Beyoncé Giselle Knowles (born September 4, 1981), best known mononymously as Beyoncé, is an American R&B singer-songwriter, record producer and actress.

Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she enrolled in various 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 the girl group Destiny's Child. Knowles has sold more than 50 million records worldwide with the group.

During the hiatus of Destiny's Child, Knowles released her debut solo album, Dangerously in Love, in June 2003. Dangerously in Love, which spawned the number-one singles "Crazy in Love" and "Baby Boy", became one of the most-successful albums of that year. It earned Knowles five Grammy Awards in a single night in 2004, and its reception signaled her viability as a solo artist. The disbandment of Destiny's Child in 2005 facilitated her continued success: she released her second solo album, B'Day, in 2006, which contained the worldwide hit "Irreplaceable".