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Beyoncé
From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter was born in 1981 in Houston, Texas. In the late 1990s she became known as the lead singer of the girl group Destiny's Child, one of the best-selling girl groups ever. She then grew into one of the biggest solo stars in the world. Like Michael Jackson, Prince and Madonna in the 1980s, she is more than a singer: she involves herself in the writing, the production, the imagery and the direction.
Music and breakthrough
Her first solo album Dangerously in Love (2003) produced, with Crazy in Love, her first number 1 hit as a solo artist in the Billboard Hot 100. The double album I Am... Sasha Fierce (2008) included Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) and Halo, a piano ballad she made with Ryan Tedder. In 2013 she released the album Beyoncé without announcement, as a 'visual album' with a video for every song. Lemonade (2016) appeared together with a film of about an hour. The music ranges from blues and country to rock and hip hop, and the lyrics deal with infidelity, Black women and the history of the South. She sang the single Formation live a day after its release in the Super Bowl halftime show.
Influence
With Renaissance (2022) she looked at the history of dance music, with Cowboy Carter (2024) at that of country. For that last album she received the Grammy for Album of the Year in February 2025. With 35 Grammys she has won more than anyone else.
Listening
Halo · Beyoncé, 2008Apple Music ↗
Discography
Studio albums
- 2003Dangerously in Love
- 2006B’Day
- 2008I Am… Sasha Fierce
- 20114
- 2013BEYONCÉ
- 2016Lemonade
- 2019The Lion King: The Gift (soundtrack)
- 2022Renaissance
- 2024COWBOY CARTER
In School of Rock
The chapters, maps and magazine stories of School of Rock are currently available in Dutch only.
- Mixtape 6: Fear of a Black PlanetNL Reader
- Mixtape 7: The 1980sNL Reader
- Mixtape 10: Women in Pop MusicNL Reader
Mentioned in other articles
- Irreplaceable Song
On 17 October 2006 Irreplaceable by Beyoncé was released.