the competition but lost it because the song they performed was not good, Knowles herself admitted.[27][28] Knowles had her first “professional setback” after that defeat but regained confidence after learning that pop stars Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake had also the same experience.[18] To manage the group, Knowles’ father (who was at that time a medical-equipment salesman) resigned in 1995 from his job.[29] He dedicated his time and established a “boot camp” for their training.[30] The move reduced Knowles’ family’s income by half and her parents were forced to move into separated apartments.[16] Not long after the inclusion of Rowland, Mathew cut the original lineup to four,[18] with LeToya Luckett joining in 1993.[25] Rehearsing in Tina’s Headliners Salon and their backyards, the group continued performing as an opening act for other established R&B girl groups of the time;[25] Tina contributed to the cause by designing their costumes, which she continued to do throughout the Destiny’s Child era. With the continued support of Mathew, they auditioned before record labels and were finally signed to Elektra Records. They moved to Atlanta to work on their first recording, only to be cut by the record company in 1995. They returned home to start over again.[16] This eventually put a strain on the family, and Beyoncé’s parents separated briefly when she was 14. In 1996, the family reunited, and shortly after, the girls got a contract with Columbia Records.[19]
1997–2001: Destiny’s Child era and depression
Main article: Destiny’s Child
Destiny’s Child performing “Say My Name”
The group changed its name to Destiny’s Child in 1993, based on a passage in the Book of Isaiah.[25] Together, they performed in local events and after four years on the road, the group was signed to Columbia Records in late 1997. That same year, Destiny’s Child recorded their major label début song “Killing Time” for the soundtrack to the 1997 film, Men in Black.[25][28] The following year, the group released their self-titled debut album,[27] scoring their first major hit “No, No, No”. The album established the group as a viable act in the music industry, amassing moderate sales and winning the group three Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards for Best R&B/Soul Single for “No, No, No”, Best R&B/Soul Album of the Year and Best R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist.[25] The group released their multi-platinum second album The Writing’s on the Wall in 1999. The record features some of the group’s most widely known songs such as “Bills, Bills, Bills”, the group’s first number-one single, “Jumpin’ Jumpin’” and “Say My Name”, which became their most-successful song at the time, and would remain one of their signature songs. “Say My Name” won the Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and the Best R&B Song at the 43rd Grammy Awards.[25] The Writing’s on the Wall sold more than eight million copies.[27] During this time, Knowles recorded a duet with Marc Nelson on the song “After All Is Said and Done” for the soundtrack to the 1999 film, The Best Man.
Luckett and Roberson filed a lawsuit against the group for breach of contract. Michelle Williams and Farrah Franklin appeared in the music video of “Say My Name”, implying that Luckett and Roberson had already been replaced.[25] Eventually, Luckett and Roberson left the group. Franklin would eventually fade from the group after five months,[27] as evidenced by her absences during promotional appearances and concerts. She attributed her departure to negative vibes in the group resulting from the strife.[25] During this time, Knowles had experienced depression from an accumulation of struggles: the publicized split of Luckett and Roberson, being publicly attacked by the media, critics and blogs for causing the split-up,[31] and a longstanding boyfriend (that she had dated from age 13 to 19) leaving her.[32][33] The depression was so severe it lasted for a couple of years, during which she kept herself in her bedroom for days and refused to eat anything. Knowles stated that she struggled to speak about her depression because Destiny’s Child had just won their first Grammy Award and she feared no one would take her seriously.[34] All of these events had made her question herself and who her friends were, describing the situation she said, “Now that I was famous, I was afraid I’d never find somebody again to love me for me. I was afraid of making new friends.”[32] She acknowledges her mother Tina Knowles for helping her out of her depression, saying: “Why do you think a person wouldn’t love you? Don’t you know how smart and sweet and beautiful you are?”[32]
After settling on their final lineup, the trio recorded “Independent Women Part I”, which appeared on the soundtrack to the 2000 film, Charlie’s Angels. It became their best-charting single, topping the US Billboard Hot 100 chart for eleven consecutive weeks.[25] Later that year, Luckett and Roberson withdrew their case against their now-former band mates, while maintaining the suit against Mathew, which ended in both sides agreeing to stop public disparaging.[25] In early 2001, while Destiny’s Child was completing their third album, Knowles landed a major role in the MTV made-for-television film, Carmen: A Hip Hopera, starring alongside American actor Mekhi Phifer. Set in Philadelphia, the film is a modern interpretation of the 19th century opera Carmen by French composer Georges Bizet.[35] Luckett and Roberson refiled their lawsuit after Destiny’s Child’s third album Survivor was released in May 2001, claiming that the songs were aimed at them.[25] The album débuted at number one on US Billboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of 663,000 copies sold.[36] To date, Survivor has sold over ten million copies worldwide, over forty percent of which were sold in the US alone.[37] The album spawned other number-one hits, “Bootylicious” and the title track, “Survivor”, the latter of which earned the group a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. After releasing their holiday album 8 Days of Christmas in October 2001, the group announced a hiatus to pursue solo careers.[25]
2002–07: Films, Dangerously in Love, Destiny Fulfilled and B’Day
Knowles performing “Baby Boy”, which spent nine consecutive weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart[38]
In July 2002, Knowles starred opposite Mike Myers in the comedy film, Austin Powers in Goldmember. She played Foxxy Cleopatra, the female protagonist alongside the film’s lead character Austin Powers, played by Myers.[39] Austin Powers in Goldmember spent its first weekend atop the US box office and grossed $73 million.[40] To promote the film, Knowles released “Work It Out” as the lead single from its soundtrack album.[41] In October 2002, she was featured on her then-boyfriend Jay-Z’s single “’03 Bonnie & Clyde”. The song peaked at number four on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming Knowles’ first top ten single as a solo artist.[42] It also reached the top ten in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.[43][44] Rumors began to circulate about Knowles and Jay-Z’s relationship after the release of “’03 Bonnie & Clyde”.[20] In spite of persistent rumors, they remained discreet about their relationship.[45][46]
After Williams and Rowland released their solo efforts, Knowles released her debut solo album Dangerously in Love on June 24, 2003 in the United States.[47] The album sold 317,000 copies in its first week and debuted atop the Billboard 200 chart.[48] Dangerously in Love has sold 4.9 million copies in the US and has been certified four times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[12][49] It remains as Knowles’ best-selling album to date, with sales of 11 million copies sold worldwide.[50] The album was preceded by the lead single “Crazy in Love”, which features Jay-Z. The song became Knowles’ first number one single as a solo artist in the US, peaking at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for eight consecutive weeks.[51] It also topped the UK Singles Chart, and reached the top-ten in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland.[44][52] The second single “Baby Boy”, which features dancehall singer Sean Paul, topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for nine consecutive weeks, and reached the top-ten in many countries.[38] Dangerously in Love also produced two other singles, “Me, Myself and I” and “Naughty Girl”, which both reached the top-five on the Billboard Hot 100.[53] The album earned Knowles a then record-tying five awards at the 46th Grammy Awards; Best Contemporary R&B Album, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for “Dangerously in Love 2″, Best R&B Song and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for “Crazy in Love”, and Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for “The Closer I Get to You” with Luther Vandross.[54] In September 2003, Knowles starred opposite Cuba Gooding, Jr. in the musical comedy film The Fighting Temptations as Lilly, a single mother whom Gooding’s character, Darrin, falls in love with.[55] The film received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $32.7 million at the box office worldwide.[56][57] To promote The Fighting Temptations, Knowles released “Fighting Temptation” as the lead single from the film’s soundtrack album. In November 2003, she embarked on the Dangerously in Love Tour in Europe. She later toured alongside Missy Elliott and Alicia Keys as an ensemble for the Verizon Ladies First Tour in North America.[58]
On February 1, 2004, Knowles performed the American national anthem at Super Bowl XXXVIII, which was held at the Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas.[59] After the release of Dangerously in Love, Knowles had planned to produce a follow-up album using several of the left-over tracks. However, on January 7, 2004, a spokesperson for her record label announced that Knowles had put her plans on hold in order to concentrate on the recording of Destiny Fulfilled, the final studio album by Destiny’s Child.[60] It was released on November 15, 2004 in the United States.[61] The album peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 chart and has been certified three times platinum by the RIAA.[62][63] Destiny Fulfilled spawned the singles “Lose My Breath” and “Soldier”, which both reached the top-five on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[64] In April 2005, Destiny’s Child embarked on their worldwide concert tour, Destiny Fulfilled… and Lovin’ It. During the last stop of their European tour in Barcelona on June 11, 2005, Rowland announced that Destiny’s Child would disband following the North American leg of the tour.[65] The group released their first compilation album Number 1′s on October 25, 2005 in the United States.[66] The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart and was certified platinum by the RIAA.[63][67] In February 2006, Knowles starred opposite Steve Martin in the comedy film The Pink Panther, as international pop star Xania.[68] The film grossed $158.8 million at the box office worldwide.[69] Knowles’ song “Check on It”, which features rapper Slim Thug, was supposed to be featured on the soundtrack album for The Pink Panther but was ultimately not included.[70] “Check on It” peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for five consecutive weeks, becoming Knowles’ third US number-one single as a solo artist.[53][71] In March 2006, Destiny’s Child reunited to accept a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.[72]
Knowles performing during The Beyoncé Experience in May 2007
Knowles’ second solo album B’Day was released on September 5, 2006 in the United States, to coincide with Knowles’ twenty-fifth birthday.[73] It sold 541,000 copies in its first week and debuted atop the Billboard 200 chart, becoming Knowles’ second consecutive number-one album in the US.[74] B’Day has sold 3.3 million copies in the US and has been certified three times platinum by the RIAA.[12][49] Internationally, the album has sold seven million copies worldwide.[75] The album was preceded by the lead single “Déjà Vu”, which features Jay-Z. The song peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and topped the UK Singles Chart.[44][53] The second international single “Irreplacable” was a commercial success worldwide, reaching number one in Australia, Hungary, Ireland and New Zealand, and the top ten in Canada, Denmark, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland and the UK.[44][76] In the US, the song peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for ten consecutive weeks, becoming Knowles’ fourth number-one single as a solo artist.[77] B’Day also produced three other singles, “Ring the Alarm”, “Get Me Bodied” and “Green Light”, which each attained moderate success. In December 2006, Knowles starred opposite Jennifer Hudson, Jamie Foxx and Eddie Murphy in the musical film, Dreamgirls. She played Deena Jones, a pop singer loosely based on Diana Ross.[78] The film received positive reviews from critics and grossed $154.9 million at the box office worldwide.[79][80] To promote Dreamgirls, Knowles released “Listen” as the lead single from the soundtrack album, Dreamgirls: Music from the Motion Picture. She earned several nominations the following year for her role in the film, including Best Original Song for “Listen” and Best Actress at the Golden Globe Awards,[81] Best Performance at the MTV Movie Awards,[82] and Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture at the NAACP Image Awards.[83]
In April 2007, Knowles embarked on The Beyoncé Experience, her first worldwide concert tour. The tour visited ninety-seven venues and grossed $90 million.[84] On April 3, 2007, B’Day was re-released as a deluxe edition, seven months after the release of the original version. In addition to the original track listing, the deluxe edition features five new songs, including “Beautiful Liar”, a duet with Colombian singer Shakira.[85] The song was commercially successful, reaching number one in several countries, such as France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.[44][86] At the 49th Grammy Awards, B’Day was nominated for five awards; Best Contemporary R&B Album, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for “Ring the Alarm”, Best R&B Song and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for Déjà Vu, and Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical for the Freemasons club mix of “Déjà Vu”. The album won the award for Best Contemporary R&B Album.[87] The following year, B’Day received two nominations for Record of the Year for “Irreplaceable” and Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals for “Beautiful Liar”.[88]
2008–10: Marriage, I Am… Sasha Fierce and films
Knowles and Jay-Z performing “Crazy in Love” at the I Am… Tour in 2009
On April 4, 2008, Knowles married Jay-Z in New York City. It became a matter of public record on April 22, 2008.[89] Knowles did not publicly debut her wedding ring until the Fashion Rocks concert on September 5, 2008, in New York City.[90] She finally revealed their marriage through an opening montage video at the listening party for her third studio album, I Am… Sasha Fierce, in Manhattan’s Sony Club on October 22, 2008.[91] In November 2008, Forbes magazine reported that Knowles earned $80 million between June 1, 2007 to June 1, 2008, for her music, tour, films and clothing line.[92] This made her the world’s second best-paid music personality at the time.[93] I Am… Sasha Fierce was released on November 18, 2008 in the United States.[94] The album introduces Knowles’ alter ego Sasha Fierce, who was born during the making of her 2003 single “Crazy in Love”. It sold 482,000 copies in its first week and debuted atop the Billboard 200 chart, giving Knowles her third consecutive number-one album in the US.[95] I Am… Sasha Fierce has sold three million copies in the US and has been certified double platinum by the RIAA.[12][49] Internationally, the album has sold seven million copies worldwide.[96] I Am… Sasha Fierce was preceded by the two lead singles “If I Were a Boy” and “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)”. “If I Were a Boy” was a commercial success, reaching number one in various European countries, such as Denmark, Israel, Netherlands, Norway, Slovakia, Sweden and the United Kingdom.[44][97] “Single Ladies” topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for four non-consecutive weeks, becoming Knowles’ fifth number-one single in the United States.[98] The album’s third international single “Halo” was also commercially successful, peaking at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and in the top ten in various other countries.[53][99] “Halo”‘s US success helped Knowles achieve more top ten singles on the Hot 100 chart than any other female artist during 2001–10.[100] Another successful single from I Am… Sasha Fierce was “Sweet Dreams”, which also reached the top ten in many countries.[101] The album spawned four other singles, “Diva”, “Ego”, “Broken-Hearted Girl” and “Video Phone”, which each attained moderate success.
In December 2008, Knowles starred as blues singer Etta James in the musical biopic film, Cadillac Records. Her performance in the film received praise from critics.[102] John Kehe of The Christian Science Monitor wrote, “No one can channel Etta – she’s a singular talent – but Beyoncé does it her own way and conjurs enough emotion and grit to make it work in the context of the movie.”[103] Knowles garnered several nominations for her portrayal of James, including a Satellite Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture, and a NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture.[104][105] The music video for “Single Ladies” has been parodied and imitated around the world, spawning the “first major dance craze” of the Internet age.[106] The video won several awards, including Best Video at the 2009 MTV Europe Music Awards,[107] the 2009 MOBO Awards,[108] and the 2009 BET Awards.[109] At the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, the video was nominated for nine awards, ultimately winning three including Video of the Year. Its failure to win the Best Female Video category, which went to American country pop singer Taylor Swift’s “You Belong with Me”, sparked controversy during the ceremony.[110] On January 20, 2009, Knowles performed James’ “At Last” at Barack Obama’s first dance with his wife Michelle during the Neighborhood Ball of his inauguration as President of the United States.[111]
Knowles performing at the I Am… Tour
In March 2009, Knowles embarked on the I Am… Tour, her second headlining concert tour. The tour consisted of 108 shows and grossed $119.5 million.[112] In April 2009, Knowles starred opposite Ali Larter and Idris Elba in the thriller film, Obsessed. She played Sharon Charles, a mother and wife who learns of a woman’s obsessive behavior for the former’s husband, and suspects an affair between the two. The film received negative reviews from critics,[113] though the fight scene finale between Sharon and the woman was praised and won the 2010 MTV Movie Award for Best Fight.[114][115] Obsessed spent its first week atop the US box office and grossed $34,802,334.[116] In June 2009, Forbes placed Knowles fourth on the Celebrity 100 list, having earned $87 million in the past year. Lacey Rose of Forbes noted that it was due to her publishing and music sales, tour, films, clothing line and endorsement deals.[117] At the 52nd Grammy Awards, Knowles received ten nominations, including Album of the Year for I Am… Sasha Fierce, Record of the Year for “Halo”, and Song of the Year for “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)”, among others.[118] She tied with Lauryn Hill for most Grammy nominations in a single year by a female artist.[119] Knowles ultimately set the record for the most Grammy awards won by a female artist in one night, when she won six awards from her ten nominations; Song of the Year, Best R&B Song and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for “Single Ladies”, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for “Halo”, Best Contemporary R&B Album, and Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance for “At Last”.[120]
During an interview with Elysa Gardner of USA Today on January 28, 2010, Knowles announced that she would be taking a break from her music career saying “to live life, to be inspired by things again”.[121] A 60 Minutes segment that aired the same day, revealed Knowles was homeschooled as a child and prays before every live performance.[122] In February 2010, Knowles was featured on Lady Gaga’s single “Telephone”. The song was a commercial success worldwide, reaching number one in Belgium, Denmark, Hungary, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway and the United Kingdom.[44][123] It also topped the US Pop Songs chart, thus becoming the sixth number-one on the chart for both Knowles and Gaga. With this, they both tied with Mariah Carey for most number-ones since the Nielsen BDS-based Top 40 airplay chart launched in 1992.[124] “Telephone” received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.[125] In October 2010, Forbes placed Knowles ninth on the “Most Powerful Women in the World” list.[126] She was also ranked ninth on the “Hollywood’s 20 Highest Earners of 2010″ list, becoming the only recording artist to enter the top ten.[127]
2011: New management and 4
Knowles performing during the 4 Intimate Nights with Beyoncé revue, August 2011
In January 2011, it was announced that Knowles would star in a remake of A Star Is Born, to be directed and produced by Clint Eastwood for Warner Bros.[128] However, on October 9, 2012, Knowles told E! News that she dropped out of her planned appearance in the film, citing scheduling issues. She stated, “For months we tried to coordinate our schedules to bring this remake to life but it was just not possible. Hopefully in the future we will get a chance to work together.”[129] In February 2011, documents obtained by WikiLeaks revealed that Knowles was one of many entertainers that received extravagant sums to perform for the family of Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi. Rolling Stone magazine reported that the music industry was urging them to return the money they earned for the concerts.[130] On March 2, 2011, a spokesperson for Knowles told The Huffington Post that she donated the money to the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund.[131] On March 28, 2011, Knowles’ publicist Yvette Noel-Schure issued a statement that Knowles and her father as well as manager, Mathew Knowles had parted ways “on a business level.”[132] Knowles took this decision during her break from her music career in 2010.[133] In June 2011, Forbes placed her eighth on the “Best-Paid Celebrities Under 30″ list, having earned $35 million in the past year for her clothing line and endorsement deals.[134]
On June 26, 2011, Knowles performed a 90-minute set at the 2011 Glastonbury Festival. She was the first solo female artist ever to headline the Pyramid stage at the festival in over twenty years.[135] Knowles’ fourth studio album 4 was released on June 28, 2011 in the United States.[136] For the album, she drew inspiration from musicians, such as Fela Kuti, Earth, Wind & Fire, Lionel Richie, with additional influences from The Jackson 5, New Edition, Florence and the Machine, Adele, and Prince, among others.[137] 4 sold 310,000 copies in its first week and debuted atop the Billboard 200 chart, giving Knowles her fourth consecutive number-one album in the US. This made her the third artist in the chart’s history, to have her first four studio albums debut at number one.[138] The album was preceded by its first two singles “Run the World (Girls)” and “Best Thing I Never Had”, which both attained moderate success. “Run the World (Girls)” reached the top ten in Australia, Belgium, Israel, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Scotland and South Korea.[139] “Best Thing I Never Had” peaked at number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number three on the UK Singles Chart.[44][53] The album’s fourth single “Love on Top” was a commercial success in the US, peaking at number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for seven consecutive weeks.[140] 4 also produced two other singles, “Countdown” and “End of Time”, which were both unsuccessful. Knowles took the stage at New York’s Roseland Ballroom for four nights of special performances. The set on each night of the 4 Intimate Nights with Beyoncé concerts was the entire collection of 4. For these four special nights, August 14, 16, 18 and 19, she performed her songs to a standing room only audience.[141]
On August 28, 2011 at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards, Knowles announced that she and Jay-Z were expecting their first child. She made the announcement during her red carpet appearance and again at the end of her performance of “Love on Top” by rubbing her growing stomach.[142][143] The Huffington Post later confirmed that Knowles was five months pregnant and her pregnancy announcement had broken the “most tweets per second recorded for a single event” Twitter record, receiving 8,868 tweets per second.[144] MTV reported that Knowles’ performance of “Love on Top” and the announcement of her pregnancy at the awards ceremony helped the 2011′s MTV Video Music Awards become the most-watched broadcast in MTV history, pulling in 12.4 million viewers.[145] In addition, data from Google Insights showed that the most searched for term from August 29, 2011 to September 4, 2011 was “Beyonce pregnant” which reached ‘breakout’ levels – a term used by Google to describe a search with an increase of over 5,000 percent.[146] Knowles’ announcement of her pregnancy resulted in an increase in sales of her records, particularly 4, which had sold around 700,000 copies by August 2011.[147] The album has since sold 1.3 million copies in the US and has been certified platinum by the RIAA.[12][49] Internationally, the album has sold 2.1 million copies worldwide as of January 2012.[148] On October 8, 2011, a pre-taped performance of Knowles performing Michael Jackson’s “I Wanna Be Where You Are” was shown during the Michael Forever Tribute Concert at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.[149] In November 2011, social media website Saucytime.com named Knowles the “Highest Paid Performer Per Minute in the World”, having earned £1.25 million for a five-song performance at a private New Year’s Eve 2010 party on the island of St. Barts, equating to £71,040 for each minute she was on the stage.[150] Knowles received two nominations at the 54th Grammy Awards; Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for “Party”, and Best Long Form Music Video for I Am… World Tour.[151] The following year, “Love on Top” received a nomination for Best Traditional R&B Performance.[152]
2012: Motherhood and upcoming projects
Knowles with her daughter Blue Ivy in April 2012
On January 7, 2012, Knowles gave birth to a daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York.[153] Two days later, Jay-Z released “Glory”, a song dedicated to their child, on his social website Lifeandtimes.com. The song detailed the couple’s pregnancy struggles, including a miscarriage Knowles suffered before becoming pregnant with their daughter.[154] Due to Blue Ivy’s cries being heard in end of the song, she was officially credited on the song as B.I.C. At two days old, she became the youngest person ever to appear on a Billboard chart when “Glory” debuted on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart at number 74.[155] On February 10, 2012, Knowles and Jay-Z revealed the first photos of Blue Ivy on Tumblr.[156] In May 2012, Forbes placed Knowles at number 16 on the “Celebrity 100″ list, having earned $40 million in the past year for her album 4, clothing line and endorsement deals.[157][158] Later that month, Knowles won a Writing Award from the New York Association of Black Journalists, for her July 2011 Essence magazine cover story “Eat, Play, Love”, which talks about her break from her music career in 2010.[159] Knowles took the stage at Revel Atlantic City’s Ovation Hall for four nights of performances, May 25, 26, 27 and 28, to celebrate the resort’s opening.[160][161] The Revel Presents: Beyoncé Live concerts were noted as Knowles’ first performances since giving birth to Blue Ivy.[162] In August 2012, Forbes placed Knowles and Jay-Z at number one on the “World’s Highest-Paid Celebrity Couples” list, for collectively earning $78 million in the past year.[163] On September 18, 2012, the couple raised $4 million, during an exclusive fundraising event at Jay-Z’s 40/40 Club in New York City, for US President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign.[164]
During an interview with The Boombox, Ryan Tedder said that he is writing new material for Knowles’ upcoming fifth studio album and revealed that “there [are] two projects happening”.[165] Knowles is also working with The-Dream,[166] Kanye West,[167] Hit-Boy,[167] Diane Warren,[168] Miguel,[169] Jay-Z,[170] Swizz Beatz,[171] Missy Elliott,[172] Jo’zzy,[170] and Ne-Yo.[173] On February 3, 2013, she will be performing at Super Bowl XLVII, to be held at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans during the Pepsi NFL Halftime Show.[174] Knowles will star in an upcoming feature-length documentary film on HBO on February 16, 2013. The film, which Knowles directed and produced herself, will feature footage of her childhood, her role as a mother and businesswoman, recording in the studio, rehearsing for live performances, and balancing her family life, including her return to the spotlight following the birth of Blue Ivy.[175] Knowles will also star as Queen Tara in the upcoming 3D CGI animated film Epic, to be released by 20th Century Fox on May 24, 2013.[176]
Artistry
Music and voice
“With ‘Single Ladies,’ clearly I’d just gotten married, and people want to get married every day – then there was the whole Justin Timberlake thing [recreating the video] on “Saturday Night Live,” and it was also the year YouTube blew up. With ‘Irreplaceable,’ the aggressive lyrics, the acoustic guitar, and the 808 drum machine – those things don’t typically go together, and it sounded fresh. ‘Crazy in Love’ was another one of those classic moments in pop culture that none of us expected. I asked Jay to get on the song the night before I had to turn my album in – thank God he did. It still never gets old, no matter how many times I sing it.”
—Knowles reflects on her musical style and the impact it has had on her life and pop culture during her Billboard Cover story in 2011.[177]
Trust in Me
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While predominately R&B, Knowles’ music explores various styles. The Daily Mail calls Knowles’ voice “versatile”, capable of exploring power ballads, soul, rock belting, operatic florishes, and hip hop.[178]
“Emotion”
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Knowles’ prominent use of melisma and other vocal ornamentation earns her both praise and criticism from critics and fans.[179][180]
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Knowles’ music is generally contemporary R&B, but she also incorporates pop, electropop,[181] funk, hip hop, and soul into her songs. While she almost exclusively releases English songs, Knowles recorded several Spanish songs for Irreemplazable and the re-release of B’Day. Prior to recording these, Knowles was coached phonetically by American record producer Rudy Perez.[182] Since Destiny’s Child, Knowles has artistically been involved in her career.[25] She received co-writing credits for most of the songs recorded by the group, as well as her solo efforts. Known for writing personally driven and female-empowerment themed compositions, Knowles has stated that having Jay-Z in her life has changed a few of her thoughts about how men and women relate to one another, which helped her transition from writing songs such as “Independent Women” and “Survivor” to man-tending anthems such as “Cater 2 U”, in which she sings about bringing him slippers and drawing his bath.[183] Some of her songs are autobiographical, which she has admitted are taken from personal experiences, as well as her friends’.[184] Knowles has also received co-producing credits for most of the records in which she has been involved, especially during her solo efforts. However, she does not formulate beats herself, but typically comes up with melodies and ideas during production, sharing them with producers.[185] Knowles was recognized as a songwriter during the run of Destiny’s Child in the 1990s and early to mid-2000s. She won the Pop Songwriter of the Year award at the 2001 American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers Pop Music Awards, becoming the first African-American female and second female songwriter of all time to accomplish the feat.[16][184] Knowles received songwriting credits in a single year for co-writing “Irreplaceable”, “Grillz” and “Check on It”, all of which reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, the only woman to have written three songs which went to number-one in the same year since Carole King did it in 1971 and Mariah Carey in 1991. In terms of credits, she is tied with Diane Warren at third with nine number-one singles.[186] In May 2011, Keith Caulfield and Gary Trust of Billboard magazine listed Knowles at number 17 on their list of the “Top 20 Hot 100 Songwriters”, for having co-written eight singles that hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. She was one of only three women on that list.[187]
Knowles possesses a mezzo-soprano[188] vocal range that spans more than three octaves. She has often been identified as the centerpiece of Destiny’s Child.[189] Jon Pareles of The New York Times commented that she has the voice that defines the group, writing that her voice is “velvety yet tart, with an insistent flutter and reserves of soul belting”.[190] Other critics praise her range and power. In reviewing her second album B’Day, Jody Rosen of Entertainment Weekly wrote “Beyoncé Knowles is a storm system disguised as a singer. On her second solo album, B’Day, the songs arrive in huge gusts of rhythm and emotion, with Beyoncé’s voice rippling over clattery beats; you’d have to search far and wide—perhaps in the halls of the Metropolitan Opera – to find a vocalist who sings with more sheer force … No one—not R. Kelly, not Usher, to say nothing of her rival pop divas—can match Beyoncé’s genius for dragging her vocal lines against a hip-hop beat.”[191] Chris Richards of The Washington Post wrote, “Even when she’s coasting, she soars above her imitators. It’s all in her voice—a superhuman instrument capable of punctuating any beat with goose-bump-inducing whispers or full-bore diva-roars. Smitten, scorned, amorous, antagonistic—Beyoncé sings from all of these vantage points with undeniable virtuosity.”[192]
Influences
Knowles’ credits Michael Jackson as her major musical influence and idol.[193] Knowles has also named Diana Ross as another one of her influences because “she’s an all-around entertainer: a great actor, a good singer, and a beautiful, elegant woman. She’s one of the few singers able to cross over into really good movies.”[194] Knowles cites Whitney Houston as another idol saying she “inspired [her] to get up there and do what [she] did.”[195] Her other musical influences include Cher,[196] Tina Turner,[197] Prince,[198] Lauryn Hill,[194] Sade Adu,[199] Aaliyah,[200] Mary J. Blige,[201] Janet Jackson,[202] Anita Baker and Rachelle Ferrell.[194] Knowles credits Mariah Carey’s singing and her song “Vision of Love” as influencing her to begin practicing vocal runs as a child, as well as helping her pursue a career as a musician.[203] She is also inspired by Oprah Winfrey and US First Lady Michelle Obama.[204] Knowles says Winfrey is “the definition of inspiration and a strong woman. When I’m around her, I want to stand up straight, pronounce my words right, and articulate.”[194]
Many of the themes and musical styles on Knowles’ second solo album B’Day (2006) were inspired by her role in Dreamgirls (2006).[205] She was inspired to produce an album with an overriding theme of feminism and female empowerment.[206] Knowles also cited Josephine Baker as an influence on the album.[207] Knowles’ paid homage to Baker by performing “Déjà Vu” at the Fashion Rocks concert on September 8, 2006, with Knowles and her female dancers wearing Baker’s trademark mini-hula skirt embellished with fake bananas.[208] For Knowles’ third solo album I Am… Sasha Fierce (2008), she was inspired by Jay-Z and especially by Etta James, whose “boldness” inspired Knowles to explore other musical genres and styles.[209] On her fourth solo album 4 (2011), Knowles acknowledged that she was inspired by Fela Kuti, 1990s R&B, Earth, Wind & Fire, DeBarge, Lionel Richie, Teena Marie with additional influences by The Jackson 5, New Edition, Adele, Florence and the Machine and Prince.[210] Knowles also mentioned that she was influenced by Jay-Z’s own work as well.[211]
Stage and alter ego
Knowles performing “Run the World (Girls)” on the 2011 Good Morning America Summer Concert Series
In 2006, Knowles introduced her all-female tour band Suga Mama, which includes bassists, drummers, guitarists, horn players, keyboardists and percussionists.[212] They made their début appearance at the 2006 BET Awards and re-appeared in the music videos for “Irreplaceable” and “Green Light”.[182] The band has also supported Knowles in live performances, including her 2007 concert tour The Beyoncé Experience and her 2009 I Am… Tour.
Knowles often receives praise for her stage presence and live performances. Jarett Wieselman of the New York Post placed Knowles at number one on her list of The Five Best Singer/Dancers, writing, “the megastar consistently devote[s] every ounce of her to the routine.”[213] In reviewing her I Am… Tour, Renee Michelle Harris of South Florida Times wrote, Knowles “owns the stage with her trademark swagger and intensity … showcasing her powerful vocals without missing a note, often while engaged in vigorous, perfectly executed dance moves … no one, not Britney, not Ciara and not Rihanna can offer what she does—a complete package of voice, moves and presence.”[214] Barbara Ellen of The Guardian wrote, “whether charismatic and soulful, or teasing and flirty, Beyoncé is, above all, in charge. Probably the most in charge of any female artist I’ve seen onstage”.[215] Alice Jones of The Independent wrote, “Watching Beyoncé sing and strut her stuff can feel at best overawing, at worst, alienating. She takes her role as entertainer so seriously she’s almost too good.”[216] Tamara Hardingham-Gill of the Daily Mail wrote, “many industry experts have been tipping Beyoncé as the next Michael Jackson. While it’s far too early for such comparisons, she certainly proved that she is one of the most exciting and talented performers around and may well go down in history as such”.[217]
“Dangerously in Love” (live)
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Knowles has received widespread praise for her live vocal performances.[179][180]
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Reviewers have praised Knowles live vocal performances. In reviewing one of her performances, Jim Farber of the Daily News wrote “Beyoncé showed off pipes of steely power. As the song’s signature horn riff pumped away, she soared over the melody with athletic ease. The way Beyoncé used her body intensified the sense of triumph. With her hair teased into Medusa-like tresses, a pelvis in perpetual churn and legs long enough to make Tina Turner proud, Beyoncé’s presence punctuated her singing like an exclamation point.”[218] Stephanie Classen of Star Phoenix declares “Beyoncé is no ordinary performer … from note one, the 27-year-old powerhouse rose above all the gimmicks, mastering the show like a s*** alien overlord princess. Nothing but extraterrestrial origins could explain that voice … [Beyoncé] could perform circles around any other pop star today.”[219] Editors of Newsday wrote, “she proves that hot choreography and strong vocals don’t have to be mutually exclusive … No worries of lip-synching here.”[220]
Known for being “s***, seductive and provocative” when performing on stage, Knowles has stated that’s her alter ego Sasha Fierce.[32] She described Sasha as being “too aggressive, too strong, too sassy [and] too s***”, stating: “I’m not like her in real life at all … I’m not flirtatious and super-confident and fearless like her. What I feel onstage I don’t feel anywhere else. It’s an out-of-body experience. I created my stage persona to protect myself so that when I go home I don’t have to think about what it is I do. Sasha isn’t me. The people around me know who I really am.”[32] Although Sasha was born during the making of “Crazy in Love”, Knowles introduced her alter ego with the release of her third album I Am… Sasha Fierce (2008). In February 2010, Knowles announced in an interview with Allure magazine that “Sasha Fierce is done. I killed her”. She then went on saying that she is comfortable enough with herself to be all of those things without an alias, stating: “I don’t need Sasha Fierce anymore, because I’ve grown and now I’m able to merge the two.”[221] In May 2012, Knowles announced that she would be bringing Sasha Fierce back for her Revel shows.[222]
Public image
Knowles at the premiere for her 2006 film, Dreamgirls
Knowles has stated: “I like to dress s*** and I carry myself like a lady,” but she has said that the way she dresses on stage is “absolutely for the stage”.[223] The media often use the term “Bootylicious” (a portmanteau of the words booty and delicious), to describe Knowles because of her curves.[224][225][226] The term was made widely known by the Destiny’s Child single of the same name, and has been added to the Oxford English Dictionary.[227] As someone who is fond of fashion, Knowles combines its artistic elements with her music videos and performances. According to Italian fashion designer Roberto Cavalli, she uses different styles and tries to harmonize it with the music while performing.[228] The B’Day Anthology Video Album showed many instances of fashion-oriented footage, depicting classic to contemporary wardrobe styles.[229] People magazine recognized Knowles as the best-dressed celebrity in 2007.[230] Knowles’ mother wrote a 2002-published book, titled Destiny’s Style: Bootylicious Fashion, Beauty and Lifestyle Secrets From Destiny’s Child, an account of how fashion had an impact on Destiny’s Child’s success.[231] As one of the most media-exposed black celebrities in the United States, Knowles has often received criticism that some believe is due to racism and sexism.[232] Toure of Rolling Stone stated that since the release of Dangerously in Love (2003), “[Beyoncé] has become a crossover s** symbol a la Halle Berry …”[233] In 2006, the animal rights organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), criticized Knowles for wearing fur coats and using fur in her clothing line House of Deréon.[234]
External images
Knowles’ Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover from February 15, 2007
During the release of Rihanna’s second album A Girl Like Me (2006), many critics felt that her image was too heavily similar to Knowles’.[235] Some media even claimed that Jay-Z fashioned her to be a replica of Knowles.[236] Amina Taylor of The Guardian described Rihanna as the “Bajan Beyoncé”.[235] In 2007, Knowles was featured on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, and became the first non-model and non-athlete woman to pose on the issue, and the second model of African American descent after Tyra Banks.[237] In the same year, Knowles appeared on billboards and newspapers across the United States showing her holding an antiquated cigarette holder. Taken from the back cover of B’Day, the image provoked response from an anti-smoking group, stating that she did not need to add the cigarette holder “to make herself appear more sophisticated”.[238] Knowles has several wax figures of herself at Madame Tussauds Wax Museums in major cities around the world, including New York,[239] Washington, D.C.,[240] Amsterdam,[241] Bangkok[242] and Hollywood.[243]
In March 2009, comparisons were made between the fashions of Knowles and Ciara, when the latter released the music video of her single “Love S** Magic” (2009).[244] In the video, Ciara is seen wearing a black leotard and metallic glasses, similar to those worn by Knowles in both her “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” and “Diva” videos.[245] However, Ciara stated that her outfits were “inspired by the Vegas shows” she attended.[246] In September 2010, Knowles made her runway modelling debut at Tom Ford’s Spring/Summer 2011 fashion show.[247] In February 2011, LA Times magazine placed Knowles at number 25 on the “50 Most Beautiful Women in Film” list.[248] The following month, she appeared on the cover of French fashion magazine L’Officiel, in honor of the magazine’s 90th anniversary and in tribute to Nigerian musician Fela Kuti. Knowles appeared in blackface and tribal makeup, that drawn criticism from the media. A statement released from a spokesperson for the magazine, said that Knowles’ look was “far from the glamorous Sasha Fierce” and explained that it was “a return to her African roots”.[249] Men’s Health magazine placed Knowles at number 33 on the “100 Hottest Women of All-Time” list.[250] In 2012, she was named “World’s Most Beautiful Woman” by People magazine,[251] and the “Hottest Female Singer of All Time” by Complex magazine.[252]
Legacy
Throughout Knowles’ career, she has earned numerous awards and honors. As a solo artist, she has sold over 13 million albums in the United States and over 75 million records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time.[12][13] Nielsen SoundScan ranked Knowles as the eighth best-selling digital artist in the US, with more than 30.4 million digital singles sold as of January 2012.[11] Her songs “Crazy in Love”, “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)”, “Halo” and “Irreplaceable” are some of the best-selling singles of all time worldwide. Knowles is the seventh biggest-selling female singles artist of all time in the United Kingdom, with more than 6.9 million singles sold as of October 2012.[253] The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) listed Knowles as the Top Certified Artist of the 2000s decade, with a total of 64 certifications, including albums, digital songs, master ringtones and music videos.[9][10] In November 2009, The Observer named her the Artist of the Decade, writing that “she made not one but two of the decade’s greatest singles, with ‘Crazy in Love’ and ‘Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)’, not to mention her hits with Destiny’s Child”.[254] In December 2009, Billboard named Knowles the Top Female Artist and Top Radio Songs Artist of the Decade, and ranked her as the fourth Artist of the Decade.[6][7][8] At the 2007 American Music Awards, Knowles became the first female artist to be honored the International Artist Award.[255] At the 2008 World Music Awards, she was honored the legend award for Outstanding Contribution to the Arts.[256] Knowles was also honored the Billboard Millennium Award at the 2011 Billboard Music Awards, for her “achievements and influence in the music industry”.[257] She has won 16 Grammy Awards, both as a solo artist and member of Destiny’s Child, making her the third most honored female artist by the Grammys.[258][259]
Knowles performing during her I Am… Tour in 2009.
Knowles’ debut solo album Dangerously in Love was ranked at number 183 on the “Top 200 Definitive Albums” list by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.[260] The music video for “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” achieved fame for its intricate choreography[261] and its deployment of jazz hands with a wrist twist.[262] It has been credited with starting the “first major dance craze of both the new millennium and the Internet”,[106] triggering a number of parodies of the dance choreography.[263][264] The music video inspired a legion of amateur imitators to post videos of themselves performing the choreography on YouTube.[261][263] In 2010, Knowles was ranked at number 52 on VH1′s list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time”.[14] On November 19, 2010, Billboard named her in their “Top 50 R&B/Hip-Hop Artists of the Past 25 Years” list at number 15.[265] In 2011, “Crazy in Love” was declared the “Greatest Song of the 2000s” by VH1.[266] Knowles and her husband Jay-Z made it into the 2011 Guinness Book of Records as the “highest-earning power couple” for collectively earning $122 million in 2009.[267] In September 2011, Knowles set a new Guinness World Record for most tweets per second about her pregnancy.[268] In October 2011, Prefix magazine ranked her first on their list of the “Best Female R&B Singers”, writing “What’s almost unbelievably insane is that not only can Beyoncé sing better than anybody else out there, but she can also dance better than anyone else out there, and unlike virtually every single performer, she can do both at the same time.”[269] She was also ranked 13th on The Root’s list of “The 100 Most Influential African Americans”.[270] In 2012, Knowles was ranked third on VH1′s list of the “100 Greatest Women in Music”.[15] In January 2012, it was announced that Scaptia beyonceae, a species of horse fly found in Northern Queensland, Australia, was named after Knowles. Bryan Lessard, the research scientist who named the species, did so due to the fly’s unique golden hairs on its abdomen, calling it the “all-time diva of flies”.[271] Later that month, Rutgers University in New Jersey introduced a course named after Knowles called “Politicizing Beyoncé”.[272] The course allows students to explore the “social and cultural significance” of Knowles’ music and image, including her alter ego Sasha Fierce and whether Knowles “racy performances” are of female sexual empowerment or “merely complying with western gender stereotypes”.[272]
Artists have cited her as an inspiration, including Alexandra Burke,[273] Jessica Sanchez,[274] Leona Lewis,[275] Misha B,[276] Nicole Scherzinger,[277] Rachel Crow,[278] and Rita Ora.[279] Rihanna stated, “when she came out with Dangerously in Love … I was like ‘wow, I want to be just like that.’ She’s huge and just an inspiration and one of the artists that I admire a lot.”[280] Jessie J stated that she would like to be as successful as Knowles within the next decade.[281] JoJo cited Knowles as an inspiration in her music, stating: “I think she’s incredible as an entertainer, a role model, and a writer. I think she can do it all.”[282] Adele stated that she was inspired by Knowles’ alter ego Sasha Fierce, to create her own named Sasha Carter. The composite of Sasha Fierce and late country icon June Carter, is pulled out whenever she needs to give herself a shot of confidence.[283] Adele said: “I don’t know her but she’s a huge part of my life … Everything I refer to has always got something to do with Destiny’s Child or her. She just knows what she wants. She’s in control of it all. She’s classy. She’s still totally f****** relevant. And just a nice person.”[284] Hillary Scott of the country pop group Lady Antebellum stated she admires Knowles as a female artist.[285] Azealia Banks stated, “I definitely think career-wise and personally, I’m very, very inspired by Beyoncé. She’s so well-mannered and so classy and so well-poised. It’s important to have those kinds of skills.”[286] Australian recording artist Ricki-Lee Coulter cited Knowles as one of her musical influences, stating: “She’s so driven, she pushes herself to the limits and she’s achieved so much but she’s always looking for what that next thing is and how she can improve from what she’s done in the past. She’s really setting the benchmark for female artists and I think she kind of is the Michael Jackson of this generation.”[287] Cheryl Cole cited Knowles as a big inspiration for her career, stating: “I just think she’s such a beautiful person, inside and out. Apart from what she does on the stage, which is obviously incredible and aspirational, I just like her as a woman … She’s empowering, and I like that.”[288] Kelly Rowland cited Knowles as an inspiration for her second solo album Ms. Kelly (2007), and as one of her style icons.[289][290] American indie rock band White Rabbits also cited her an inspiration for their third album Milk Famous (2012).[291] British girl group Little Mix cited Knowles as an influence for their single “Wings” (2012).[292] Nicki Minaj stated that seeing Knowles’ Pepsi commercial influenced her to appear in Pepsi’s 2012 global campaign. She said: “Out of the people that have done something with Pepsi, I think I was probably the most influenced by the Beyoncé commercial. I felt like this is a young black girl, early on in her career and she’s doing something so iconic and I never thought in a billion years that Pepsi would reach out to someone like me.”[293]
Gwyneth Paltrow has studied Knowles at her live concerts, while learning to become a musical performer in the film Country Strong (2010).[294] Miranda Lambert stated that Knowles’ concert DVD Live at Wembley inspired her to “take little bits” from Knowles’ performances for her live shows.[295] Trey Songz named Knowles as his favorite female singer and stated: “I followed her since Destiny’s Child’s first single and I truly think she’s deserving of all that she has. She works extremely hard. She’s an amazing performer, vocalist, and even outside of that, she’s an amazing businesswoman. She’s the perfect model for what an artist can be.”[296] Miley Cyrus commented that she would like to be like Knowles, stating: “She is the ultimate woman. You look at her and you don’t think, I wonder what her personal life is like. You look at her and you go, that girl on the stage is a superstar. You don’t care about anything else; you only care about her music. So I would hope that would be me in the future.”[297] Lady Gaga recalled: “I’ve never told Beyoncé this, but I remember laying on my grandmother’s couch crying, and a Destiny’s Child video came on. I remember watching Beyoncé thinking, ‘Oh, she’s a star. I want that. I want to be on MTV’. And now I’m in music videos with Beyoncé.”[298] Blondie frontwoman Debbie Harry revealed that she was disappointed that she never became a “megastar” like Knowles, stating: “the temptation to be such a great entertainer and performer like Beyoncé [is] so fantastic. I would adore doing some of that stuff. Her track record with songs is phenomenal; I wish we had as many hits.”[299] Simon Cowell stated that she is “Ambitious, talented, competitive. She defines this new breed of what I call super popstars, and they are all girls at the moment. It’s like a new super species who literally want to rule the world.”[300] Matthew Morrison stated that watching the “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” music video made him realize that Knowles is an icon. “As a singer-dancer myself, I know how hard and how rare it is to have that combination. Beyoncé is so amazing at both and then to see her act as well in Dreamgirls, it’s pretty amazing”.[285] Fergie of The Black Eyed Peas stated: “Beyoncé has always been an icon to me. She’s one of the most talented artists of our generation.”[285]
Other ventures
House of Deréon
Knowles and her mother introduced House of Deréon, a ready-to-wear contemporary women’s fashion line, in 2005.[301] The concept is inspired by three generations of women in their family, with the name Deréon paying tribute to Knowles’ grandmother, Agnèz Deréon, who worked as a seamstress.[302] According to Tina Knowles, the overall style of the line best reflects Knowles’ taste and style.[303] Knowles and her mother founded their family’s company Beyond Productions, which provides the licensing and brand management for Deréon, a “junior lifestyle collection”, and House of Deréon.[301] Products of House of Deréon received public exhibitions through Destiny’s Child’s shows and tours, during their Destiny Fulfilled era.[304][305] The House of Deréon collection features sportswear, denim offerings with fur, outerwear and accessories that include handbags and footwear, which are available at department and specialty stores across the United States and Canada.[301]
In 2005, Knowles teamed up with House of Brands, a local shoe company, to produce a range of footwear for House of Deréon.[306] In January 2008, Starwave Mobile launched Beyoncé Fashion Diva, a “high-style” mobile game with an online social networking component, featuring the House of Deréon collection.[301] In July 2009, Knowles and her mother launched a new junior apparel label, Sasha Fierce for Deréon, for back-to-school selling. The collection included sportswear, outerwear, handbags, footwear, eyewear, lingerie and jewelry.[307] It was available to buy at department stores including Macy’s and Dillard’s, and specialty stores Jimmy Jazz and Against All Odds.[307] On May 27, 2010, Knowles teamed up with clothing store C&A to launch Der
B**** GET A FUCKN LIFE!! POSTN ALL DAT S***!!
@”THAT GRAPE JUICE” WHY Are you all Sitting there and letting this “ONE SINGLE ASS HOLE” Spoil the Blogging experience for all the rest of us??????????????????????
I KNOW I AM A HOT MESS BUT I DON’T THINK I AM HALF AS
HOOKED ON PHONICS AS THIS ONE SINGLE “ASS HOLE”,,,,DANG!
@ Laxative, Stfu. You do the same exact s*** so you have absolutely no room to talk. Have a seat b**** ——-> _/
Can’t wait.
She is hotter than Bey the cheater/scammer of 21st century..
😛
Im sure people like my name….right????
hahahhaahhaahaha
Cuntyawnce Knowles———> Fantasia Barrino 🙁
Love me baby !!!!!
hey kids, it’s time to go to bed, how old are u seriously? given the level of comments, I would say 15 years max, if you have more, it’s just shameful!
go make your worship rihanna elsewhere, such as on the related topics for example.
BEYONCE IS A LIP SINGING FRAUD YALL!!!!!
SHE REALLY TRIED TO PLAY THE PUBLIC SMH GET READY FOR HER TO LIP SING DURING THE SUPERBOWL TO!!!
Get a life
Bey is the fraud of America….Oprah agrees, y’all 🙂
Beyonce is a smelly c*** who scamming you all… 😉
N**** please sit the hell down!
Lol leave BEY alone let her lip if she wants
Bey is fake just like her wet smelly p**** 🙁
Bey is the faker..just like she fake her A** baby…!!!
LMAO….They Still Dragging Bey On Twitter OMG!!!
Yes…everywhere. Including the sewege and public toilets…too. Thats how Bey is famous for…
Hahhahaahahahhahaaa
YOU SOUND JEALOUS THAT YOUR FAVE WILL NEVER PERFORM AT THE INAUGURATION OR SUPERBOWL LIKE KING BEY!!!!!
BEYONCE WILL BE OKAY. SHE’S STILL MOVING FORWARD ON HER JOURNEY!
KING BEY STILL MAKING THAT MONEY!
Hahahahahaha, YOU little minions crack me up!
Bey————–> Janet————–> COFFIN 🙁
stop that!
Bey —————–> Toni Braxton————-> Aretha.
I’m glad she got exposed F*** HER
Bey is pouting with her a** baby… 🙁
-_- What the f*** does any of that stupid s*** have to do with this post? Take your wackass arguments to a Beyonce and Rihanna.
Im looking forward to this, might buy it if i hear something i like.
Before y’all Nicki fans call her an “old b****”, she is only 4 years older than Nicki.
her first 2 albums were fire!
Im looking forward for Bey to retire with Kelly Rowland
🙂
4 yrs is a long time, ugly
That means Nicki was only 14 and Eve was a grown woman !
Nicki still wack as f*** so what is your point?
You still commenting about her u got problem A*** F*****?
can’t believe this flop is still trying just give it up girl your album won’t sell anymore than 4k booo
Flop like Bey 4 album…. RIP
😛
Atleast she doin somethin…unlike kim lyn ass. Go EVE!
at least she is not like Bey is a liar cheater and scammer …ya’ll 🙁
I heard Missy is coming out with something too.
Wow May…
Let me say right now if she plans to do 0 promo or one or two shows like BET and Wendy Williams she should just not bring out the album because the flop will be off the charts.
I like Eve…but these gals need to know the music world doesn’t work that way, if you’re not promo-ing your ass off with 2-3 videos already filmed and waiting you’re wasting your time.
wow….lipped infront of National TV….how low and c*** is that?????
LMFAOOOOO @ Vicious !!! u HIT IT!
Grrrrrrrrrrrl this s*** gon flop hard no shade
Flop like Bey’s National Anthem….try again, b**** !!!!
🙁
Sorry honey we have Nicki now take yo ass down to the welfare office precious….
why would she take her ass to the welfare office? just bcuz u have??? she has a multi millionaire as a bf…now u on the other hand will neva neva neva… have dat kinda sweet life …ugly soul
I F****** CAN NOT ! SHADE !
All yall hating a** b****** that are stuck on nicki need to #SIT IT THE F*** DOWN..EVE came before nicki and her rhymes have always been sick..period..she was never a flop to the idiot who said that btw..one of the hardest female mc’s of our time..and wait the grammys are coming up and where are any of nicki’s nominations……..don’t worry i’ll wait for a response..
Keep waiting, ugly Nicki been nominated 4x and performed solo… SIT DOWNE N*****!
Yet the clown b**** still didn’t win any Grammys. ——> _/
Yet it took eve a song w/ a white Rock b**** . LMAOOOOoo
Nickis noms were solo >> u make no sense, dumb N*****
Beywance Knowles…..a stupid fcking c*** of all… 😀
yes she is can’t stand that w****
Gurl please, you both are the same username. Just stop.
She Bad Bad
SHE FLOP FLOP LIKE YOUR FAVS LAST ALBUM HAHAHA
HAHAHA she is such a FLOP but you can’t keep her name out of your mouth so that in and of itself speaks volume because this post has nothing to do with her but you still mentioning her. Isn’t the rule don’t study FLOPS and b**** you fav LG love B enough to work with her so swallow that p****.
Flop like Bey giving birth to her A** baby… 🙁
Honey your fav was the one desperate for GaGa to get on her video flop song..so dont come for her fav because your fav is a s***** lieing flop
BORN THIS WAY >>>>>>>> 4CLOSURE
And your fav is kat deluna so theres no room for you to discredit Beyonce.
NICKI >>>>>>>>>>>>>>
Bey———Nicki————–Rita Whora
Oh the delusion…
All she needs is a hit and some decent promo, then she might have a chance…..
All she needs is lipped like Bey and then retire… 😀
Sybil you’re not fooling anyone so stop with the multiple usernames.
Bey ———————-> Janet————————->Rihanna
-_- Enough with the delusion. Janet is light years ahead of both those h*** so don’t even.
I’m sorry who?! does she rap sing dance or act not familiar with her work…
in fact, it is about her? When was the last to Topic Kit & kat deluflop?
Hahahahahahhaha
And who the f*** is Kat Delunatic?
Aretha just shaded Bey like only she can….lmao
What, can u read stupid h**? How was it shade. Ill copy and past what she said.
“When I heard the news this evening that she was pre-recorded I really laughed,” Franklin told ABC News. “I thought it was funny because the weather down there was about 46 or 44 degrees and for most singers that is just not good singing weather. The Queen of Soul said she “cracked up” at all the backlash, adding that she would probably do the same thing next time.”
http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/gossip/aretha-franklin-cracked-lip-synching-controversy-article-1.1245654?localLinksEnabled=false
another typical hood f**…..she’ll never have another number one hit with this type of broke ass fan base….i pity her
People just cant keep Beyonce name out of their mouths. Like please give it a rest, its embarassing now your name is even about her.
HONEY JUST WORRY ABOUT ADELE FAT FUNKY ASS STFU & MIND YO OWN
HONEY JUST WORRY ABOUT FLOPLUNA UGLY FACE STFU & MIND YO OWN
Honey you are the last person to be giving some tired ass advice. The only thing you need to do is worry about those major flop sales from Kat.
A post about EVE turns into a Beyonce post.Love it continue and amuse me because i can’t laughing at the sorry souls.
I’m loving the beyonce shade she definitely deserve its been a long time coming but I sense this will be the end of her career get ready for her to announce that this will be her last album & she will retire
Its not shade hun its basic hating. Shade is too much of a compliment!
And Kats career never started! So sit the f*** down.
Beyonce career is only something because her dad had her prostituting all thru the industry just to get a record deal & stay on top …if kats father was as desperate & disgusting as bey father I’m pretty sure she’d be just as big
lmao! You’re loving the shade made by your own multiple usernames. I just can’t with this simple b**** lol.
Yall B****** BE TAKING IT TO THE EXTREME YALL be worry about the wrong s***
what does Beyonce have to do with Eve tho…..yall hate her but she forever stay on ur mind
well is “she bad bad” is any indication what the album is gonna sounds like.. i will not be buying this!! that song flopped harder than flip flops and she got the nerve to try to release a remix in the next couple of days girl bye!! …. the only way i see her getting somewhere is if she releases a hot club song with a male rapper as a feature other than that zzzzzzzzzzzz…..
Atleast Kat Delunas Father didnt trick her out like beyonce father…. beyonce father made beyonce a prostitute at age 11 so sad he had beyonce swallowing loads of c** & f****** industry n***** just to get a record contract… Kat had a father who loved her she was brought up with morals unlike beyHOEce…
someone needs to tell these has beens to stay at their 9-5 desk jobs no one is checking for them
YAWN u ppl think this spells the end of her career are hilarious all popstars get backlash in their career let me not list some of the worst scandals and accusations from the old school that blew up WITHOUT twitter and it never done s*** to them in the long. B****** be getting too excited!
Oh no, a lot of people care about the fact that she is a successful Black Woman. That’s why she is always under a level of scrutiny that very few other artists face. Every facet of her existence is picked apart by people desperate to find a fault in her. And when they think they’ve found something, they beat it into the ground. Has Beyonce had issues with accusations of plagiarism? Yes. Most artists have during some point of their career. That’s because next to nothing in music is truly original. The only reason other artists aren’t called out on it as ferociously is because they aren’t perceived as threats to the carefully constructed societal norms of what makes a successful person. Very few artists have dealt with the kind of malice and outright slander that Beyonce has to put up with. But very few artists have been as talented, beautiful, successful, and level-headed as she is, either. And that’s the point. Beyonce incites hate because of something more than just disagreement over her business practices. Her immense talent and success obviously bring something deep-seeded and ugly to the surface of her detractors. Something personal. Something as personal and ugly and deep-seeded as the hatred of her proud existence as a Woman of Color.
Bey is disgraceful… Obama’s puppet !!!!!
TAKE THAT ESSAY ELSEWHERE FAT BLACK F*****…YOUR FAV HAS BEEN EXPOSED FOR THE FRAUD B**** SHE IS HAHAHA
Bey—————————> Ciara———–> Graveyard
😛
Beyonce exposed…..Hhahahahahahahaha, deal with it ya’ll
How is her first single doing? that she be a prediction for her album… *Stirs tea with straw*
*should
RIP….Bey fans… you guys are morons… 🙁
WHO DA FUXX IS KAT DELUNA FOR REAL U SHADING THE LEGENDARY BEYONCE BUT KAT IS A NO HIT WONDER B**** U MAD AND AS FOR EVE,FLOP NO ONE CARES BUT SHE STILL MORE SUCCESSFUL THAN KAT FLOPLUNA
Beywance————————> Fantasia Barino 😉
Kathleen Emperatriz “Kat” DeLuna (born November 17,[2] 1987[1]) is a Dominican American pop singer and dancer. DeLuna has a soprano vocal range.[3] Her debut single, “Whine Up”, reached the top ten in Belgium and France, peaked inside the top forty of the US Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. Her debut album, 9 Lives, was released in 2007. It peaked at number fifty-eight on the USBillboard 200 and charted within the top twenty of Belgium and Poland. In 2008, DeLuna began work on her second studio album, Inside Out. It was released in Belgium in 2010, peaking at number sixteen.
In 2007, DeLuna won “Best New Artist” at the Los Premios MTV Latinoamérica 2007 awards. In 2008, she won “Best New Artist” and “Best Urban Artist” at the TMF Awards. DeLuna’s single, “Whine Up”, won the award for “Latin Dance Club Play Track Of The Year” at the 2008 Latin Billboard Music Awards. She also won a Casandra Award in 2008 for “Best International Artist”.
Kat DeLuna is planning to release her new album, “ViVa Out Loud” towards the end of 2012.[4]
B**** are you really quoting Wikipedia? Good lord, sweetie take your tired ass essay and throw it in the garbage where it belongs because it’s irrelevant just like Kat Deflop’s( the pop tart princess) career.
Oh thanks
Kat Deluna *Pop Princess* unlike you I can have a favorite artist and like other artist and support their work. Yes Beyonce is my fav but i don’t jump on here tearing down other artist because of Beyonce. So don’t hate on Beyonce because Kat Deluna ain’t popping it is because she had one good album and the rest were s***** as f****** hell and you said you think that Deluna should get as much praise as beyonce well guess what coming on a site and dragging Rihanna and Beyonce is not going to help your mission remember what happened to Keri Hilson.
NO F*** WHAT YOUR TALKING ABOUT YOU GUYS NEVER SHOW KAT ANY LOVE AND SUPPORT IM SO FEED UP WITH PEOPLE NOT GIVING HER THE RESPECT SHE DESERVES SHE HAD ONE OF THE BIGGEST HITS OF 07 JUST AS BIG AS UMBRELLA
SMH I HATE BEYONCE FANS THE MOST THEY ACT LIKE EVERY OTHER FEMALE ARTIST IS IRRELEVANT BESIDES BEYFRAUD… PISSES ME OFFF!!!!!!!!
well since i’m on here they has never been Kat Deluna post……….so I don’t how the hell I can show support……..I only talk about who the article concerns. So wait I have to single every artist I support. child bye.You know what my ITUNES the one that rally matters speaks.Thank You and please don’t group with all Hive members because my previous comments on other artist speaks for themselves.
@Kat Deflop *Pop tart Princess* B**** please, it’s not just the Bey-hive who thinks Kat Delunatic is an irrelevant flop. Practically every other fan base on this website and the writers of this website couldn’t care less about that clown so stop obsessing over the Bey-hive.
Kat de Luna ——————–> Beyonce————————> Ciara LOL
DONT COME FOR KAT CAUSE BEYONCE A FRAUD
Kathleen Emperatriz “Kat” DeLuna (born November 17,[2] 1987[1]) is a Dominican American pop singer and dancer. DeLuna has a soprano vocal range.[3] Her debut single, “Whine Up”, reached the top ten in Belgium and France, peaked inside the top forty of the US Billboard Hot 100 and topped the Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart. Her debut album, 9 Lives, was released in 2007. It peaked at number fifty-eight on the USBillboard 200 and charted within the top twenty of Belgium and Poland. In 2008, DeLuna began work on her second studio album, Inside Out. It was released in Belgium in 2010, peaking at number sixteen.
In 2007, DeLuna won “Best New Artist” at the Los Premios MTV Latinoamérica 2007 awards. In 2008, she won “Best New Artist” and “Best Urban Artist” at the TMF Awards. DeLuna’s single, “Whine Up”, won the award for “Latin Dance Club Play Track Of The Year” at the 2008 Latin Billboard Music Awards. She also won a Casandra Award in 2008 for “Best International Artist”.
Kat DeLuna is planning to release her new album, “ViVa Out Loud” towards the end of 2012.[4]
Erm thats like s*** on the bottom of Beys stilletto compared to her CV
I f****** hate black people! They don’t buy records they save they money for KFC chicken with a soda on the side. And they listen to beyonce who married a big lip cotton picking m***** & they also listen to Rihanna who f*** every industry n**** for a hot feature. Then she lets the men beat her ass until she gets media ATTENION.
Blacks don’t feed there kids they leave them in a crack house with drug dealers who listen to wu-tang clan & has s** with kids u under 10. Blacks also brought crack cocaine into this world to harm my white people.. But we ain’t having it we gonna put a stop to nappy headed n****** in are face.
Make sure ya go cop my debut album “somethin bout kreay” I hope you bum n****** have enough money to buy a 10 album at hot topic. Black people are sooooo poor it ain’t funny.
Follow me on twitter at kreayshawn
Friend me on Facebook
Subscribe to me on youtub
LOL who thumed this up LOL imma do it too then I love bandwagons!!!!!!!
@ Crayola Krayon, Don’t be a bitter b**** just because your album got in the world record book for the most flopped album ever.
BEYONCE———> LADY GAGA….
🙁
@KREAYSHAWN heeeeeeeey grrrl you ready to read these negros.?
Hey girl, what’s up? He’ll yeah I’m ready to read these negros right back to KFC line. I ain’t playing with beehives today them n****** is always in my mentions on twitter talking s***. I don’t got time for they asses I will throw a checkrn leg at they head f*** them n******
YOU LIKE MY NEW NICKNAME???? 😉
-_- You are so basic. Don’t act like no one knows that all three of these usernames are from the same person.
Queen Beyonce is getting all the controversial headlines and attention Rihanna desperately craves.
Remixes and Collaborations in the works #NoBodysBusiness but its’s actually #NoOneCares
Stupid n****** like to refresh the damn page so they can see who is disrespecting beyonce. B**** I don’t care about beyonce and her n***** babies. They can eat my p**** f*** beyonce and that crazy ass beyonce Stan who comments on everybody comments. S*** I’m kreayshawn who the f*** think I am? Some n***** picking cotton in the born yard in Texas. F*** NO! I’m kreayshawn I’m the real lest white b**** you know I don’t f*** with broke nappy headed fat n******
Beyonce, Beyonce, Beyonce, Beyonce, Beyonce, always about Beyonce. This is an Eve post. Bey really got you b****** pressed.
Queen Beyonce is getting all the controversial headlines and attention Rihanna desperately craves.
Remixes and Collaborations in the works; weed pics and n*** pics overload like it’s #NoBodysBusiness but its’s actually #NoOneCares
LMAO so the scum has been caught trying to scam America by lipping the national anthem, and now her damage control crew is in overdrive trying to conjure up cooked up facts lmao. The so called “King” couldn’t even sing the national anthem live when Kelly Clarkson sang live, in the same conditions…I can’t lmao.
BeyFRAUD is simply getting what is coming to her and her SB performance will not be any different. We all know what to expect from the Tina Turner wig to having a seizure on stage (and call it dancing). The damage has been done and the media now has their guns pointed at the fraud, watch as they expose the thieving b****.
Time to utilize that exit clause PepsiCo???
Queen Beyonce is getting all the controversial headlines and attention Rihanna desperately craves.
Remixes and Collaborations in the works; weed pics and n*** pics overload like it’s #NoBodysBusiness but its’s actually #NoOneCares
MY NAME SAYS IT ALL ….Y’ALL !!!!
Queen Beyonce is getting all the controversial headlines and attention Rihanna desperately craves.
Remixes and Collaborations in the works; weed pics and n*** pics overload like it’s #NoBodysBusiness but its actually #NoOneCares
Coming to this has-been flop b**** EvE, I need a waitress for my restaurant, I have a part-time position ready for you. This music thing you’re trying to do is going nowhere FLOP. Call my assistant for an interview.
Queen Beyonce is getting all the controversial headlines and attention Rihanna desperately craves. And she will still remain a top b****.
Remixes and Collaborations in the works; weed pics and n*** pics overload like it’s #NoBodysBusiness but its’s actually #NoOneCares
Beehives so f****** disrespectful if ya ever bring ya nappy headed kool-aid drinking ass in my mentions again I will take a f****** comb in stick that damn thing so deep in you’re f****** nappy roots you gonna be calling for you’re mommas. I can’t stand beyonce Stan’s they are soo f****** disrespectful I wish I could close down the KFC then but they will start to act right cause there is no chicken in there life.
Tell beyonce to comb that damn baby hair to s*** looking like something straight out the f****** crack house WTF! I dare a beyonce Stan to come in my twitter mention with some slick s*** you’re negro ass will be getting you’re ass beat
I LIKE YOU N**** !!!! 😛
No this isn’t Right! I might have to join the HIVE again! I was a loyal fan to Beyonce and I dragged her last post because of Rita but here no I cannot condone it. If the Beyonce shade gets to outa hand I might have to defend her. Rihanna’s music is still Better then Beyonce’s and Beyonce’s abilities are greater then Rihanna’s. Im stanning for Rihanna right now but please go easy on Beyonce we had our fun dragging her in the name of Rihanna lets not go overboard cuz it will make me feel bad and want to help my former fave!
Queen Beyonce is getting all the controversial headlines and attention Rihanna desperately craves.
Remixes and Collaborations in the works; weed pics and n*** pics overload like it’s #NoBodysBusiness but its’s actually #NoOneCares
Stay Pressed!
You dont have ‘officially’ stan for one and go against the other… Just support both where its necessary.
I get you, I mainly stan for Mimi but sometimes I feel so bad about Beyonce getting dragged hard by the Navy so I defend her at times.
Yessssssssss I am ready for my Pit bull in a skirt now lioness in lobutins to show’em real hip hop. Ready for that album EvE. Check out the remix to she bad bad ft push t and juicy j it goes harder than the original. Its fiyah. Haters can exit to the left bcuz she’s back and u will most certainly deal bitchessssss.
IM LITERALLY CRYING READING THESE COMMENTS HOW SICK CAN YOU PEOPLE BE TO ATTACK MY LORD N HER CHILD LIKE THAT F*** YOU ALL!
BEYSUS IS NOT A BAD PERSON STOP ATTACKING HER ON SOMETHING THATS SO DAMN PETTY YOU CAN ALL DIE LIKE. AALIYAH TBH CRASH N BURN B****** ESP THE NAVY & BARBS IM TIRED OF THEY B******* DIE!!!!
Queen Beyonce is getting all the controversial headlines and attention Rihanna desperately craves.
Remixes and Collaborations in the works; weed pics and n*** pics overload like it’s #NoBodysBusiness but its’s actually #NoOneCares
Stay Pressed and mad!
this girl looks like she is going to elope with that Gorilla Jay-Z
God Bless her..
Queen Beyonce is getting all the controversial headlines and attention Rihanna desperately craves.
Remixes and Collaborations in the works; weed pics and n*** pics overload like it’s #NoBodysBusiness but its’s actually #NoOneCares
#Queen2013
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter[2][3] (born September 4, 1981), known mononymously as Beyoncé ( /biˈjɒnseɪ/ bee-yon-say), is an American singer, songwriter, dancer and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in performing arts schools and was first exposed to singing and dancing competitions as a child. Knowles rose to fame in the late 1990s as the lead singer of Destiny’s Child, one of the world’s best-selling girl groups of all time.
During the hiatus of Destiny’s Child, Knowles released her debut solo album, Dangerously in Love, in 2003, which spawned two number-one singles on the Billboard Hot 100—”Crazy in Love” and “Baby Boy”—and became one of the most successful albums of that year, earning her a then record-tying five Grammy Awards. Following the disbandment of Destiny’s Child in 2005, Knowles released her second solo album, B’Day, in 2006, which spawned the top ten singles “Déjà Vu”, “Irreplaceable” and “Beautiful Liar”. Her third solo album I Am… Sasha Fierce (2008), spawned the hit singles “If I Were a Boy”, “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)”, “Halo” and “Sweet Dreams”. The album helped Knowles earn six Grammys in 2010, breaking the record for most Grammy Awards won by a female artist in one night. Knowles’ fourth solo album, 4 (2011), became her fourth consecutive number one album on the Billboard 200 as a solo artist. This made her the third artist in the chart’s history to have her first four studio albums debut atop the chart.
Apart from her work in music, Knowles has also ventured into acting and designing clothes and various perfumes. She made her acting debut in the musical TV film Carmen: A Hip Hopera (2001), prior to appearing in major films, Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002), The Fighting Temptations (2003), Dreamgirls (2006), which earned her two Golden Globe nominations, Cadillac Records (2008) and Obsessed (2009). Knowles introduced her family’s fashion line House of Deréon in 2005, and has endorsed such brands as L’Oréal, Pepsi, Tommy Hilfiger, Nintendo and Vizio. In 2010, Knowles was ranked first on Forbes list of the “100 Most Powerful and Influential Musicians in the World”,[4] and second on its list of the “100 Most Powerful and Influential Celebrities in the World”.[5]
Knowles’ work has earned her numerous awards and accolades, including 16 Grammy Awards, 12 MTV Video Music Awards, a Billboard Millennium Award, and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame with Destiny’s Child. In 2009, Billboard named her the Top Female Artist and Top Radio Songs Artist of the 2000s decade,[6][7] and ranked her as the fourth Artist of the Decade.[8] The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) also recognized Knowles as the Top Certified Artist of the 2000s.[9][10] She is the eighth best-selling digital artist in the United States, with more than 30.4 million digital singles sold as of January 2012.[11] Knowles has sold over 13 million albums in the US and over 75 million records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time.[12][13] In 2010, she appeared on VH1′s list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time”,[14] and was ranked third on their “100 Greatest Women in Music” list in 2012.[15] In April 2008, Knowles married American rapper Jay-Z, and gave birth to their first child, Blue Ivy Carter, in January 2012.
Contents [hide]
1 Biography
1.1 1981–96: Early life and career beginnings
1.2 1997–2001: Destiny’s Child era and depression
1.3 2002–07: Films, Dangerously in Love, Destiny Fulfilled and B’Day
1.4 2008–10: Marriage, I Am… Sasha Fierce and films
1.5 2011: New management and 4
1.6 2012: Motherhood and upcoming projects
2 Artistry
2.1 Music and voice
2.2 Influences
2.3 Stage and alter ego
2.4 Public image
3 Legacy
4 Other ventures
4.1 House of Deréon
4.2 Products and endorsements
5 Philanthropy
6 Discography
7 Filmography
8 Tours and revues
9 See also
10 References
11 External links
Biography
1981–96: Early life and career beginnings
Knowles was born in Houston, Texas, the daughter of Mathew Knowles, a professional record manager, and Tina Knowles (née Beyincé), a costume designer and hair stylist. Knowles’ father is African American. Her mother, a Louisiana Creole, has African, French, Native American, and Irish ancestry; she is a descendant of Acadian leader Joseph Broussard.[16][17] Knowles was baptized after her mother’s maiden name, as a tribute to her mother.[16] She is the elder sister of Solange Knowles, a singer, songwriter and actress.
Knowles was educated at St. Mary’s Elementary School in Fredericksburg, Texas, in the Texas Hill Country, where she was enrolled in dance classes, including ballet and jazz. Her talent in singing was discovered when her dance instructor began humming a song and she finished it, hitting the high-pitched notes.[18] Knowles’ interest in music and performing began after participating in a school talent show. She sang John Lennon’s “Imagine” and won the competition.[19][20] At age seven, Knowles started gaining attention from the press, having been mentioned in the Houston Chronicle as a nominee for the local performing arts award The Sammy.[21] In the fall of 1990, Knowles enrolled in Parker Elementary School, a music magnet school in Houston, where she would perform on-stage with the school’s choir.[18] She also attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston[22] and later went to Alief Elsik High School, located in the Houston suburban munincipality, Alief.[16][23] Knowles was a member of the choir at St. John’s United Methodist Church for two years, performing as a soloist.[18][24]
At the age of eight, Knowles met LaTavia Roberson while in an audition for an all-girl entertainment group.[25] They, along with Knowles’ childhood friend Kelly Rowland, were placed into a group that performed rapping and dancing.[26] Originally named Girl’s Tyme, they were eventually cut down to six members.[18] West coast R&B producer Arne Frager flew into Houston to see them. He eventually brought them to his studio, The Plant Recording Studios, in Northern California, with Knowles’ vocals being featured.[18] As part of efforts to sign Girl’s Tyme to a major label record deal, Frager’s strategy was to début them in Star Search, the biggest talent show on national TV at the time.[18] Girl’s Tyme participated in the competition but lost it because the song they performed was not good, Knowles herself admitted.[27][28] Knowles had her first “professional setback” after that defeat but regained confidence after learning that pop stars Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake had also the same experience.[18] To manage the group, Knowles’ father (who was at that time a medical-equipment salesman) resigned in 1995 from his job.[29] He dedicated his time and established a “boot camp” for their training.[30] The move reduced Knowles’ family’s income by half and her parents were forced to move into separated apartments.[16] Not long after the inclusion of Rowland, Mathew cut the original lineup to four,[18] with LeToya Luckett joining in 1993.[25] Rehearsing in Tina’s Headliners Salon and their backyards, the group continued performing as an opening act for other established R&B girl groups of the time;[25] Tina contributed to the cause by designing their costumes, which she continued to do throughout the Destiny’s Child era. With the continued support of Mathew, they auditioned before record labels and were finally signed to Elektra Records. They moved to Atlanta to work on their first recording, only to be cut by the record company in 1995. They returned home to start over again.[16] This eventually put a strain on the family, and Beyoncé’s parents separated briefly when she was 14. In 1996, the family reunited, and shortly after, the girls got a contract with Columbia Records.[19]
1997–2001: Destiny’s Child era and depression
Main article: Destiny’s Child
Destiny’s Child performing “Say My Name”
The group changed its name to Destiny’s Child in 1993, based on a passage in the Book of Isaiah.[25] Together, they performed in local events and after four years on the road, the group was signed to Columbia Records in late 1997. That same year, Destiny’s Child recorded their major label début song “Killing Time” for the soundtrack to the 1997 film, Men in Black.[25][28] The following year, the group released their self-titled debut album,[27] scoring their first major hit “No, No, No”. The album established the group as a viable act in the music industry, amassing moderate sales and winning the group three Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards for Best R&B/Soul Single for “No, No, No”, Best R&B/Soul Album of the Year and Best R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist.[25] The group released their multi-platinum second album The Writing’s on the Wall in 1999. The record features some of the group’s most widely known songs such as “Bills, Bills, Bills”, the group’s first number-one single, “Jumpin’ Jumpin’” and “Say My Name”, which became their most-successful song at the time, and would remain one of their signature songs. “Say My Name” won the Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and the Best R&B Song at the 43rd Grammy Awards.[25] The Writing’s on the Wall sold more than eight million copies.[27] During this time, Knowles recorded a duet with Marc Nelson on the song “After All Is Said and Done” for the soundtrack to the 1999 film, The Best Man.
Luckett and Roberson filed a lawsuit against the group for breach of contract. Michelle Williams and Farrah Franklin appeared in the music video of “Say My Name”, implying that Luckett and Roberson had already been replaced.[25] Eventually, Luckett and Roberson left the group. Franklin would eventually fade from the group after five months,[27] as evidenced by her absences during promotional appearances and concerts. She attributed her departure to negative vibes in the group resulting from the strife.[25] During this time, Knowles had experienced depression from an accumulation of struggles: the publicized split of Luckett and Roberson, being publicly attacked by the media, critics and blogs for causing the split-up,[31] and a longstanding boyfriend (that she had dated from age 13 to 19) leaving her.[32][33] The depression was so severe it lasted for a couple of years, during which she kept herself in her bedroom for days and refused to eat anything. Knowles stated that she struggled to speak about her depression because Destiny’s Child had just won their first Grammy Award and she feared no one would take her seriously.[34] All of these events had made her question herself and who her friends were, describing the situation she said, “Now that I was famous, I was afraid I’d never find somebody again to love me for me. I was afraid of making new friends.”[32] She acknowledges her mother Tina Knowles for helping her out of her depression, saying: “Why do you think a person wouldn’t love you? Don’t you know how smart and sweet and beautiful you are?”[32]
After settling on their final lineup, the trio recorded “Independent Women Part I”, which appeared on the soundtrack to the 2000 film, Charlie’s Angels. It became their best-charting single, topping the US Billboard Hot 100 chart for eleven consecutive weeks.[25] Later that year, Luckett and Roberson withdrew their case against their now-former band mates, while maintaining the suit against Mathew, which ended in both sides agreeing to stop public disparaging.[25] In early 2001, while Destiny’s Child was completing their third album, Knowles landed a major role in the MTV made-for-television film, Carmen: A Hip Hopera, starring alongside American actor Mekhi Phifer. Set in Philadelphia, the film is a modern interpretation of the 19th century opera Carmen by French composer Georges Bizet.[35] Luckett and Roberson refiled their lawsuit after Destiny’s Child’s third album Survivor was released in May 2001, claiming that the songs were aimed at them.[25] The album débuted at number one on US Billboard 200 chart, with first-week sales of 663,000 copies sold.[36] To date, Survivor has sold over ten million copies worldwide, over forty percent of which were sold in the US alone.[37] The album spawned other number-one hits, “Bootylicious” and the title track, “Survivor”, the latter of which earned the group a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. After releasing their holiday album 8 Days of Christmas in October 2001, the group announced a hiatus to pursue solo careers.[25]
2002–07: Films, Dangerously in Love, Destiny Fulfilled and B’Day
Knowles performing “Baby Boy”, which spent nine consecutive weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart[38]
In July 2002, Knowles starred opposite Mike Myers in the comedy film, Austin Powers in Goldmember. She played Foxxy Cleopatra, the female protagonist alongside the film’s lead character Austin Powers, played by Myers.[39] Austin Powers in Goldmember spent its first weekend atop the US box office and grossed $73 million.[40] To promote the film, Knowles released “Work It Out” as the lead single from its soundtrack album.[41] In October 2002, she was featured on her then-boyfriend Jay-Z’s single “’03 Bonnie & Clyde”. The song peaked at number four on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, becoming Knowles’ first top ten single as a solo artist.[42] It also reached the top ten in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.[43][44] Rumors began to circulate about Knowles and Jay-Z’s relationship after the release of “’03 Bonnie & Clyde”.[20] In spite of persistent rumors, they remained discreet about their relationship.[45][46]
After Williams and Rowland released their solo efforts, Knowles released her debut solo album Dangerously in Love on June 24, 2003 in the United States.[47] The album sold 317,000 copies in its first week and debuted atop the Billboard 200 chart.[48] Dangerously in Love has sold 4.9 million copies in the US and has been certified four times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[12][49] It remains as Knowles’ best-selling album to date, with sales of 11 million copies sold worldwide.[50] The album was preceded by the lead single “Crazy in Love”, which features Jay-Z. The song became Knowles’ first number one single as a solo artist in the US, peaking at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for eight consecutive weeks.[51] It also topped the UK Singles Chart, and reached the top-ten in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Ireland, Italy, New Zealand, Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and Switzerland.[44][52] The second single “Baby Boy”, which features dancehall singer Sean Paul, topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for nine consecutive weeks, and reached the top-ten in many countries.[38] Dangerously in Love also produced two other singles, “Me, Myself and I” and “Naughty Girl”, which both reached the top-five on the Billboard Hot 100.[53] The album earned Knowles a then record-tying five awards at the 46th Grammy Awards; Best Contemporary R&B Album, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for “Dangerously in Love 2″, Best R&B Song and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for “Crazy in Love”, and Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals for “The Closer I Get to You” with Luther Vandross.[54] In September 2003, Knowles starred opposite Cuba Gooding, Jr. in the musical comedy film The Fighting Temptations as Lilly, a single mother whom Gooding’s character, Darrin, falls in love with.[55] The film received mixed reviews from critics and grossed $32.7 million at the box office worldwide.[56][57] To promote The Fighting Temptations, Knowles released “Fighting Temptation” as the lead single from the film’s soundtrack album. In November 2003, she embarked on the Dangerously in Love Tour in Europe. She later toured alongside Missy Elliott and Alicia Keys as an ensemble for the Verizon Ladies First Tour in North America.[58]
On February 1, 2004, Knowles performed the American national anthem at Super Bowl XXXVIII, which was held at the Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas.[59] After the release of Dangerously in Love, Knowles had planned to produce a follow-up album using several of the left-over tracks. However, on January 7, 2004, a spokesperson for her record label announced that Knowles had put her plans on hold in order to concentrate on the recording of Destiny Fulfilled, the final studio album by Destiny’s Child.[60] It was released on November 15, 2004 in the United States.[61] The album peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 chart and has been certified three times platinum by the RIAA.[62][63] Destiny Fulfilled spawned the singles “Lose My Breath” and “Soldier”, which both reached the top-five on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[64] In April 2005, Destiny’s Child embarked on their worldwide concert tour, Destiny Fulfilled… and Lovin’ It. During the last stop of their European tour in Barcelona on June 11, 2005, Rowland announced that Destiny’s Child would disband following the North American leg of the tour.[65] The group released their first compilation album Number 1′s on October 25, 2005 in the United States.[66] The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart and was certified platinum by the RIAA.[63][67] In February 2006, Knowles starred opposite Steve Martin in the comedy film The Pink Panther, as international pop star Xania.[68] The film grossed $158.8 million at the box office worldwide.[69] Knowles’ song “Check on It”, which features rapper Slim Thug, was supposed to be featured on the soundtrack album for The Pink Panther but was ultimately not included.[70] “Check on It” peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for five consecutive weeks, becoming Knowles’ third US number-one single as a solo artist.[53][71] In March 2006, Destiny’s Child reunited to accept a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.[72]
Knowles performing during The Beyoncé Experience in May 2007
Knowles’ second solo album B’Day was released on September 5, 2006 in the United States, to coincide with Knowles’ twenty-fifth birthday.[73] It sold 541,000 copies in its first week and debuted atop the Billboard 200 chart, becoming Knowles’ second consecutive number-one album in the US.[74] B’Day has sold 3.3 million copies in the US and has been certified three times platinum by the RIAA.[12][49] Internationally, the album has sold seven million copies worldwide.[75] The album was preceded by the lead single “Déjà Vu”, which features Jay-Z. The song peaked at number four on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and topped the UK Singles Chart.[44][53] The second international single “Irreplacable” was a commercial success worldwide, reaching number one in Australia, Hungary, Ireland and New Zealand, and the top ten in Canada, Denmark, France, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland and the UK.[44][76] In the US, the song peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart for ten consecutive weeks, becoming Knowles’ fourth number-one single as a solo artist.[77] B’Day also produced three other singles, “Ring the Alarm”, “Get Me Bodied” and “Green Light”, which each attained moderate success. In December 2006, Knowles starred opposite Jennifer Hudson, Jamie Foxx and Eddie Murphy in the musical film, Dreamgirls. She played Deena Jones, a pop singer loosely based on Diana Ross.[78] The film received positive reviews from critics and grossed $154.9 million at the box office worldwide.[79][80] To promote Dreamgirls, Knowles released “Listen” as the lead single from the soundtrack album, Dreamgirls: Music from the Motion Picture. She earned several nominations the following year for her role in the film, including Best Original Song for “Listen” and Best Actress at the Golden Globe Awards,[81] Best Performance at the MTV Movie Awards,[82] and Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture at the NAACP Image Awards.[83]
In April 2007, Knowles embarked on The Beyoncé Experience, her first worldwide concert tour. The tour visited ninety-seven venues and grossed $90 million.[84] On April 3, 2007, B’Day was re-released as a deluxe edition, seven months after the release of the original version. In addition to the original track listing, the deluxe edition features five new songs, including “Beautiful Liar”, a duet with Colombian singer Shakira.[85] The song was commercially successful, reaching number one in several countries, such as France, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, Switzerland and the United Kingdom.[44][86] At the 49th Grammy Awards, B’Day was nominated for five awards; Best Contemporary R&B Album, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for “Ring the Alarm”, Best R&B Song and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for Déjà Vu, and Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical for the Freemasons club mix of “Déjà Vu”. The album won the award for Best Contemporary R&B Album.[87] The following year, B’Day received two nominations for Record of the Year for “Irreplaceable” and Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals for “Beautiful Liar”.[88]
2008–10: Marriage, I Am… Sasha Fierce and films
Knowles and Jay-Z performing “Crazy in Love” at the I Am… Tour in 2009
On April 4, 2008, Knowles married Jay-Z in New York City. It became a matter of public record on April 22, 2008.[89] Knowles did not publicly debut her wedding ring until the Fashion Rocks concert on September 5, 2008, in New York City.[90] She finally revealed their marriage through an opening montage video at the listening party for her third studio album, I Am… Sasha Fierce, in Manhattan’s Sony Club on October 22, 2008.[91] In November 2008, Forbes magazine reported that Knowles earned $80 million between June 1, 2007 to June 1, 2008, for her music, tour, films and clothing line.[92] This made her the world’s second best-paid music personality at the time.[93] I Am… Sasha Fierce was released on November 18, 2008 in the United States.[94] The album introduces Knowles’ alter ego Sasha Fierce, who was born during the making of her 2003 single “Crazy in Love”. It sold 482,000 copies in its first week and debuted atop the Billboard 200 chart, giving Knowles her third consecutive number-one album in the US.[95] I Am… Sasha Fierce has sold three million copies in the US and has been certified double platinum by the RIAA.[12][49] Internationally, the album has sold seven million copies worldwide.[96] I Am… Sasha Fierce was preceded by the two lead singles “If I Were a Boy” and “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)”. “If I Were a Boy” was a commercial success, reaching number one in various European countries, such as Denmark, Israel, Netherlands, Norway, Slovakia, Sweden and the United Kingdom.[44][97] “Single Ladies” topped the Billboard Hot 100 chart for four non-consecutive weeks, becoming Knowles’ fifth number-one single in the United States.[98] The album’s third international single “Halo” was also commercially successful, peaking at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and in the top ten in various other countries.[53][99] “Halo”‘s US success helped Knowles achieve more top ten singles on the Hot 100 chart than any other female artist during 2001–10.[100] Another successful single from I Am… Sasha Fierce was “Sweet Dreams”, which also reached the top ten in many countries.[101] The album spawned four other singles, “Diva”, “Ego”, “Broken-Hearted Girl” and “Video Phone”, which each attained moderate success.
In December 2008, Knowles starred as blues singer Etta James in the musical biopic film, Cadillac Records. Her performance in the film received praise from critics.[102] John Kehe of The Christian Science Monitor wrote, “No one can channel Etta – she’s a singular talent – but Beyoncé does it her own way and conjurs enough emotion and grit to make it work in the context of the movie.”[103] Knowles garnered several nominations for her portrayal of James, including a Satellite Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture, and a NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture.[104][105] The music video for “Single Ladies” has been parodied and imitated around the world, spawning the “first major dance craze” of the Internet age.[106] The video won several awards, including Best Video at the 2009 MTV Europe Music Awards,[107] the 2009 MOBO Awards,[108] and the 2009 BET Awards.[109] At the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, the video was nominated for nine awards, ultimately winning three including Video of the Year. Its failure to win the Best Female Video category, which went to American country pop singer Taylor Swift’s “You Belong with Me”, sparked controversy during the ceremony.[110] On January 20, 2009, Knowles performed James’ “At Last” at Barack Obama’s first dance with his wife Michelle during the Neighborhood Ball of his inauguration as President of the United States.[111]
Knowles performing at the I Am… Tour
In March 2009, Knowles embarked on the I Am… Tour, her second headlining concert tour. The tour consisted of 108 shows and grossed $119.5 million.[112] In April 2009, Knowles starred opposite Ali Larter and Idris Elba in the thriller film, Obsessed. She played Sharon Charles, a mother and wife who learns of a woman’s obsessive behavior for the former’s husband, and suspects an affair between the two. The film received negative reviews from critics,[113] though the fight scene finale between Sharon and the woman was praised and won the 2010 MTV Movie Award for Best Fight.[114][115] Obsessed spent its first week atop the US box office and grossed $34,802,334.[116] In June 2009, Forbes placed Knowles fourth on the Celebrity 100 list, having earned $87 million in the past year. Lacey Rose of Forbes noted that it was due to her publishing and music sales, tour, films, clothing line and endorsement deals.[117] At the 52nd Grammy Awards, Knowles received ten nominations, including Album of the Year for I Am… Sasha Fierce, Record of the Year for “Halo”, and Song of the Year for “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)”, among others.[118] She tied with Lauryn Hill for most Grammy nominations in a single year by a female artist.[119] Knowles ultimately set the record for the most Grammy awards won by a female artist in one night, when she won six awards from her ten nominations; Song of the Year, Best R&B Song and Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for “Single Ladies”, Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for “Halo”, Best Contemporary R&B Album, and Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance for “At Last”.[120]
During an interview with Elysa Gardner of USA Today on January 28, 2010, Knowles announced that she would be taking a break from her music career saying “to live life, to be inspired by things again”.[121] A 60 Minutes segment that aired the same day, revealed Knowles was homeschooled as a child and prays before every live performance.[122] In February 2010, Knowles was featured on Lady Gaga’s single “Telephone”. The song was a commercial success worldwide, reaching number one in Belgium, Denmark, Hungary, Ireland, Netherlands, Norway and the United Kingdom.[44][123] It also topped the US Pop Songs chart, thus becoming the sixth number-one on the chart for both Knowles and Gaga. With this, they both tied with Mariah Carey for most number-ones since the Nielsen BDS-based Top 40 airplay chart launched in 1992.[124] “Telephone” received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.[125] In October 2010, Forbes placed Knowles ninth on the “Most Powerful Women in the World” list.[126] She was also ranked ninth on the “Hollywood’s 20 Highest Earners of 2010″ list, becoming the only recording artist to enter the top ten.[127]
2011: New management and 4
Knowles performing during the 4 Intimate Nights with Beyoncé revue, August 2011
In January 2011, it was announced that Knowles would star in a remake of A Star Is Born, to be directed and produced by Clint Eastwood for Warner Bros.[128] However, on October 9, 2012, Knowles told E! News that she dropped out of her planned appearance in the film, citing scheduling issues. She stated, “For months we tried to coordinate our schedules to bring this remake to life but it was just not possible. Hopefully in the future we will get a chance to work together.”[129] In February 2011, documents obtained by WikiLeaks revealed that Knowles was one of many entertainers that received extravagant sums to perform for the family of Libyan ruler Muammar Gaddafi. Rolling Stone magazine reported that the music industry was urging them to return the money they earned for the concerts.[130] On March 2, 2011, a spokesperson for Knowles told The Huffington Post that she donated the money to the Clinton Bush Haiti Fund.[131] On March 28, 2011, Knowles’ publicist Yvette Noel-Schure issued a statement that Knowles and her father as well as manager, Mathew Knowles had parted ways “on a business level.”[132] Knowles took this decision during her break from her music career in 2010.[133] In June 2011, Forbes placed her eighth on the “Best-Paid Celebrities Under 30″ list, having earned $35 million in the past year for her clothing line and endorsement deals.[134]
On June 26, 2011, Knowles performed a 90-minute set at the 2011 Glastonbury Festival. She was the first solo female artist ever to headline the Pyramid stage at the festival in over twenty years.[135] Knowles’ fourth studio album 4 was released on June 28, 2011 in the United States.[136] For the album, she drew inspiration from musicians, such as Fela Kuti, Earth, Wind & Fire, Lionel Richie, with additional influences from The Jackson 5, New Edition, Florence and the Machine, Adele, and Prince, among others.[137] 4 sold 310,000 copies in its first week and debuted atop the Billboard 200 chart, giving Knowles her fourth consecutive number-one album in the US. This made her the third artist in the chart’s history, to have her first four studio albums debut at number one.[138] The album was preceded by its first two singles “Run the World (Girls)” and “Best Thing I Never Had”, which both attained moderate success. “Run the World (Girls)” reached the top ten in Australia, Belgium, Israel, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Scotland and South Korea.[139] “Best Thing I Never Had” peaked at number 16 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and number three on the UK Singles Chart.[44][53] The album’s fourth single “Love on Top” was a commercial success in the US, peaking at number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart for seven consecutive weeks.[140] 4 also produced two other singles, “Countdown” and “End of Time”, which were both unsuccessful. Knowles took the stage at New York’s Roseland Ballroom for four nights of special performances. The set on each night of the 4 Intimate Nights with Beyoncé concerts was the entire collection of 4. For these four special nights, August 14, 16, 18 and 19, she performed her songs to a standing room only audience.[141]
On August 28, 2011 at the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards, Knowles announced that she and Jay-Z were expecting their first child. She made the announcement during her red carpet appearance and again at the end of her performance of “Love on Top” by rubbing her growing stomach.[142][143] The Huffington Post later confirmed that Knowles was five months pregnant and her pregnancy announcement had broken the “most tweets per second recorded for a single event” Twitter record, receiving 8,868 tweets per second.[144] MTV reported that Knowles’ performance of “Love on Top” and the announcement of her pregnancy at the awards ceremony helped the 2011′s MTV Video Music Awards become the most-watched broadcast in MTV history, pulling in 12.4 million viewers.[145] In addition, data from Google Insights showed that the most searched for term from August 29, 2011 to September 4, 2011 was “Beyonce pregnant” which reached ‘breakout’ levels – a term used by Google to describe a search with an increase of over 5,000 percent.[146] Knowles’ announcement of her pregnancy resulted in an increase in sales of her records, particularly 4, which had sold around 700,000 copies by August 2011.[147] The album has since sold 1.3 million copies in the US and has been certified platinum by the RIAA.[12][49] Internationally, the album has sold 2.1 million copies worldwide as of January 2012.[148] On October 8, 2011, a pre-taped performance of Knowles performing Michael Jackson’s “I Wanna Be Where You Are” was shown during the Michael Forever Tribute Concert at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff, Wales.[149] In November 2011, social media website Saucytime.com named Knowles the “Highest Paid Performer Per Minute in the World”, having earned £1.25 million for a five-song performance at a private New Year’s Eve 2010 party on the island of St. Barts, equating to £71,040 for each minute she was on the stage.[150] Knowles received two nominations at the 54th Grammy Awards; Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for “Party”, and Best Long Form Music Video for I Am… World Tour.[151] The following year, “Love on Top” received a nomination for Best Traditional R&B Performance.[152]
2012: Motherhood and upcoming projects
Knowles with her daughter Blue Ivy in April 2012
On January 7, 2012, Knowles gave birth to a daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York.[153] Two days later, Jay-Z released “Glory”, a song dedicated to their child, on his social website Lifeandtimes.com. The song detailed the couple’s pregnancy struggles, including a miscarriage Knowles suffered before becoming pregnant with their daughter.[154] Due to Blue Ivy’s cries being heard in end of the song, she was officially credited on the song as B.I.C. At two days old, she became the youngest person ever to appear on a Billboard chart when “Glory” debuted on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart at number 74.[155] On February 10, 2012, Knowles and Jay-Z revealed the first photos of Blue Ivy on Tumblr.[156] In May 2012, Forbes placed Knowles at number 16 on the “Celebrity 100″ list, having earned $40 million in the past year for her album 4, clothing line and endorsement deals.[157][158] Later that month, Knowles won a Writing Award from the New York Association of Black Journalists, for her July 2011 Essence magazine cover story “Eat, Play, Love”, which talks about her break from her music career in 2010.[159] Knowles took the stage at Revel Atlantic City’s Ovation Hall for four nights of performances, May 25, 26, 27 and 28, to celebrate the resort’s opening.[160][161] The Revel Presents: Beyoncé Live concerts were noted as Knowles’ first performances since giving birth to Blue Ivy.[162] In August 2012, Forbes placed Knowles and Jay-Z at number one on the “World’s Highest-Paid Celebrity Couples” list, for collectively earning $78 million in the past year.[163] On September 18, 2012, the couple raised $4 million, during an exclusive fundraising event at Jay-Z’s 40/40 Club in New York City, for US President Barack Obama’s re-election campaign.[164]
During an interview with The Boombox, Ryan Tedder said that he is writing new material for Knowles’ upcoming fifth studio album and revealed that “there [are] two projects happening”.[165] Knowles is also working with The-Dream,[166] Kanye West,[167] Hit-Boy,[167] Diane Warren,[168] Miguel,[169] Jay-Z,[170] Swizz Beatz,[171] Missy Elliott,[172] Jo’zzy,[170] and Ne-Yo.[173] On February 3, 2013, she will be performing at Super Bowl XLVII, to be held at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans during the Pepsi NFL Halftime Show.[174] Knowles will star in an upcoming feature-length documentary film on HBO on February 16, 2013. The film, which Knowles directed and produced herself, will feature footage of her childhood, her role as a mother and businesswoman, recording in the studio, rehearsing for live performances, and balancing her family life, including her return to the spotlight following the birth of Blue Ivy.[175] Knowles will also star as Queen Tara in the upcoming 3D CGI animated film Epic, to be released by 20th Century Fox on May 24, 2013.[176]
Artistry
Music and voice
“With ‘Single Ladies,’ clearly I’d just gotten married, and people want to get married every day – then there was the whole Justin Timberlake thing [recreating the video] on “Saturday Night Live,” and it was also the year YouTube blew up. With ‘Irreplaceable,’ the aggressive lyrics, the acoustic guitar, and the 808 drum machine – those things don’t typically go together, and it sounded fresh. ‘Crazy in Love’ was another one of those classic moments in pop culture that none of us expected. I asked Jay to get on the song the night before I had to turn my album in – thank God he did. It still never gets old, no matter how many times I sing it.”
—Knowles reflects on her musical style and the impact it has had on her life and pop culture during her Billboard Cover story in 2011.[177]
Trust in Me
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While predominately R&B, Knowles’ music explores various styles. The Daily Mail calls Knowles’ voice “versatile”, capable of exploring power ballads, soul, rock belting, operatic florishes, and hip hop.[178]
“Emotion”
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Knowles’ prominent use of melisma and other vocal ornamentation earns her both praise and criticism from critics and fans.[179][180]
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Knowles’ music is generally contemporary R&B, but she also incorporates pop, electropop,[181] funk, hip hop, and soul into her songs. While she almost exclusively releases English songs, Knowles recorded several Spanish songs for Irreemplazable and the re-release of B’Day. Prior to recording these, Knowles was coached phonetically by American record producer Rudy Perez.[182] Since Destiny’s Child, Knowles has artistically been involved in her career.[25] She received co-writing credits for most of the songs recorded by the group, as well as her solo efforts. Known for writing personally driven and female-empowerment themed compositions, Knowles has stated that having Jay-Z in her life has changed a few of her thoughts about how men and women relate to one another, which helped her transition from writing songs such as “Independent Women” and “Survivor” to man-tending anthems such as “Cater 2 U”, in which she sings about bringing him slippers and drawing his bath.[183] Some of her songs are autobiographical, which she has admitted are taken from personal experiences, as well as her friends’.[184] Knowles has also received co-producing credits for most of the records in which she has been involved, especially during her solo efforts. However, she does not formulate beats herself, but typically comes up with melodies and ideas during production, sharing them with producers.[185] Knowles was recognized as a songwriter during the run of Destiny’s Child in the 1990s and early to mid-2000s. She won the Pop Songwriter of the Year award at the 2001 American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers Pop Music Awards, becoming the first African-American female and second female songwriter of all time to accomplish the feat.[16][184] Knowles received songwriting credits in a single year for co-writing “Irreplaceable”, “Grillz” and “Check on It”, all of which reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100, the only woman to have written three songs which went to number-one in the same year since Carole King did it in 1971 and Mariah Carey in 1991. In terms of credits, she is tied with Diane Warren at third with nine number-one singles.[186] In May 2011, Keith Caulfield and Gary Trust of Billboard magazine listed Knowles at number 17 on their list of the “Top 20 Hot 100 Songwriters”, for having co-written eight singles that hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. She was one of only three women on that list.[187]
Knowles possesses a mezzo-soprano[188] vocal range that spans more than three octaves. She has often been identified as the centerpiece of Destiny’s Child.[189] Jon Pareles of The New York Times commented that she has the voice that defines the group, writing that her voice is “velvety yet tart, with an insistent flutter and reserves of soul belting”.[190] Other critics praise her range and power. In reviewing her second album B’Day, Jody Rosen of Entertainment Weekly wrote “Beyoncé Knowles is a storm system disguised as a singer. On her second solo album, B’Day, the songs arrive in huge gusts of rhythm and emotion, with Beyoncé’s voice rippling over clattery beats; you’d have to search far and wide—perhaps in the halls of the Metropolitan Opera – to find a vocalist who sings with more sheer force … No one—not R. Kelly, not Usher, to say nothing of her rival pop divas—can match Beyoncé’s genius for dragging her vocal lines against a hip-hop beat.”[191] Chris Richards of The Washington Post wrote, “Even when she’s coasting, she soars above her imitators. It’s all in her voice—a superhuman instrument capable of punctuating any beat with goose-bump-inducing whispers or full-bore diva-roars. Smitten, scorned, amorous, antagonistic—Beyoncé sings from all of these vantage points with undeniable virtuosity.”[192]
Influences
Knowles’ credits Michael Jackson as her major musical influence and idol.[193] Knowles has also named Diana Ross as another one of her influences because “she’s an all-around entertainer: a great actor, a good singer, and a beautiful, elegant woman. She’s one of the few singers able to cross over into really good movies.”[194] Knowles cites Whitney Houston as another idol saying she “inspired [her] to get up there and do what [she] did.”[195] Her other musical influences include Cher,[196] Tina Turner,[197] Prince,[198] Lauryn Hill,[194] Sade Adu,[199] Aaliyah,[200] Mary J. Blige,[201] Janet Jackson,[202] Anita Baker and Rachelle Ferrell.[194] Knowles credits Mariah Carey’s singing and her song “Vision of Love” as influencing her to begin practicing vocal runs as a child, as well as helping her pursue a career as a musician.[203] She is also inspired by Oprah Winfrey and US First Lady Michelle Obama.[204] Knowles says Winfrey is “the definition of inspiration and a strong woman. When I’m around her, I want to stand up straight, pronounce my words right, and articulate.”[194]
Many of the themes and musical styles on Knowles’ second solo album B’Day (2006) were inspired by her role in Dreamgirls (2006).[205] She was inspired to produce an album with an overriding theme of feminism and female empowerment.[206] Knowles also cited Josephine Baker as an influence on the album.[207] Knowles’ paid homage to Baker by performing “Déjà Vu” at the Fashion Rocks concert on September 8, 2006, with Knowles and her female dancers wearing Baker’s trademark mini-hula skirt embellished with fake bananas.[208] For Knowles’ third solo album I Am… Sasha Fierce (2008), she was inspired by Jay-Z and especially by Etta James, whose “boldness” inspired Knowles to explore other musical genres and styles.[209] On her fourth solo album 4 (2011), Knowles acknowledged that she was inspired by Fela Kuti, 1990s R&B, Earth, Wind & Fire, DeBarge, Lionel Richie, Teena Marie with additional influences by The Jackson 5, New Edition, Adele, Florence and the Machine and Prince.[210] Knowles also mentioned that she was influenced by Jay-Z’s own work as well.[211]
Stage and alter ego
Knowles performing “Run the World (Girls)” on the 2011 Good Morning America Summer Concert Series
In 2006, Knowles introduced her all-female tour band Suga Mama, which includes bassists, drummers, guitarists, horn players, keyboardists and percussionists.[212] They made their début appearance at the 2006 BET Awards and re-appeared in the music videos for “Irreplaceable” and “Green Light”.[182] The band has also supported Knowles in live performances, including her 2007 concert tour The Beyoncé Experience and her 2009 I Am… Tour.
Knowles often receives praise for her stage presence and live performances. Jarett Wieselman of the New York Post placed Knowles at number one on her list of The Five Best Singer/Dancers, writing, “the megastar consistently devote[s] every ounce of her to the routine.”[213] In reviewing her I Am… Tour, Renee Michelle Harris of South Florida Times wrote, Knowles “owns the stage with her trademark swagger and intensity … showcasing her powerful vocals without missing a note, often while engaged in vigorous, perfectly executed dance moves … no one, not Britney, not Ciara and not Rihanna can offer what she does—a complete package of voice, moves and presence.”[214] Barbara Ellen of The Guardian wrote, “whether charismatic and soulful, or teasing and flirty, Beyoncé is, above all, in charge. Probably the most in charge of any female artist I’ve seen onstage”.[215] Alice Jones of The Independent wrote, “Watching Beyoncé sing and strut her stuff can feel at best overawing, at worst, alienating. She takes her role as entertainer so seriously she’s almost too good.”[216] Tamara Hardingham-Gill of the Daily Mail wrote, “many industry experts have been tipping Beyoncé as the next Michael Jackson. While it’s far too early for such comparisons, she certainly proved that she is one of the most exciting and talented performers around and may well go down in history as such”.[217]
“Dangerously in Love” (live)
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Knowles has received widespread praise for her live vocal performances.[179][180]
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Reviewers have praised Knowles live vocal performances. In reviewing one of her performances, Jim Farber of the Daily News wrote “Beyoncé showed off pipes of steely power. As the song’s signature horn riff pumped away, she soared over the melody with athletic ease. The way Beyoncé used her body intensified the sense of triumph. With her hair teased into Medusa-like tresses, a pelvis in perpetual churn and legs long enough to make Tina Turner proud, Beyoncé’s presence punctuated her singing like an exclamation point.”[218] Stephanie Classen of Star Phoenix declares “Beyoncé is no ordinary performer … from note one, the 27-year-old powerhouse rose above all the gimmicks, mastering the show like a s*** alien overlord princess. Nothing but extraterrestrial origins could explain that voice … [Beyoncé] could perform circles around any other pop star today.”[219] Editors of Newsday wrote, “she proves that hot choreography and strong vocals don’t have to be mutually exclusive … No worries of lip-synching here.”[220]
Known for being “s***, seductive and provocative” when performing on stage, Knowles has stated that’s her alter ego Sasha Fierce.[32] She described Sasha as being “too aggressive, too strong, too sassy [and] too s***”, stating: “I’m not like her in real life at all … I’m not flirtatious and super-confident and fearless like her. What I feel onstage I don’t feel anywhere else. It’s an out-of-body experience. I created my stage persona to protect myself so that when I go home I don’t have to think about what it is I do. Sasha isn’t me. The people around me know who I really am.”[32] Although Sasha was born during the making of “Crazy in Love”, Knowles introduced her alter ego with the release of her third album I Am… Sasha Fierce (2008). In February 2010, Knowles announced in an interview with Allure magazine that “Sasha Fierce is done. I killed her”. She then went on saying that she is comfortable enough with herself to be all of those things without an alias, stating: “I don’t need Sasha Fierce anymore, because I’ve grown and now I’m able to merge the two.”[221] In May 2012, Knowles announced that she would be bringing Sasha Fierce back for her Revel shows.[222]
Public image
Knowles at the premiere for her 2006 film, Dreamgirls
Knowles has stated: “I like to dress s*** and I carry myself like a lady,” but she has said that the way she dresses on stage is “absolutely for the stage”.[223] The media often use the term “Bootylicious” (a portmanteau of the words booty and delicious), to describe Knowles because of her curves.[224][225][226] The term was made widely known by the Destiny’s Child single of the same name, and has been added to the Oxford English Dictionary.[227] As someone who is fond of fashion, Knowles combines its artistic elements with her music videos and performances. According to Italian fashion designer Roberto Cavalli, she uses different styles and tries to harmonize it with the music while performing.[228] The B’Day Anthology Video Album showed many instances of fashion-oriented footage, depicting classic to contemporary wardrobe styles.[229] People magazine recognized Knowles as the best-dressed celebrity in 2007.[230] Knowles’ mother wrote a 2002-published book, titled Destiny’s Style: Bootylicious Fashion, Beauty and Lifestyle Secrets From Destiny’s Child, an account of how fashion had an impact on Destiny’s Child’s success.[231] As one of the most media-exposed black celebrities in the United States, Knowles has often received criticism that some believe is due to racism and sexism.[232] Toure of Rolling Stone stated that since the release of Dangerously in Love (2003), “[Beyoncé] has become a crossover s** symbol a la Halle Berry …”[233] In 2006, the animal rights organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), criticized Knowles for wearing fur coats and using fur in her clothing line House of Deréon.[234]
External images
Knowles’ Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue cover from February 15, 2007
During the release of Rihanna’s second album A Girl Like Me (2006), many critics felt that her image was too heavily similar to Knowles’.[235] Some media even claimed that Jay-Z fashioned her to be a replica of Knowles.[236] Amina Taylor of The Guardian described Rihanna as the “Bajan Beyoncé”.[235] In 2007, Knowles was featured on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, and became the first non-model and non-athlete woman to pose on the issue, and the second model of African American descent after Tyra Banks.[237] In the same year, Knowles appeared on billboards and newspapers across the United States showing her holding an antiquated cigarette holder. Taken from the back cover of B’Day, the image provoked response from an anti-smoking group, stating that she did not need to add the cigarette holder “to make herself appear more sophisticated”.[238] Knowles has several wax figures of herself at Madame Tussauds Wax Museums in major cities around the world, including New York,[239] Washington, D.C.,[240] Amsterdam,[241] Bangkok[242] and Hollywood.[243]
In March 2009, comparisons were made between the fashions of Knowles and Ciara, when the latter released the music video of her single “Love S** Magic” (2009).[244] In the video, Ciara is seen wearing a black leotard and metallic glasses, similar to those worn by Knowles in both her “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” and “Diva” videos.[245] However, Ciara stated that her outfits were “inspired by the Vegas shows” she attended.[246] In September 2010, Knowles made her runway modelling debut at Tom Ford’s Spring/Summer 2011 fashion show.[247] In February 2011, LA Times magazine placed Knowles at number 25 on the “50 Most Beautiful Women in Film” list.[248] The following month, she appeared on the cover of French fashion magazine L’Officiel, in honor of the magazine’s 90th anniversary and in tribute to Nigerian musician Fela Kuti. Knowles appeared in blackface and tribal makeup, that drawn criticism from the media. A statement released from a spokesperson for the magazine, said that Knowles’ look was “far from the glamorous Sasha Fierce” and explained that it was “a return to her African roots”.[249] Men’s Health magazine placed Knowles at number 33 on the “100 Hottest Women of All-Time” list.[250] In 2012, she was named “World’s Most Beautiful Woman” by People magazine,[251] and the “Hottest Female Singer of All Time” by Complex magazine.[252]
Legacy
Throughout Knowles’ career, she has earned numerous awards and honors. As a solo artist, she has sold over 13 million albums in the United States and over 75 million records worldwide, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time.[12][13] Nielsen SoundScan ranked Knowles as the eighth best-selling digital artist in the US, with more than 30.4 million digital singles sold as of January 2012.[11] Her songs “Crazy in Love”, “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)”, “Halo” and “Irreplaceable” are some of the best-selling singles of all time worldwide. Knowles is the seventh biggest-selling female singles artist of all time in the United Kingdom, with more than 6.9 million singles sold as of October 2012.[253] The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) listed Knowles as the Top Certified Artist of the 2000s decade, with a total of 64 certifications, including albums, digital songs, master ringtones and music videos.[9][10] In November 2009, The Observer named her the Artist of the Decade, writing that “she made not one but two of the decade’s greatest singles, with ‘Crazy in Love’ and ‘Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)’, not to mention her hits with Destiny’s Child”.[254] In December 2009, Billboard named Knowles the Top Female Artist and Top Radio Songs Artist of the Decade, and ranked her as the fourth Artist of the Decade.[6][7][8] At the 2007 American Music Awards, Knowles became the first female artist to be honored the International Artist Award.[255] At the 2008 World Music Awards, she was honored the legend award for Outstanding Contribution to the Arts.[256] Knowles was also honored the Billboard Millennium Award at the 2011 Billboard Music Awards, for her “achievements and influence in the music industry”.[257] She has won 16 Grammy Awards, both as a solo artist and member of Destiny’s Child, making her the third most honored female artist by the Grammys.[258][259]
Knowles performing during her I Am… Tour in 2009.
Knowles’ debut solo album Dangerously in Love was ranked at number 183 on the “Top 200 Definitive Albums” list by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.[260] The music video for “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” achieved fame for its intricate choreography[261] and its deployment of jazz hands with a wrist twist.[262] It has been credited with starting the “first major dance craze of both the new millennium and the Internet”,[106] triggering a number of parodies of the dance choreography.[263][264] The music video inspired a legion of amateur imitators to post videos of themselves performing the choreography on YouTube.[261][263] In 2010, Knowles was ranked at number 52 on VH1′s list of the “100 Greatest Artists of All Time”.[14] On November 19, 2010, Billboard named her in their “Top 50 R&B/Hip-Hop Artists of the Past 25 Years” list at number 15.[265] In 2011, “Crazy in Love” was declared the “Greatest Song of the 2000s” by VH1.[266] Knowles and her husband Jay-Z made it into the 2011 Guinness Book of Records as the “highest-earning power couple” for collectively earning $122 million in 2009.[267] In September 2011, Knowles set a new Guinness World Record for most tweets per second about her pregnancy.[268] In October 2011, Prefix magazine ranked her first on their list of the “Best Female R&B Singers”, writing “What’s almost unbelievably insane is that not only can Beyoncé sing better than anybody else out there, but she can also dance better than anyone else out there, and unlike virtually every single performer, she can do both at the same time.”[269] She was also ranked 13th on The Root’s list of “The 100 Most Influential African Americans”.[270] In 2012, Knowles was ranked third on VH1′s list of the “100 Greatest Women in Music”.[15] In January 2012, it was announced that Scaptia beyonceae, a species of horse fly found in Northern Queensland, Australia, was named after Knowles. Bryan Lessard, the research scientist who named the species, did so due to the fly’s unique golden hairs on its abdomen, calling it the “all-time diva of flies”.[271] Later that month, Rutgers University in New Jersey introduced a course named after Knowles called “Politicizing Beyoncé”.[272] The course allows students to explore the “social and cultural significance” of Knowles’ music and image, including her alter ego Sasha Fierce and whether Knowles “racy performances” are of female sexual empowerment or “merely complying with western gender stereotypes”.[272]
Artists have cited her as an inspiration, including Alexandra Burke,[273] Jessica Sanchez,[274] Leona Lewis,[275] Misha B,[276] Nicole Scherzinger,[277] Rachel Crow,[278] and Rita Ora.[279] Rihanna stated, “when she came out with Dangerously in Love … I was like ‘wow, I want to be just like that.’ She’s huge and just an inspiration and one of the artists that I admire a lot.”[280] Jessie J stated that she would like to be as successful as Knowles within the next decade.[281] JoJo cited Knowles as an inspiration in her music, stating: “I think she’s incredible as an entertainer, a role model, and a writer. I think she can do it all.”[282] Adele stated that she was inspired by Knowles’ alter ego Sasha Fierce, to create her own named Sasha Carter. The composite of Sasha Fierce and late country icon June Carter, is pulled out whenever she needs to give herself a shot of confidence.[283] Adele said: “I don’t know her but she’s a huge part of my life … Everything I refer to has always got something to do with Destiny’s Child or her. She just knows what she wants. She’s in control of it all. She’s classy. She’s still totally f****** relevant. And just a nice person.”[284] Hillary Scott of the country pop group Lady Antebellum stated she admires Knowles as a female artist.[285] Azealia Banks stated, “I definitely think career-wise and personally, I’m very, very inspired by Beyoncé. She’s so well-mannered and so classy and so well-poised. It’s important to have those kinds of skills.”[286] Australian recording artist Ricki-Lee Coulter cited Knowles as one of her musical influences, stating: “She’s so driven, she pushes herself to the limits and she’s achieved so much but she’s always looking for what that next thing is and how she can improve from what she’s done in the past. She’s really setting the benchmark for female artists and I think she kind of is the Michael Jackson of this generation.”[287] Cheryl Cole cited Knowles as a big inspiration for her career, stating: “I just think she’s such a beautiful person, inside and out. Apart from what she does on the stage, which is obviously incredible and aspirational, I just like her as a woman … She’s empowering, and I like that.”[288] Kelly Rowland cited Knowles as an inspiration for her second solo album Ms. Kelly (2007), and as one of her style icons.[289][290] American indie rock band White Rabbits also cited her an inspiration for their third album Milk Famous (2012).[291] British girl group Little Mix cited Knowles as an influence for their single “Wings” (2012).[292] Nicki Minaj stated that seeing Knowles’ Pepsi commercial influenced her to appear in Pepsi’s 2012 global campaign. She said: “Out of the people that have done something with Pepsi, I think I was probably the most influenced by the Beyoncé commercial. I felt like this is a young black girl, early on in her career and she’s doing something so iconic and I never thought in a billion years that Pepsi would reach out to someone like me.”[293]
Gwyneth Paltrow has studied Knowles at her live concerts, while learning to become a musical performer in the film Country Strong (2010).[294] Miranda Lambert stated that Knowles’ concert DVD Live at Wembley inspired her to “take little bits” from Knowles’ performances for her live shows.[295] Trey Songz named Knowles as his favorite female singer and stated: “I followed her since Destiny’s Child’s first single and I truly think she’s deserving of all that she has. She works extremely hard. She’s an amazing performer, vocalist, and even outside of that, she’s an amazing businesswoman. She’s the perfect model for what an artist can be.”[296] Miley Cyrus commented that she would like to be like Knowles, stating: “She is the ultimate woman. You look at her and you don’t think, I wonder what her personal life is like. You look at her and you go, that girl on the stage is a superstar. You don’t care about anything else; you only care about her music. So I would hope that would be me in the future.”[297] Lady Gaga recalled: “I’ve never told Beyoncé this, but I remember laying on my grandmother’s couch crying, and a Destiny’s Child video came on. I remember watching Beyoncé thinking, ‘Oh, she’s a star. I want that. I want to be on MTV’. And now I’m in music videos with Beyoncé.”[298] Blondie frontwoman Debbie Harry revealed that she was disappointed that she never became a “megastar” like Knowles, stating: “the temptation to be such a great entertainer and performer like Beyoncé [is] so fantastic. I would adore doing some of that stuff. Her track record with songs is phenomenal; I wish we had as many hits.”[299] Simon Cowell stated that she is “Ambitious, talented, competitive. She defines this new breed of what I call super popstars, and they are all girls at the moment. It’s like a new super species who literally want to rule the world.”[300] Matthew Morrison stated that watching the “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)” music video made him realize that Knowles is an icon. “As a singer-dancer myself, I know how hard and how rare it is to have that combination. Beyoncé is so amazing at both and then to see her act as well in Dreamgirls, it’s pretty amazing”.[285] Fergie of The Black Eyed Peas stated: “Beyoncé has always been an icon to me. She’s one of the most talented artists of our generation.”[285]
Other ventures
House of Deréon
Knowles and her mother introduced House of Deréon, a ready-to-wear contemporary women’s fashion line, in 2005.[301] The concept is inspired by three generations of women in their family, with the name Deréon paying tribute to Knowles’ grandmother, Agnèz Deréon, who worked as a seamstress.[302] According to Tina Knowles, the overall style of the line best reflects Knowles’ taste and style.[303] Knowles and her mother founded their family’s company Beyond Productions, which provides the licensing and brand management for Deréon, a “junior lifestyle collection”, and House of Deréon.[301] Products of House of Deréon received public exhibitions through Destiny’s Child’s shows and tours, during their Destiny Fulfilled era.[304][305] The House of Deréon collection features sportswear, denim offerings with fur, outerwear and accessories that include handbags and footwear, which are available at department and specialty stores across the United States and Canada.[301]
In 2005, Knowles teamed up with House of Brands, a local shoe company, to produce a range of footwear for House of Deréon.[306] In January 2008, Starwave Mobile launched Beyoncé Fashion Diva, a “high-style” mobile game with an online social networking component, featuring the House of Deréon collection.[301] In July 2009, Knowles and her mother launched a new junior apparel label, Sasha Fierce for Deréon, for back-to-school selling. The collection included sportswear, outerwear, handbags, footwear, eyewear, lingerie and jewelry.[307] It was available to buy at department stores including Macy’s and Dillard’s, and specialty stores Jimmy Jazz and Against All Odds.[307] On May 27, 2010, Knowles teamed up with clothing store C&A to launch De
Queen Beyonce is getting all the controversial headlines and attention Rihanna desperately craves.
Remixes and Collaborations in the works; weed pics and n*** pics overload like it’s #NoBodysBusiness but its’s actually #NoOneCares
2013 belongs to Beyonce!
Whitney Houston
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the person. For her 1985 eponymous album, see Whitney Houston (album).
Whitney Houston
Houston performing at Good Morning America in Central Park on September 1, 2009
Background information
Birth name Whitney Elizabeth Houston
Born August 9, 1963
Newark, New Jersey, U.S.
Died February 11, 2012 (aged 48)
Beverly Hills, California, U.S.
Genres R&B, pop, soul, dance, gospel
Occupations Singer, actress, model, film producer, record producer, songwriter
Instruments Vocals, piano
Years active 1977–2012
Labels Arista, RCA
Associated acts Cissy Houston, Dionne Warwick, Dee Dee Warwick, Aretha Franklin, Jermaine Jackson, Mariah Carey, Enrique Iglesias, Bobby Brown
Website whitneyhouston.com
Whitney Elizabeth Houston (August 9, 1963 – February 11, 2012) was an American recording artist, actress, producer, and model. In 2009, the Guinness World Records cited her as the most awarded female act of all time.[1] Houston was one of the world’s best-selling music artists, having sold over 170 million albums, singles and videos worldwide.[2][3] She released six studio albums, one holiday album and three movie soundtrack albums, all of which have diamond, multi-platinum, platinum or gold certification. Houston’s crossover appeal on the popular music charts, as well as her prominence on MTV, starting with her video for “How Will I Know”,[4] influenced several African American female artists to follow in her footsteps.[5][6]
Houston is the only artist to chart seven consecutive No. 1 Billboard Hot 100 hits.[7] She is the second artist behind Elton John and the only female artist to have two number-one Billboard 200 Album awards (formerly “Top Pop Album”) on the Billboard magazine year-end charts.[8] Houston’s 1985 debut album Whitney Houston became the best-selling debut album by a female act at the time of its release. The album was named Rolling Stone’s best album of 1986, and was ranked at number 254 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.[9] Her second studio album Whitney (1987) became the first album by a female artist to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 albums chart.[9]
Houston’s first acting role was as the star of the feature film The Bodyguard (1992). The film’s original soundtrack won the 1994 Grammy Award for Album of the Year. Its lead single “I Will Always Love You”, became the best-selling single by a female artist in music history. With the album, Houston became the first act (solo or group, male or female) to sell more than a million copies of an album within a single week period under Nielsen SoundScan system.[9] The album makes her the top female act in the top 10 list of the best-selling albums of all time, at number four. Houston continued to star in movies and contribute to their soundtracks, including the films Waiting to Exhale (1995) and The Preacher’s Wife (1996). The Preacher’s Wife soundtrack became the best-selling gospel album in history.[10]
On February 11, 2012, Houston was found dead in her guest room at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, in Beverly Hills, California. Subsequent toxicology reports showed that she had accidentally drowned in the bathtub due to the effects of chronic cocaine use and heart disease.[11] News of her death coincided with the 2012 Grammy Awards and featured prominently in American and international media.[12]
Contents [hide]
1 Life and career
1.1 1963–1976: Early life
1.2 1977–1984: Early career
1.3 1985–1986: Rise to international prominence
1.4 1987–1991: Whitney, I’m Your Baby Tonight and “The Star Spangled Banner”
1.5 1992–1994: Marriage to Bobby Brown and The Bodyguard
1.6 1995–1997: Waiting to Exhale, The Preacher’s Wife, and Cinderella
1.7 1998–2000: My Love Is Your Love and Whitney: The Greatest Hits
1.8 2000–2005: Just Whitney, and personal struggles
1.9 2006–2012: Return to music, I Look to You, tour and film comeback
2 Death
2.1 Reaction
3 Artistry and legacy
3.1 Voice
3.2 Influence
3.3 Awards and achievements
4 Discography
5 Filmography
6 Tours
7 See also
8 References
9 Further reading
10 External links
Life and career
1963–1976: Early life
Whitney Houston was born in what was then a middle-income neighborhood in Newark, New Jersey, the second child of Army serviceman and entertainment executive John Russell Houston, Jr. (September 13, 1920 – February 2, 2003), and gospel singer Cissy Houston (née Emily Drinkard).[13] She had two older brothers, Gary Garland, who was also a singer, and Michael Houston.[14][15] She was of African American, Native American, and Dutch descent.[16] Her mother, along with cousins Dionne Warwick and Dee Dee Warwick, godmother Darlene Love[17] and honorary aunt Aretha Franklin[18] were all notable figures in the gospel, rhythm and blues, pop, and soul genres.[19] She met her honorary aunt at age 8, or 9, when her mother took her to a recording studio.[20] Houston was raised a Baptist, but was also exposed to the Pentecostal church. After the 1967 Newark riots, the family moved to a middle-class area in East Orange, New Jersey, when she was four.[21]
At the age of 11, Houston started performing as a soloist in the junior gospel choir at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, where she also learned to play the piano.[22] Her first solo performance in the church was “Guide Me, O Thou Great Jehovah”.[23] When Houston was a teenager, she attended Mount Saint Dominic Academy, a Catholic girls’ high school in Caldwell, New Jersey, where she met her best friend Robyn Crawford, whom she described as the “sister she never had”.[24] While Houston was still in school, her mother continued to teach her how to sing.[5] Houston was also exposed to the music of Chaka Khan, Gladys Knight, and Roberta Flack, most of whom would have an influence on her as a singer and performer.[25]
1977–1984: Early career
Houston spent some of her teenage years touring nightclubs where her mother Cissy was performing, and she would occasionally get on stage and perform with her. In 1977, at age 14, she became a backup singer on the Michael Zager Band’s single “Life’s a Party”.[26] In 1978, at age 15, Houston sang background vocals on Chaka Khan’s hit single “I’m Every Woman”, a song she would later turn into a larger hit for herself on her monster-selling The Bodyguard soundtrack album.[27][28] She also sang back-up on albums by Lou Rawls and Jermaine Jackson.[27]
In the early 1980s, Houston started working as a fashion model after a photographer saw her at Carnegie Hall singing with her mother. She appeared in Seventeen[29] and became one of the first women of color to grace the cover of the magazine.[30] She was also featured in layouts in the pages of Glamour, Cosmopolitan, Young Miss, and appeared in a Canada Dry soft drink TV commercial.[31] Her striking looks and girl-next-door charm made her one of the most sought after t*** models of that time.[31] While modeling, she continued her burgeoning recording career by working with producers Michael Beinhorn, Bill Laswell and Martin Bisi on an album they were spearheading called One Down, which was credited to the group Material. For that project, Houston contributed the ballad “Memories”, a cover of a song by Hugh Hopper of Soft Machine. Robert Christgau of The Village Voice called her contribution “one of the most gorgeous ballads you’ve ever heard”.[32] She also appeared as a lead vocalist on one track on a Paul Jabara album, entitled Paul Jabara and Friends, released by Columbia Records in 1983.[33]
Houston had previously been offered several recording agencies (Michael Zager in 1980, and Elektra Records in 1981), however her mother declined the offers stating her daughter must first complete high school.[26][34] In 1983, Gerry Griffith, an A&R representative from Arista Records, saw her performing with her mother in a New York City nightclub and was impressed. He convinced Arista’s head Clive Davis to make time to see Houston perform. Davis too was impressed and offered a worldwide recording contract which Houston signed. Later that year, she made her national televised debut alongside Davis on The Merv Griffin Show.[35]
Houston signed with Arista in 1983, but did not begin work on her album immediately.[1] The label wanted to make sure no other label signed the singer away. Davis wanted to ensure he had the right material and producers for Houston’s debut album. Some producers had to pass on the project due to prior commitments.[36] Houston first recorded a duet with Teddy Pendergrass entitled “Hold Me” which appeared on his album, Love Language.[37] The single was released in 1984 and gave Houston her first taste of success, becoming a Top 5 R&B hit.[38] It would also appear on her debut album in 1985.
1985–1986: Rise to international prominence
With production from Michael Masser, Kashif, Jermaine Jackson, and Narada Michael Walden, Houston’s debut album Whitney Houston was released in February 1985. Rolling Stone magazine praised Houston, calling her “one of the most exciting new voices in years” while The New York Times called the album “an impressive, musically conservative showcase for an exceptional vocal talent”.[39][40] Arista Records promoted Houston’s album with three different singles from the album in the US, UK and other European countries. In the UK, the dance-funk “Someone for Me”, which failed to chart in the country, was the first single while “All at Once” was in such European countries as the Netherlands and Belgium, where the song reached the top 5 on the singles charts, respectively.[41]
In the US, the soulful ballad “You Give Good Love” was chosen as the lead single from Houston’s debut to establish her in the black marketplace first.[42] Outside the US, the song failed to get enough attention to become a hit, but in the US, it gave the album its first major hit as it peaked at No. 3 on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart, and No. 1 on the Hot R&B chart.[36] As a result, the album began to sell strongly, and Houston continued promotion by touring nightclubs in the US. She also began performing on late-night television talk shows, which were not usually accessible to unestablished black acts. The jazzy ballad “Saving All My Love for You” was released next and it would become Houston’s first No. 1 single in both the US and the UK. She was then an opening act for singer Jeffrey Osborne on his nationwide tour. “Thinking About You” was released as the promo single only to R&B-oriented radio stations, which peaked at number ten on the US R&B Chart. At the time, MTV had received harsh criticism for not playing enough videos by black, Latino, and other racial minorities while favoring white acts.[43] The third US single, “How Will I Know”, peaked at No. 1 and introduced Houston to the MTV audience thanks to its video. Houston’s subsequent singles from this, and future albums, would make her the first African-American female artist to receive consistent heavy rotation on MTV.[30]
By 1986, a year after its initial release, Whitney Houston topped the Billboard 200 albums chart and stayed there for 14 non-consecutive weeks.[44] The final single, “Greatest Love of All”, became Houston’s biggest hit at the time after peaking No. 1 and remaining there for three weeks on the Hot 100 chart, which made her debut the first album by a female artist to yield three No. 1 hits. Houston was No. 1 artist of the year and Whitney Houston was the No. 1 album of the year on the 1986 Billboard year-end charts, making her the first female artist to earn that distinction.[44] At the time, Houston released the best-selling debut album by a solo artist.[45] Houston then embarked on her world tour, Greatest Love Tour. The album had become an international success, and was certified 13× platinum (diamond) in the United States alone, and has sold a total of 25 million copies worldwide.[46]
At the 1986 Grammy Awards, Houston was nominated for three awards including Album of the Year.[47] She was not eligible for the Best New Artist category due to her previous hit R&B duet recording with Teddy Pendergrass in 1984.[48] She won her first Grammy award for Best Pop Vocal Performance, Female for “Saving All My Love for You”.[49] Houston’s performance of the song during the Grammy telecast later earned her an Emmy Award for Outstanding Individual Performance in a Variety or Music Program.[50]
Houston won seven American Music Awards in total in 1986 and 1987, and an MTV Video Music Award.[51][52] The album’s popularity would also carry over to the 1987 Grammy Awards when “Greatest Love of All” would receive a Record of the Year nomination. Houston’s debut album is listed as one of Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and on The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s Definitive 200 list.[53][54] Houston’s grand entrance into the music industry is considered one of the 25 musical milestones of the last 25 years, according to USA Today.[55] Following Houston’s breakthrough, doors were opened for other African-American female artists such as Janet Jackson and Anita Baker to find notable success in popular music and on MTV.[56][57]
1987–1991: Whitney, I’m Your Baby Tonight and “The Star Spangled Banner”
With many expectations, Houston’s second album, Whitney, was released in June 1987. The album again featured production from Masser, Kashif and Walden as well as Jellybean Benitez. Many critics complained that the material was too similar to her previous album. Rolling Stone said, “the narrow channel through which this talent has been directed is frustrating”.[58] Still, the album enjoyed commercial success. Houston became the first female artist in music history to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 albums chart, and the first artist to enter the albums chart at number one in both the US and UK, while also hitting number one or top ten in dozens of other countries around the world. The album’s first single, “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)”, was also a massive hit worldwide, peaking at No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart and topping the singles chart in many countries such as Australia, Germany and the UK. The next three singles, “Didn’t We Almost Have It All”, “So Emotional”, and “Where Do Broken Hearts Go” all peaked at number one on the US Hot 100 chart, which gave her a total of seven consecutive number one hits, breaking the record of six previously shared by The Beatles and The Bee Gees.[59][60] Houston became the first female artist to generate four number-one singles from one album. Whitney has been certified 9× Platinum in the US for shipments of over 9 million copies, and has sold a total of 20 million copies worldwide.[61]
At the 30th Grammy Awards in 1988, Houston was nominated for three awards, including Album of the Year, winning her second Grammy for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance for “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)”.[62][63] Houston also won two American Music Awards in 1988 and 1989, respectively, and a Soul Train Music Award.[64][65][66] Following the release of the album, Houston embarked on the Moment of Truth World Tour, which was one of the ten highest grossing concert tours of 1987.[67] The success of the tours during 1986–87 and her two studio albums ranked Houston No. 8 for the highest earning entertainers list according to Forbes magazine.[68] She was the highest earning African-American woman overall and the third highest entertainer after Bill Cosby and Eddie Murphy.[68]
Houston was a supporter of Nelson Mandela and the anti-apartheid movement. During her modeling days, the singer refused to work with any agencies who did business with the then-apartheid South Africa.[69][70] On June 11, 1988, during the European leg of her tour, Houston joined other musicians to perform a set at Wembley Stadium in London to celebrate a then-imprisoned Nelson Mandela’s 70th birthday.[69] Over 72,000 people attended Wembley Stadium, and over a billion people tuned in worldwide as the rock concert raised over $1 million for charities while bringing awareness to apartheid.[71] Houston then flew back to the US for a concert at Madison Square Garden in New York City in August. The show was a benefit concert that raised a quarter of a million dollars for the United Negro College Fund.[72] In the same year, she recorded a song for NBC’s coverage of the 1988 Summer Olympics, “One Moment in Time”, which became a Top 5 hit in the US, while reaching number one in the UK and Germany.[73][74][75] With her world tour continuing overseas, Houston was still one of the top 20 highest earning entertainers for 1987–88 according to Forbes magazine.[76][77]
Houston performing “Saving All My Love for You” on the Welcome Home Heroes concert in 1991
In 1989, Houston formed The Whitney Houston Foundation For Children, a non-profit organization that has raised funds for the needs of children around the world. The organization cares for homelessness, children with cancer or A***, and other issues of self-empowerment.[78] With the success of her first two albums, Houston was undoubtedly an international crossover superstar, the most prominent since Michael Jackson, appealing to all demographics. However, some black critics believed she was “selling out”.[6] They felt her singing on record lacked the soul that was present during her live concerts.[29]
At the 1989 Soul Train Music Awards, when Houston’s name was called out for a nomination, a few in the audience jeered.[79][80] Houston defended herself against the criticism, stating, “If you’re gonna have a long career, there’s a certain way to do it, and I did it that way. I’m not ashamed of it”.[29] Houston took a more urban direction with her third studio album, I’m Your Baby Tonight, released in November 1990. She produced and chose producers for this album and as a result, it featured production and collaborations with L.A. Reid and Babyface, Luther Vandross, and Stevie Wonder. The album showed Houston’s versatility on a new batch of tough rhythmic grooves, soulful ballads and up-tempo dance tracks. Reviews were mixed. Rolling Stone felt it was her “best and most integrated album”.[81] while Entertainment Weekly, at the time thought Houston’s shift towards an urban direction was “superficial”.[82]
The album contained several hits: the first two singles, “I’m Your Baby Tonight” and “All the Man That I Need” peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart; “Miracle” peaked at number nine; “My Name Is Not Susan” peaked in the top twenty; “I Belong to You” reached the top ten of the US R&B chart and garnered Houston a Grammy nomination; and the sixth single, the Stevie Wonder duet “We Didn’t Know”, reached the R&B top twenty. The album peaked at number three on the Billboard 200 and went on to be certified 4× platinum in the US while selling twelve million total worldwide.
Houston met with President George H. W. Bush in the Oval Office in 1990, while in Washington, D.C., to participate in the Youth Leadership Forum
In 1990, Houston was the spokesperson for a youth leadership conference hosted in Washington, D.C. She had a private audience with President George H. W. Bush in the Oval Office to discuss the associated challenges.
During the Persian Gulf War, Houston performed “The Star Spangled Banner” at Super Bowl XXV at Tampa Stadium on January 27, 1991.[83] This performance was later reported by those involved in the performance to have been lip synced[84] or to have been sung into a dead microphone while a studio recording previously made by Houston was played. Dan Klores, a spokesman for Houston, explained: “This is not a Milli Vanilli thing. She sang live, but the microphone was turned off. It was a technical decision, partially based on the noise factor. This is standard procedure at these events.”[85] (See also Star Spangled Banner lip sync controversy.) A commercial single and video of her performance were released, and reached the Top 20 on the US Hot 100, making her the only act to turn the US national anthem into a pop hit of that magnitude (Jose Feliciano’s version reached No. 50 in November 1968).[86][87] Houston donated all her share of the proceeds to the American Red Cross Gulf Crisis Fund. As a result, the singer was named to the Red Cross Board of Governors.[83][88][89]
Her rendition was critically acclaimed and is considered the benchmark for singers.[84][90] Rolling Stone commented that “her singing stirs such strong patriotism. Unforgettable”, and the performance ranked No. 1 on the 25 most memorable music moments in NFL history list. VH1 listed the performance as one of the greatest moments that rocked TV.[91][92] Following the attacks on 9/11, it was released again by Arista Records, all profits going towards the firefighters and victims of the attacks. This time it peaked at No. 6 in the Hot 100 and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America.[93]
Later in 1991, Houston put together her Welcome Home Heroes concert with HBO for the soldiers fighting in the Persian Gulf War and their families. The free concert took place at Naval Station Norfolk in Norfolk, Virginia in front of 3,500 servicemen and women. HBO descrambled the concert so that it was free for everyone to watch.[94] Houston’s concert gave HBO its highest ratings ever.[95] She then embarked on the I’m Your Baby Tonight World Tour.
1992–1994: Marriage to Bobby Brown and The Bodyguard
Throughout the 1980s, Houston was romantically linked to American football star Randall Cunningham and actor Eddie Murphy, whom she dated.[96] She then met R&B singer Bobby Brown at the 1989 Soul Train Music Awards. After a three-year courtship, the two were married on July 18, 1992.[97] On March 4, 1993, Houston gave birth to their daughter Bobbi Kristina Houston Brown, her only child, and his fourth. Brown would go on to have several run-ins with the law, including some jail time.[97]
With the commercial success of her albums, movie offers poured in, including offers to work with Robert De Niro, Quincy Jones, and Spike Lee; but Houston felt the time wasn’t right.[96] Houston’s first film role was in The Bodyguard, released in 1992 and co-starring Kevin Costner. Houston played Rachel Marron, a star who is stalked by a crazed fan and hires a bodyguard to protect her. USA Today listed it as one of the 25 most memorable movie moments of the last 25 years in 2007.[98] Houston’s mainstream appeal allowed people to look at the movie color-blind.[99]
Still, controversy arose as some felt the film’s advertising intentionally hid Houston’s face to hide the film’s interracial relationship. In an interview with Rolling Stone in 1993, the singer commented that “people know who Whitney Houston is – I’m black. You can’t hide that fact.”[25] Houston received a Razzie Award nomination for Worst Actress. The Washington Post said Houston is “doing nothing more than playing Houston, comes out largely unscathed if that is possible in so cockamamie an undertaking”,[100] and The New York Times commented that she lacked passion with her co-star.[101] Despite the film’s mixed reviews, it was hugely successful at the box office, grossing more than $121 million in the U.S. and $410 million worldwide, making it one of the top 100 grossing films in film history at its time of release, though it is no longer in the top 100 due to rising ticket prices since the time the film was released.[102]
The film’s soundtrack also enjoyed big success. Houston executive produced and contributed six songs for the motion picture’s adjoining soundtrack album. Rolling Stone said it is “nothing more than pleasant, tasteful and urbane”.[103] The soundtrack’s lead single was “I Will Always Love You”, written and originally recorded by Dolly Parton in 1974. Houston’s version of the song was acclaimed by many critics, regarding it as her “signature song” or “iconic performance”. Rolling Stone and USA Today called her rendition “the tour-de-force”.[104][105] The single peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 for a then-record-breaking 14 weeks, number one on the R&B chart for a then-record-breaking 11 weeks, and number one on the Adult Contemporary charts for five weeks, thus becoming the first single to top those three charts simultaneously for five weeks.[106]
The single was certified 4× platinum by the RIAA, making Houston the first female artist with a single to reach that level in the RIAA history and becoming the best-selling single by a female artist in the US.[107][108][109] The song also became a global success, hitting number-one in almost all countries, and one of the best-selling singles of all time with 12 million copies sold.[110] The soundtrack topped the Billboard 200 chart and remained there for 20 non-consecutive weeks, the longest tenure by any album on the chart in the Nielsen SoundScan era, and became one of the fastest selling albums ever.[111] During Christmas week of 1992, the soundtrack sold over a million copies within a week, becoming the first album to achieve that feat under Nielsen SoundScan system.[112][113] With the follow-up singles “I’m Every Woman”, a Chaka Khan cover, and “I Have Nothing” both reaching the top five, Houston became the first female artist to ever have three singles in the Top 11 simultaneously.[114][115][116] The album was certified 17× platinum in the US alone,[117] with worldwide sales of 44 million,[118] making The Bodyguard the biggest-selling album by a female act on the list of the world’s Top 10 best-selling albums, topping Shania Twain’s 40 million sold for Come On Over.[119]
Houston won three Grammys for the album in 1994, including two of the Academy’s highest honors, Album of the Year and Record of the Year. In addition, she won a record 8 American Music Awards at that year’s ceremony including the Award of Merit,[120] 11 Billboard Music Awards, 3 Soul Train Music Awards in 1993–94 including Sammy Davis, Jr. Award as Entertainer of the Year,[121] 5 NAACP Image Awards including Entertainer of the Year,[122][123][124] a record 5 World Music Awards,[125] and a BRIT award.[126] Following the success of the project, Houston embarked on another expansive global tour, The Bodyguard World Tour, in 1993–94. Her concerts, movie, and recording grosses made her the third highest earning female entertainer of 1993–94, just behind Oprah Winfrey and Barbra Streisand according to Forbes magazine.[127] Houston placed in the top five of Entertainment Weekly’s annual “Entertainer of the Year” ranking[128] and was labeled by Premiere magazine as one of the 100 most powerful people in Hollywood.[129]
In October 1994, Houston attended and performed at a state dinner in the White House honoring newly elected South African president Nelson Mandela.[130][131] At the end of her world tour, Houston performed three concerts in South Africa to honor President Mandela, playing to over 200,000 people. This would make the singer the first major musician to visit the newly unified and apartheid free nation following Mandela’s winning election.[132] The concert was broadcast live on HBO with funds of the concerts being donated to various charities in South Africa. The event was considered the nation’s “biggest media event since the inauguration of Nelson Mandela”.[133]
1995–1997: Waiting to Exhale, The Preacher’s Wife, and Cinderella
In 1995, Houston starred alongside Angela Bassett, Loretta Devine, and Lela Rochon in her second film Waiting to Exhale, a motion picture about four African-American women struggling with relationships. Houston played the lead character Savannah Jackson, a TV producer in love with a married man. She chose the role because she saw the film as “a breakthrough for the image of black women because it presents them both as professionals and as caring mothers”.[134] After opening at number one and grossing $67 million in the US at the box office and $81 million worldwide,[135] it proved that a movie primarily targeting a black audience can cross over to success, while paving the way for other all-black movies such as How Stella Got Her Groove Back and the Tyler Perry movies that have become popular in the 2000s.[136][137][138] The film is also notable for its portrayal of black women as strong middle class citizens as opposed to stereotypes.[139] The reviews were mainly positive for the ensemble cast. The New York Times said “Ms. Houston has shed the defensive hauteur that made her portrayal of a pop star in ‘The Bodyguard’ seem so distant.”[140] Houston was nominated for an NAACP Image Award for “Outstanding Actress In A Motion Picture”, but lost to her co-star Bassett.
The film’s accompanying soundtrack, Waiting to Exhale: Original Soundtrack Album, was produced by Houston and Babyface. Though Babyface originally wanted Houston to record the entire album, she declined. Instead, she “wanted it to be an album of women with vocal distinction”, and thus gathered several African-American female artists for the soundtrack, to go along with the film’s strong women message.[134] As a result, the album featured a range of contemporary R&B female recording artists along with Houston, such as Mary J. Blige, Aretha Franklin, Toni Braxton, Patti Labelle, and Brandy. Houston’s “Exhale (Shoop Shoop)” peaked at No. 1, and then spent a record eleven weeks at the No. 2 spot and eight weeks on top of the R&B Charts. “Count On Me”, a duet with CeCe Winans, hit the US Top 10; and Houston’s third contribution, “Why Does It Hurt So Bad”, made the Top 30. The album debuted at No. 1, and was certified 7× Platinum in the United States, denoting shipments of seven million copies.[61] The soundtrack received strong reviews as Entertainment Weekly said “the album goes down easy, just as you’d expect from a package framed by Whitney Houston tracks…. the soundtrack waits to exhale, hovering in sensuous suspense”[141] and has since ranked it as one of the 100 Best Movie Soundtracks.[142] Later that year, Houston’s children’s charity organization was awarded a VH1 Honor for all the charitable work.[143]
In 1996, Houston starred in the holiday comedy The Preacher’s Wife, with Denzel Washington. She plays a gospel-singing wife of a pastor (Courtney B. Vance). It was largely an updated remake of the 1948 film “The Bishop’s Wife” which starred Loretta Young, David Niven and Cary Grant. Houston earned $10 million for the role, making her one of the highest-paid actresses in Hollywood at the time and the highest earning African American actress in Hollywood.[144] The movie, with its all African-American cast, was a moderate success, earning approximately $50 million at the U.S. box offices.[145] The movie gave Houston her strongest reviews so far. The San Francisco Chronicle said Houston “is rather angelic herself, displaying a divine talent for being virtuous and flirtatious at the same time” and that she “exudes gentle yet spirited warmth, especially when praising the Lord in her gorgeous singing voice”.[146] Houston was again nominated for an NAACP Image Award and won for Outstanding Actress In A Motion Picture.
Houston recorded and co-produced, with Mervyn Warren, the film’s accompanying gospel soundtrack. The Preacher’s Wife: Original Soundtrack Album included six gospel songs with Georgia Mass Choir that were recorded at the Great Star Rising Baptist Church in Atlanta. Houston also duetted with gospel legend Shirley Caesar. The album sold six million copies worldwide and scored hit singles with “I Believe in You and Me” and “Step by Step”, becoming the largest selling gospel album of all time. The album received mainly positive reviews. Some critics, such as that of USA Today, noted the presence of her emotional depth,[147] while The Times said “To hear Houston going at full throttle with the 35 piece Georgia Mass Choir struggling to keep up is to realise what her phenomenal voice was made for”.[148]
In 1997, Houston’s production company changed its name to BrownHouse Productions and was joined by Debra Martin Chase. Their goal was “to show aspects of the lives of African-Americans that have not been brought to the screen before” while improving how African-Americans are portrayed in film and television.[149] Their first project was a made-for-television remake of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Cinderella. In addition to co-producing, Houston starred in the movie as the Fairy Godmother along with Brandy, Jason Alexander, Whoopi Goldberg, and Bernadette Peters. Houston was initially offered the role of Cinderella in 1993, but other projects intervened.[150] The film is notable for its multi-racial cast and nonstereotypical message.[151] An estimated 60 million viewers tuned into the special giving ABC its highest TV ratings in 16 years.[152] The movie received seven Emmy nominations including Outstanding Variety, Musical or Comedy, while winning Outstanding Art Direction in a Variety, Musical or Comedy Special.[153]
Houston and Chase then obtained the rights to the story of Dorothy Dandridge. Houston was to play Dandridge, who was the first African American actress to be nominated for an Oscar. She wanted the story told with dignity and honor.[149] However, Halle Berry also had rights to the project and she got her version going first.[154] Later that year, Houston paid tribute to her idols such as Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, and Dionne Warwick by performing their hits during the three-night HBO Concert Classic Whitney, live from Washington, D.C. The special raised over $300,000 for the Children’s Defense Fund.[155] Houston received The Quincy Jones Award for outstanding career achievements in the field of entertainment at the 12th Soul Train Music Awards.[156][157]
1998–2000: My Love Is Your Love and Whitney: The Greatest Hits
After spending much of the early and mid-1990s working on motion pictures and their soundtrack albums, Houston’s first studio album in eight years, the critically acclaimed My Love Is Your Love, was released in November 1998. Though originally slated to be a greatest hits album with a handful of new songs, recording sessions were so fruitful that a new full-length studio album was released. Recorded and mixed in only six weeks, it featured production from Rodney Jerkins, Wyclef Jean and Missy Elliott. The album debuted at number thirteen, its peak position, on the Billboard 200 chart.[158] It had a funkier and edgier sound than past releases and saw Houston handling urban dance, hip hop, mid-tempo R&B, reggae, torch songs, and ballads all with great dexterity.[159]
From late 1998 to early 2000, the album spawned several hit singles: “When You Believe” (US No. 15, UK No. 4), a duet with Mariah Carey for 1998’s The Prince of Egypt soundtrack, which also became an international hit as it peaked in the Top 10 in several countries and won an Academy Award for Best Original Song;[160] “Heartbreak Hotel” (US No. 2, UK No. 25) featured Faith Evans and Kelly Price, received a 1999 MTV VMA nomination for Best R&B Video,[161] and number one on the US R&B chart for seven weeks; “It’s Not Right But It’s Okay” (US No. 4, UK No. 3) won Houston her sixth Grammy Award for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance;[162] “My Love Is Your Love” (US No. 4, UK No. 2) with 3 million copies sold worldwide;[163] and “I Learned from the Best” (US No. 27, UK No. 19).[164][165] These singles became international hits as well, and all the singles, except “When You Believe”, became number one hits on the Billboard Hot Dance/Club Play chart. The album sold four million copies in America, making it certified 4× platinum, and a total of eleven million copies worldwide.[46]
The album gave Houston some of her strongest reviews ever. Rolling Stone said Houston was singing “with a bite in her voice”[166] and The Village Voice called it “Whitney’s sharpest and most satisfying so far”.[167] In 1999, Houston participated in VH-1’s Divas Live ’99, alongside Brandy, Mary J. Blige, Tina Turner, and Cher. The same year, Houston hit the road with her 70 date My Love Is Your Love World Tour. The European leg of the tour was Europe’s highest grossing arena tour of the year.[168] In November 1999, Houston was named Top-selling R&B Female Artist of the Century with certified US sales of 51 million copies at the time and The Bodyguard Soundtrack was named the Top-selling Soundtrack Album of the Century by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).[169] She also won The Artist of the Decade, Female award for extraordinary artistic contributions during the 1990s at the 14th Soul Train Music Awards, and an MTV Europe Music Award for Best R&B.[170][171][172][173][174]
In May 2000, Whitney: The Greatest Hits was released worldwide. The double disc set peaked at number five in the United States, reaching number one in the United Kingdom.[165][175] In addition, the album reached the Top 10 in many other countries.[176] While ballad songs were left unchanged, the album features house/club remixes of many of Houston’s up-tempo hits. Included on the album were four new songs: “Could I Have This Kiss Forever” (a duet with Enrique Iglesias), “Same Script, Different Cast” (a duet with Deborah C**), “If I Told You That” (a duet with George Michael), and “Fine”, and three hits that had never appeared on a Houston album: “One Moment in Time”, “The Star Spangled Banner”, and “If You Say My Eyes Are Beautiful”, a duet with Jermaine Jackson from his 1986 Precious Moments album.[177] Along with the album, an accompanying VHS and DVD was released featuring the music videos to Houston’s greatest hits, as well as several hard-to-find live performances including her 1983 debut on The Merv Griffin Show, and interviews.[178] The greatest hits album was certified 3× platinum in the US, with worldwide sales of 10 million.[179][180]
2000–2005: Just Whitney, and personal struggles
Though Houston was seen as a “good girl” with a perfect image in the 1980s and early 1990s, by the late 1990s, her behavior changed. She was often hours late for interviews, photo shoots and rehearsals, and canceling concerts and talk-show appearances.[181][182] With the missed performances and weight loss, rumors about Houston using drugs with her husband circulated. On January 11, 2000, airport security guards discovered marijuana in both Houston’s and husband Bobby Brown’s luggage at a Hawaii airport, but the two boarded the plane and departed before authorities could arrive. Charges were later dropped against them,[183] but rumors of drug usage between the couple would continue to surface. Two months later, Clive Davis was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Houston had been scheduled to perform at the event, but failed to show up.[184]
Shortly thereafter, Houston was scheduled to perform at the Academy Awards but was fired from the event by musical director and longtime friend Burt Bacharach. Her publicist cited throat problems as the reason for the cancellation. In his book The Big Show: High Times and Dirty Dealings Backstage at the Academy Awards, author Steve Pond revealed that “Houston’s voice was shaky, she seemed distracted and jittery, and her attitude was casual, almost defiant”, and that while Houston was to sing “Over the Rainbow”, she would start singing a different song.[185] Houston later admitted to having been fired.[186] Later that year, Houston’s long-time executive assistant and friend, Robyn Crawford, resigned from Houston’s management company.[184]
In August 2001, Houston signed the biggest record deal in music history with Arista/BMG. She renewed her contract for $100 million to deliver six new albums, on which she would also earn royalties.[187][188][189] She later made an appearance on Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Special. Her extremely thin frame further spurred rumors of drug use. Houston’s publicist said, “Whitney has been under stress due to family matters, and when she is under stress she doesn’t eat.”[190] The singer was scheduled for a second performance the following night but canceled.[191] Within weeks, Houston’s rendition of “The Star Spangled Banner” would be re-released after the September 11 attacks, with the proceeds donated to the New York Firefighters 9/11 Disaster Relief Fund and the New York Fraternal Order of Police.[192] The song peaked at No. 6 this time on the US Hot 100, topping its previous position.[164]
In 2002, Houston became involved in a legal dispute with John Houston Enterprise. Although the company was started by her father to manage her career, it was actually run by company president Kevin Skinner. Skinner filed a breach-of-contract lawsuit and sued for $100 million (but lost), stating that Houston owed the company previously unpaid compensation for helping to negotiate her $100 million contract with Arista Records and for sorting out legal matters.[193] Houston stated that her 81-year-old father had nothing to do with the lawsuit. Although Skinner tried to claim otherwise, John Houston never appeared in court.[194] Houston’s father later died in February 2003.[195] The lawsuit was dismissed on April 5, 2004, and Skinner was awarded nothing.[196]
Also in 2002, Houston did an interview with Diane Sawyer to promote her then-upcoming album. During the prime-time special, Houston spoke on topics including rumored drug use and marriage. She was asked about the ongoing drug rumors and replied, “First of all, let’s get one thing straight. Crack is cheap. I make too much money to ever smoke crack. Let’s get that straight. Okay? We don’t do crack. We don’t do that. Crack is wack.”[186] The line was from Keith Haring’s mural which was painted in 1986 on the handball court at 128th Street and 2nd Avenue.[197] Houston did, however, admit to using other substances at times, including cocaine.[186]
In December 2002, Houston released her fifth studio album, Just Whitney…. The album included productions from then-husband Bobby Brown, as well as Missy Elliott and Babyface, and marked the first time that Houston did not produce with Clive Davis as Davis had been released by top management at BMG. Upon its release, Just Whitney… received mixed reviews.[198] The album debuted at number 9 on the Billboard 200 chart and it had the highest first week sales of any album Houston had ever released.[199] The four singles released from the album, didn’t fare well on the Billboard Hot 100, but became Hot Dance Club Play hits. Just Whitney… was certified platinum in the United States, and sold approximately three million worldwide.[200]
On a June 2003 trip to Israel, Houston said of her visit, “I’ve never felt like this in any other country. I feel at home, I feel wonderful.”[201]
In late 2003, Houston released her first Christmas album One Wish: The Holiday Album, with a collection of traditional holiday songs. Houston produced the album with Mervyn Warren and Gordon Chambers. A single titled “One Wish (for Christmas)” reached the Top 20 on the Adult Contemporary chart, and the album was certified gold in the US. Having always been a touring artist, Houston spent most of 2004 touring and performing in Europe, the Middle East, Asia, and Russia. In September 2004, she gave a surprise performance at the World Music Awards in a tribute to long-time friend Clive Davis. After the show, Davis and Houston announced plans to go into studio to work on her new album.[202]
In early 2004, husband Bobby Brown starred in his own reality TV program, Being Bobby Brown (on the Bravo network), which provided a view into the domestic goings-on in the Brown household. Though it was Brown’s vehicle, Houston was a prominent figure throughout the show, receiving as much screen time as Brown. The series aired in 2005 and featured Houston in, what some would say, not her most flattering moments. The Hollywood Reporter said it was “undoubtedly the most disgusting and execrable series ever to ooze its way onto television.”[203] Despite the perceived train-wreck nature of the show, the series gave Bravo its highest ratings in its time slot and continued Houston’s successful forays into film and television.[204] The show was not renewed for a second season after Houston stated that she would no longer appear in it, and Brown and Bravo could not come to an agreement for another season.[205]
2006–2012: Return to music, I Look to You, tour and film comeback
After years of controversy and turmoil, Houston separated from Bobby Brown in September 2006, filing for divorce the following month.[206] On February 1, 2007, Houston asked the court to fast track their divorce.[207] The divorce was finalized on April 24, 2007, with Houston granted custody of the couple’s daughter.[208] On May 4, Houston sold the suburban Atlanta home featured in Being Bobby Brown for $1.19 million.[209] A few days later, Brown sued Houston in Orange County, California court in an attempt to change the terms of their custody agreement. Brown also sought child and spousal support from Houston. In the lawsuit, Brown claimed that financial and emotional problems prevented him from properly responding to Houston’s divorce petition.[210] Brown lost at his court hearing as the judge dismissed his appeal to overrule the custody terms, leaving Houston with full custody and Brown with no spousal support.[211] In March 2007, Clive Davis of Arista Records announced that Houston would begin recording a new album.[212] In October 2007, Arista released another compilation The Ultimate Collection outside the United States.[213]
Houston performing “My Love Is Your Love” with her daughter Bobbi Kristina Brown on Good Morning America, September 1, 2009
Houston gave her first interview in seven years in September 2009, appearing on Oprah Winfrey’s season premiere. The interview was billed as “the most anticipated music interview of the decade”.[214] Whitney admitted on the show to using drugs with former husband Bobby Brown, who “laced marijuana with rock cocaine”.[215] By 1996, she told Oprah, “[doing drugs] was an everyday thing… I wasn’t happy by that point in time. I was losing myself.”[216]
Houston released her new album, I Look to You, in August 2009.[217] The album’s first two singles are “I Look to You” and “Million Dollar Bill”. The album entered the Billboard 200 at No. 1, with Houston’s best opening-week sales of 305,000 copies, marking Houston’s first number one album since The Bodyguard, and Houston’s first studio album to reach number one since 1987’s Whitney. Houston also appeared on European television programs to promote the album. She performed the song “I Look to You” on the German television show Wetten, dass..?. Three days later, she performed the worldwide first single from I Look To You, Million Dollar Bill, on the French television show Le Grand Journal. Houston appeared as guest mentor on The X Factor in the United Kingdom. She performed “Million Dollar Bill” on the following day’s results show, completing the song even as a strap in the back of her dress popped open two minutes into the performance. She later commented that she “sang [herself] out of [her] clothes”.
The performance was poorly received by the British media, and was variously described as “weird” and “ungracious”,[218] “shambolic”[219] and a “flop”. Despite this reception, “Million Dollar Bill” jumped to its peak from 14 to number 5 (her first UK top 5 for over a decade), and three weeks after release “I Look to You” went gold. Houston appeared on the Italian version of The X Factor, performing the same song “Million Dollar Bill” to excellent reviews.[220] She was awarded the Gold Certificate for achieving over 50,000 CD sales of “I Look To You” in Italy.[221] In November, Houston performed “I Didn’t Know My Own Strength” at the 2009 American Music Awards in Los Angeles, California. Two days later, Houston performed both songs on the Dancing With The Stars season 9 finale. As of December 2009, “I Look to You” has been certified platinum by the RIAA for sales of more than one million copies in the United States.[222] On January 26, 2010, her debut album was re-released in a special edition entitled Whitney Houston – The Deluxe Anniversary Edition.[223]
Whitney Houston at the O2 Arena, April 28, 2010, as part of her Nothing but Love World Tour
Houston later embarked on a world tour, entitled the Nothing but Love World Tour. It was her first world tour in over ten years and was announced as a triumphant comeback. However, some poor reviews and rescheduled concerts brought some negative media attention.[224][225] Houston canceled some concerts due to illness and received widespread negative reviews from fans who were disappointed in the quality of her voice and performance. Some fans reportedly walked out of her concerts.[226]
In January 2010, Houston was nominated for two NAACP Image Awards, one for Best Female Artist and one for Best Music Video. She won the award for Best Music Video for her single “I Look to You”. On January 16, she received The BET Honors Award for Entertainer citing her lifetime achievements spanning over 25 years in the industry. The 2010 BET Honors award was held at the Warner Theatre in Washington, D.C. and aired on February 1, 2010. Jennifer Hudson and Kim Burrell performed in honor of her, garnering positive reviews. Houston also received a nomination from the Echo Awards, Germany’s version of the Grammys, for Best International Artist. In April 2010, the UK newspaper The Mirror reported that Houston was thinking about recording her eighth studio album and wanted to collaborate with will.i.am (of The Black Eyed Peas), her first choice for a collaboration.[227]
Houston also performed the song “I Look to You” on the 2011 BET Celebration of Gospel, with gospel–jazz singer Kim Burrell, held at the Staples Center, Los Angeles. The performance aired on January 30, 2011. Early in 2011, she gave an uneven performance in tribute to cousin Dionne Warwick at music mogul Clive Davis’ annual pre-Grammy gala. In May 2011, Houston enrolled in a rehabilitation center again, as an out-patient, citing drug and alcohol problems. A representative for Houston said that it was a part of Houston’s “longstanding recovery process”.[228]
In September 2011, The Hollywood Reporter announced that Houston would produce and star alongside Jordin Sparks and Mike Epps in the remake of the 1976 film Sparkle. In the film, Houston portrays Sparks’ “not-so encouraging mother.” Houston also is credited as an executive producer of the film. Debra Martin Chase, producer of Sparkle, stated that Houston deserved the title considering she had been there from the beginning in 2001, when Houston obtained Sparkle production rights. R&B singer Aaliyah – originally tapped to star as Sparkle – died in a 2001 plane crash. Her death derailed production, which would have begun in 2002.[229][230][231] Houston’s remake of Sparkle was filmed in the fall of 2011 over a two-month period,[232] and was released by TriStar Pictures.[233] On May 21, 2012, “Celebrate”, the last song Houston recorded with Sparks, premiered at RyanSeacrest.com. It was made available for digital download on iTunes on June 5.[234] The song was featured on the Sparkle: Music from the Motion Picture soundtrack as the first official single.[235] The movie was released on August 17, 2012 in the United States. The accompanying music video for Celebrate was filmed on May 30, 2012.[236] The video was shot over 2 days,[237] and a sneak peek of the video premiered on Entertainment Tonight on June 4, 2012.[238]
Death
The Beverly Hilton Hotel, where Houston’s body was found.
Flowers near the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
Wikinews has related news: American pop star Whitney Houston dies at 48
On February 9, 2012, Houston visited singers Brandy and Monica, together with Clive Davis, at their rehearsals for Davis’ pre-Grammy Awards party at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills.[239][240] That same day, she made her last public performance, when she joined Kelly Price on stage in Hollywood, California, and sang “Jesus Loves Me”.[241][242]
Two days later, on February 11, Houston was found unconscious in Suite 434 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, submerged in the bathtub; she was later pronounced dead.[243][244] The cause of death was not immediately known.[245][246] It was later ruled by the coroner to have been an “accidental drowning”.[247] Beverly Hills paramedics arrived at approximately 3:30 p.m. and found the singer unresponsive and performed CPR. Houston was pronounced dead at 3:55 p.m. PST.[245][248] Local police said there were “no obvious signs of criminal intent.”[249] On March 22, 2012, the Los Angeles County coroner’s office reported the cause of Houston’s death was drowning and the “effects of atherosclerotic heart disease and cocaine use”.[250] The office stated the amount of cocaine found in Houston’s body indicated that she used the substance shortly before her death.[251] Toxicology results revealed additional drugs in her system: Benadryl, Xanax, marijuana and Flexeril.[252] The manner of death was listed as an “accident”.[253]
Houston had an invitation-only memorial on Saturday, February 18, 2012, at the New Hope Baptist Church in Newark, New Jersey. The service was scheduled for two hours, but lasted for four hours.[254] Among those who performed at the funeral were Stevie Wonder (rewritten version of “Ribbon in the Sky,” and “Love’s in Need of Love Today”), CeCe Winans (“Don’t Cry” and “Jesus Loves Me”), Alicia Keys (“Send Me an Angel”), Kim Burrell (rewritten version of “A Change Is Gonna Come”) and R. Kelly (“I Look to You”), interspersed with hymns by the church choir and remarks by Clive Davis, Houston’s record producer; Kevin Costner; Ricky Minor her music director; her cousin Dionne Warwick and Ray Watson, her security guard for the past 11 years. Aretha Franklin was listed on the program and was expected to sing, but was unable to attend the service.[255][256] Bobby Brown, Houston’s ex-husband, was also invited to the funeral but he left before the service began.[257] Houston was buried on Sunday, February 19, 2012, in Fairview Cemetery, in Westfield, New Jersey next to her father, John Russell Houston, who died in 2003.[258] In June 2012, the McDonald’s Gospelfest in Newark became a tribute to Houston.[259]
Reaction
The Clive Davis’ pre-Grammy party that Houston was expected to attend, which featured many of the biggest names in music and movies, went on as scheduled although it was quickly turned into a tribute to Houston. Davis spoke about Houston’s death at the evening’s start: “By now you have all learned of the unspeakably tragic news of our beloved Whitney’s passing. I don’t have to mask my emotion in front of a room full of so many dear friends. I am personally devastated by the loss of someone who has meant so much to me for so many years. Whitney was so full of life. She was so looking forward to tonight even though she wasn’t scheduled to perform. Whitney was a beautiful person and a talent beyond compare. She graced this stage with her regal presence and gave so many memorable performances here over the years. Simply put, Whitney would have wanted the music to go on and her family asked that we carry on.”[260]
Tony Bennett spoke of Houston’s death before performing at Davis’ party. He said, “First, it was Michael Jackson, then Amy Winehouse, now, the magnificent Whitney Houston”. Bennett sang “How Do You Keep the Music Playing?” and said of Houston, “When I first heard her, I called Clive Davis and said, ‘You finally found the greatest singer I’ve ever heard in my life.'”[261]
Some celebrities opposed Davis’ decision to continue on the party while a police investigation was being conducted in Houston’s hotel room and her body was still in the building. Chaka Khan, in an interview with CNN’s Piers Morgan on February 13, 2012, shared that she felt the party should have been canceled, saying “I thought that was complete insanity. And knowing Whitney I don’t believe that she would have said ‘the show must go on.’ She’s the kind of woman that would’ve said ‘Stop everything! Un-unh. I’m not going to be there.’ […] I don’t know what could motivate a person to have a party in a building where the person whose life he had influenced so enormously and whose life had been affected by hers. They were like… I don’t understand how that party went on.”[262] Sharon Osbourne condemned the Davis party, declaring “I think it was disgraceful that the party went on. I don’t want to be in a hotel room when there’s someone you admire who’s tragically lost their life four floors up. I’m not interested in being in that environment and I think when you grieve someone, you do it privately, you do it with people who understand you. I thought it was so wrong.”[263]
Several other celebrities released statements responding to Houston’s death. Darlene Love, Houston’s Godmother, hearing the news of her death, said, “It felt like I had been struck by a lightning bolt in my gut.”[264] Dolly Parton, whose song “I Will Always Love You” was covered by Houston, said, “I will always be grateful and in awe of the wonderful performance she did on my song and I can truly say from the bottom of my heart, ‘Whitney, I will always love you. You will be missed’.” Aretha Franklin said, “It’s so stunning and unbelievable. I couldn’t believe what I was reading coming across the TV screen.”[265] Mariah Carey said, “Heartbroken and in tears over the shocking death of my friend, the incomparable Ms. Whitney Houston. My heartfelt condolences to Whitney’s family and to all her millions of fans throughout the world. She will never be forgotten as one of the greatest voices to ever grace the earth.”[266] Oprah Winfrey, who did an in-depth interview with Houston in 2009, wrote on Twitter “To me Whitney was THE VOICE. We got to hear a part of God every time she sang. Heart is heavy, spirit grateful for the GIFT of her.”[267] Quincy Jones said, “I am absolutely heartbroken at the news of Whitney’s passing. Ashford & Simpson first made me aware of Whitney when she was just sixteen, and I always regretted not having had the opportunity to work with her. She was a true original and a talent beyond compare. I will miss her terribly.”[266]
Moments after news of her death emerged, CNN, MSNBC and Fox News all broke from their regularly scheduled programming to dedicate time to non-stop coverage of Houston’s death. All three featured live interviews with people who knew Houston including those that have worked with her, interviewed her along with some of her peers in the music industry. Saturday Night Live displayed a photo of a smiling Houston, alongside Molly Shannon, from her 1996 appearance.[268][269] MTV and VH-1 interrupted their regularly scheduled programming on Sunday February 12 to air many of Houston’s classic videos with MTV often airing news segments in between and featuring various reactions from fans and celebrities.
Houston’s former husband, Bobby Brown, was reported to be “in and out of crying fits” since receiving the news. He did not cancel a scheduled performance and within hours of his ex-wife’s sudden death, an audience in Mississippi observed as Brown blew kisses skyward, tearfully saying: “I love you, Whitney”.[270]
Ken Ehrlich, executive producer of the 54th Grammy Awards, announced that Jennifer Hudson would perform a tribute to Houston at the February 12, 2012, awards. He said “event organizers believed Hudson – an Academy Award-winning actress and Grammy Award-winning artist – could perform a respectful musical tribute to Houston”. Ehrlich went on to say: “It’s too fresh in everyone’s memory to do more at this time, but we would be remiss if we didn’t recognize Whitney’s remarkable contribution to music fans in general, and in particular her close ties with the Grammy telecast and her Grammy wins and nominations over the years”.[271] At the start of the awards ceremony, a footage of Houston performing “I Will Always Love You” from the 1994 Grammys was shown following a prayer read by host, LL Cool J. Later in the program following a montage of photos of musicians who died in 2011 with Houston singing “Saving All My Love for You” at the 1986 Grammys, Hudson paid tribute to Houston and the other artists by performing “I Will Always Love You”.[272][273] The tribute was partially credited for the Grammys telecast getting its second highest ratings in history.[274]
Houston was honored in the form of various tributes at the 43rd NAACP Image Awards, held on February 17. A image montage of Houston and important black figures who died in 2011 was followed by video footage from the 1994 ceremony, which depicted her accepting two Image Awards for outstanding female artist and entertainer of the year. Following the video tribute, Yolanda Adams delivered a rendition of “I Love the Lord” from The Preacher’s Wife Soundtrack. In the finale of the ceremony, Kirk Franklin and The Family started their performance with “The Greatest Love of All.”[275] The 2012 BRIT Awards, which took place at London’s O2 Arena on February 21, also paid tribute to Houston by playing a 30-second-video montage of her music videos with a snippet of “One Moment in Time” as the background music in the ceremony’s first segment.[276] New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said that all New Jersey state flags would be flown at half-staff on Tuesday, February 21 to honor Houston.[277] Accompanied by Esperanza Spalding belting out “What a Wonderful World” along with the Southern California Children’s Choir, Houston was featured in the In Memoriam montage alongside other cinema greats at the 84th Academy Awards, held at the Hollywood and Highland Center on February 26, 2012.[278][279]
Artistry and legacy
Voice
“I Will Always Love You” (1992)
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One of Houston’s best selling singles worldwide and recognized songs, “I Will Always Love You” prominently uses melismas.
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Houston was a mezzo-soprano,[280][281] and was commonly referred to as “The Voice” in reference to her exceptional vocal talent.[282] She was third in MTV’s list of 22 Greatest Voices,[283] and sixth on Online Magazine COVE’s list of the 100 Best Pop Vocalists with a score of 48.5/50.[284] Jon Pareles of The New York Times stated she “always had a great big voice, a technical marvel from its velvety depths to its ballistic middle register to its ringing and airy heights”.[285] In 2008, Rolling Stone listed Houston as the thirty-fourth of the 100 greatest singers of all time, stating, “Her voice is a mammoth, coruscating cry: Few vocalists could get away with opening a song with 45 unaccompanied seconds of singing, but Houston’s powerhouse version of Dolly Parton’s ‘I Will Always Love You’ is a tour de force.”[104] Matthew Perpetua from Rolling Stone also eulogized Houston’s vocal, enumerating ten performances, including “How Will I Know” from the 1986 MTV VMAs and “The Star Spangled Banner” at the 1991 Super Bowl. “Whitney Houston was blessed with an astonishing vocal range and extraordinary technical skill, but what truly made her a great singer was her ability to connect with a song and drive home its drama and emotion with incredible precision,” he stated. “She was a brilliant performer, and her live shows often eclipsed her studio recordings.”[286]
Jon Caramanica of The New York Times commented, “Her voice was clean and strong, with barely any grit, well suited to the songs of love and aspiration. […] Hers was a voice of triumph and achievement, and it made for any number of stunning, time-stopping vocal performances.”[287] Mariah Carey stated, “She [Whitney] has a really rich, strong mid-belt that very few people have. She sounds really good, really strong.”[288] While in her review of I Look to You, music critic Ann Powers of the Los Angeles Times writes, “[Houston’s voice] stands like monuments upon the landscape of 20th century pop, defining the architecture of their times, sheltering the dreams of millions and inspiring the climbing careers of countless imitators”, adding “When she was at her best, nothing could match her huge, clean, cool mezzo-soprano”.[281]
Lauren Everitt from B** News Magazine commented on melisma used in Houston’s recording and its influence. “An early ‘I’ in Whitney Houston’s ‘I Will Always Love You’ takes nearly six seconds to sing. In those seconds the former gospel singer-turned-pop star packs a series of different notes into the single syllable,” stated Everitt. “The technique is repeated throughout the song, most pronouncedly on every ‘I’ and ‘you’. The vocal technique is called melisma, and it has inspired a host of imitators. Other artists may have used it before Houston, but it was her rendition of Dolly Parton’s love song that pushed the technique into the mainstream in the 90s. […] But perhaps what Houston nailed best was moderation.” Everitt said that “[i]n a climate of reality shows ripe with ‘oversinging’, it’s easy to appreciate Houston’s ability to save melisma for just the right moment”.[289]
Houston’s vocal stylings have had a significant impact on the music industry. She has been called the “Queen of Pop” for her influence during the 1990s, commercially rivaling Mariah Carey and Celine Dion.[290] Stephen Holden from The New York Times, in his
Queen Beyonce is getting all the controversial headlines and attention Rihanna desperately craves.
Remixes and Collaborations in the works; weed pics and n*** pics overload like it’s #NoBodysBusiness but its’s actually #NoOneCares
Stay Pressed b******!
Please stop posting s*** from Wikipedia.
FLOPPPPPP
DID I REALLY PUT THESE RAP B****** ON THE MAP AGAIN?
but she will sell as much as kreayshawn lmao
B**** do you really want me to bring up your flopping sophomore album sales? You know I will.
flopping?
1.5 million sold worldwide in 2012
with 6.5 million singles sold in the usa in 2012
not counting the singles nicki was featured on in 2012
SO GRAB A CHAIR AND TAKE A SEAT
“1.5 million sold worldwide in 2012
with 6.5 million singles sold in the usa in 2012”
And? Compared to your debut albums and singles sales, it’s a flop and there’s nothing more to it. You will deal 😉
QUEEN MINAJ READY HUNTY !!! THESE F****** CANT TAKE U!!!! @Touche
INDEED Touche ! Kiii
I Love eve!! She’s one of the best female rappers ever! But she’s gonna flop big time with this project if she doesnt step her game up!! She isnt gonna garner a massive audience because time has changed! Nobody is checking for her like (dare i say it) nicki minaj! Where is the promo?? Like grape juice says its been 11 years! if she wants to achieve high album sales she needs to promote this abum like hell to get more recognition. I doubt this album will sell over 100k copies at the very least!! but i wish her good luck!!
Agreed.
KREAYSHAWN AND KAT DELUNA ARE THE BIGGEST FLOPS IN THE WORLD. THEY HAVE COMBINED TOTAL SALES OF 13!!!!!
LOL
lmao!!!!!!
NEVER SEEN HATERS SO PRESSED! LOVE IT
I was about to say WOW, Eve generated over 120 comments?! I knew it was too good to be true…lol. How’d this s*** turn into a Beyonce post?
thanks to haters who are pressed
I like Eve. I was waiting for her album to drop after Tambourine. I wonder wtf happened because it was a hit.
All I wanna know is if Nicki’s a FLOP with 1.5mil WW what that make eve measley 200k copies sold of Eve-olution?!? @Touche I need answers now F*** !
Eve never been on anyone hip hop forbes cash kings list !
Nor been cited for her lyrics! Kim outshined her in the ’90s
Here, deery _/
Have to be honest. Eve-olution sold over 730k copies not 200k copies babe!
To inject some positivity in this post, I must say I’m SO EXCITED! I have been a fan of Eve since day 1 and I believe she is one of the fiercest, classiest female rappers to ever exist. I’m ready! #TEAMEVE.