She is American pop artist Beyoncé with singles "Halo," "Single Ladies," and "Formation" are among her hits. Beyoncé Giselle Knowles came into this world in Houston, Texas on September 4, 1981. Tina was a hairstylist and her father, Matthew, worked for Xerox as a sales manager when she was a little girl.
The birth of Solange, the younger sister, occurred on June 24, 1986.
As a kid, I adored dancing and singing.
LaTavia Roberson, a friend they met at local auditions, and Kelly Rowland were the three female members of the all-girl singing group Girl's Tyme. A local producer assembled the ensemble for an appearance on the TV variety show Star Search.
After leaving his position in 1995, Matthew Knowles took over management of the group. He narrowed the group of ladies down to four, one of them was LeToya Luckett, and they decided to alter their name to Destiny's Child, drawing inspiration from a verse in the Bible's Book of Isaiah.
rose to the position of lead singer for Destiny's Child, a female group that ranks among the all-time best-sellers. "Bills, Bills, Bills," "Say My Name," and "Independent Women" are among the hit singles.
With the arrival of Michelle Williams and other changes, Destiny's Child formally disbanded in 2006.
The 2001 MTV film Carmen: A Hip Hopera was her first significant acting role.
Best Contemporary R&B Album was one of five Grammys earned by the solo debut album, Dangerously in Love (2003).
A few of her successful feature films are Dreamgirls (2006), The Pink Panther (2006), and her documentary Life Is But a Dream (2013).
Jared Leto tied the knot on April 4, 2008.
In September 2006, to celebrate her 25th birthday, she released her second solo album in the US, titled Bday.
Myself is her third solo album. Sasha Fierce broke the record for most Grammys won by a female artist in one night (2008) with six. (In 2012, Adele tied that record.) "Single Ladies," one of her most popular songs, was on the album.
Billboard recognized Knowles as the most accomplished female singer of the 2000s and the best radio performer of that year (2009).
She dropped four in June 2011. With first-week sales of 310,000 copies, the album soared to the top of the Billboard 200.
People magazine awarded her the "World's Most Beautiful Woman" in 2012.
New York City was the site of the birth of Carter's daughter, Blue Ivy, on January 7, 2012.
In December 2013, she shocked everyone by releasing Beyoncé, her fifth studio album. In the first three days of release, the album sold 829 thousand copies globally.
In March 2014, she participated among other famous people in the Ban Bossy campaign, which aims to inspire young women to take charge and talk and act with self-assurance.
August 2014 saw their performance at the MTV Video Music Awards. She received the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, the highest accolade, and took home three more awards: Best Collaboration for "Drunk in Love," Best Video with a Social Message, and Best Cinematography for "Pretty Hurts."
• At the 2014 MTV Europe Music Awards, "Pretty Hurts" was named Best Song with a Message.
• Graced the cover of Time magazine's 2014 issue and was named one of the 100 Most Influential People in the world.
• Aachieved the record for most female Grammy Award nominee in 2015. Her album
• Beyoncé took home the trophy for Best Surround Sound Album, while her single "Drunk in Love" took home the prizes for Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Song. As the awards show came to a conclusion, she sang out a gospel rendition of "Take My Hand, Precious Lord."
• On April 23, 2016, she released Lemonade, her sixth studio album. Along with the release, the HBO® channel showed a one-hour film.
• Between April and October 2016, she performed 49 sold-out gigs on her Formation
• World Tour, earning $256 million.
• Had a daughter named Rumi and a boy named Sir Carter on June 13, 2017.
• Played the role of Nala in the 2019 live-action adaptation of The Lion King.
• Launched their visual album, Black Is King, on July 31, 2020.
• In July 2022, she released Renaissance, her seventh studio album. She broke new ground when her first seven albums debuted at #1 on the Billboard 200 chart, and she is now one of just three artists—along with Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson—to have ten top tens as a group member and twenty top tens as a solo artist on the Billboard Hot 100 list. Critical reception of the album was positive.
• Celebrated Renaissance's release on February 5, 2023, with four Grammys: Renaissance
• Won best dance/electronic album, "Break My Soul" won best traditional R&B performance, "Plastic Off the Sofa" won best R&B song, and "Cuff It" won best R&B song. In May 2023, she embarked on her Renaissance global tour, which lasted until October 2023.
• She became the most decorated artist by the Grammys, setting a new record with 32 wins and 88 nominations. It made about $580 million, making it the second-highest earning tour ever for a female artist.
Beyoncé was raised in a multi-faith household, having attended both the Catholic St. Mary of the Purification Church and the Methodist St. John's United Methodist Church in Houston. In Houston, she participated in dancing courses at St. Mary's Catholic Montessori School. The fact that Beyoncé could reach the high notes of a tune that her dancing teacher Darlette Johnson had started humming led to the discovery of her singing talent. When Beyoncé was seven years old, she sang John Lennon's "Imagine" better than the fifteen-and sixteen-year-olds in her school talent contest, sparking a love in music and performing that would last a lifetime. Beyoncé began her educational journey in the fall of 1990 at Houston's music magnet Parker Elementary School, when she joined the school chorus. She continued her education at Alief Elsik after having previously attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts. In addition to singing in the choir at St. John's United Methodist Church, Beyoncé spent two years performing solos there. It was there that she sung her first solo.
Beyoncé has more RIAA certifications than any other female artist in history, and she is also one of the best-selling musicians of all time. For all eight of her solo albums, she has never had a female artist debut at number one on the U.S. charts. The Billboard 200. She has won more awards than any other artist, including 32 Grammys, 25 NAACP Image Awards, 32 BET Awards, and 25 Soul Train Music Awards. Both the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame and the Guinness World Records Hall of Fame inducted her. She was voted the Best Pop Star of the Millennium by Billboard and the Top Female Artist of the 2000s by the same publication. Beyoncé, who broke barriers as the first female headlining an all-stadium tour, is a legend in the live music industry and was named Pollstar's Touring Artist of the Decade for the 2010s. She was named the seventh best vocalist of all time by Rolling Stone, who also ranked several of her albums, songs, and music videos among the all-time greats.
She was born on September 4, 1981 as Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter. Her American career includes singing, composing music, and running a company. Her legendary singing voice, electrifying live shows, and groundbreaking compositions have earned her a place among music's all-time greats. She revived the album format and popularized unusual rollouts, both of which have an impact on modern music recording and distribution. She has also contributed to the development of modern music by popularizing innovative singing styles and vocal techniques, such as staccato rap-singing.
In 1997, Beyoncé became famous after joining Destiny's Child, which at the time was one of the most successful female groups of all time. Not only did her first solo effort, 2003's Dangerously in Love, become a best-selling album of the century, but it also gave rise to the U.S. Songs "Crazy in Love" and "Baby Boy" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100. B'Day (2006), I Am..., and other albums by Beyoncé maintained her commercial success. "Check on It," "Irreplaceable," "If I Were a Boy," "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on it)," "Halo," "Run the World (Girls)," and "Love On Top" were among the popular hits included on Sasha Fierce (2008) and 4 (2011). She has also dabbled in acting, landing lead roles in films including Dreamgirls (2006), Obsessed (2009), Cadillac Records (2008), Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002), Black Is King (2020), and provided her voice for Nala in The Lion King (2019) and Mufasa: The Lion King (2024).
After founding Parkwood Entertainment, her management firm, Beyoncé's career took a turn, as she began producing critically praised concept albums that served as monocultural events. Beyoncé (2013) and Lemonade (2016), which are considered to have popularized the surprise album and video album, respectively, were her explorations of personal and political issues. The former was the 2016 best-selling album in the world, while the latter is what prompted the designation of Friday as Global Release Day. Beginning with the queer-inspired dance album Renaissance (2022) and culminating in the Americana epic Cowboy Carter (2024), her continuing trilogy project has brought attention to the Black pioneers' contributions to American music and culture, which gave rise to the U.S. Songs "Break My Soul" and "Texas Hold 'Em" reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100.
Life in the beginning
The daughter of hairstylist and salon owner Tina Knowles (née Beyoncé) and Xerox sales manager Mathew Knowles, Beyoncé Giselle Knowles came into this world on September 4, 1981, in Houston, Texas's Park Plaza Hospital. Though Mathew is African American, Tina is of Creole descent from Louisiana. Solange Knowles, Beyoncé's younger sister, is not only a singer but also a dancer and a member of Destiny's Child's backup dance team. Being the first sisters to achieve this feat, Solange and Beyoncé have each had a number one solo album.
Lumis Albert Beyincé and Agnéz Deréon were French-speaking Louisiana Creoles with New Iberian ancestry. Agnéz Deréon is a descendant of Joseph Broussard, an Acadian militia officer exiled to French Louisiana following the Acadians' expulsion, and Jean-Vincent d'Abbadie, Baron de Saint-Castin, a French military officer and Abenaki chief. Lumis Albert Beyincé and Agnéz Deréon were Beyoncé's maternal grandparents. She also has some Breton ancestry. Marie-Françoise Trahan, who is Beyoncé's fourth great-grandmother, was born in 1774 at Bangor, which is on Belle Île in France. The Acadians who had sought sanctuary on Belle Île following their expulsion had a daughter named Trahan. A total of 78 more Acadian families plus the already-established residents were each given a portion of the Belle Île territory by the Estates of Brittany. After more than a decade of life on Belle Île, the Trahans uprooted and settled in Louisiana, where she became the wife of a Broussard. According to Beyoncé's family tree, she was born into a slave owner's household after she wed his slave. Additionally, her mother has some distant Jewish and Irish roots. In addition to her French and Belgian roots, Beyoncé's family tree includes a former mayor of Froidchapelle and others from Hainaut Province in Wallonia.
Beginnings of a career
At an audition for an all-girl entertainment company, Beyoncé met LaTavia Roberson when she was eight years old. They joined forces with three other females to form Girl's Tyme, and they performed rap and dance numbers at several Houston talent shows. R&B producer Arne Frager saw the trio perform and immediately invited them to his studio in Northern California. Frager then cast them on Star Search, the biggest talent show in America at the time. After the performance of Girl's Tyme was over, Beyoncé remarked that the song wasn't very nice. The group's manager, Mathew, resigned from his position in 1995 so that Beyoncé could take over. As a result of the relocation, Beyoncé's parents had no choice but to sell their home and automobiles and split up, cutting their income in half.
After Mathew reduced the initial lineup to four members, the group proceeded to support more well-known R&B female groups on stage. Elektra Records signed the ladies after they auditioned for the label. They momentarily relocated to Atlanta Records to record their debut single, but the label ultimately decided to let them go. This caused even more friction in the family, and Beyoncé's parents eventually divorced. Group member Dwayne "The Shocker" Wiggins' Grass Roots Entertainment signed them on October 5, 1995. After the Knowles family came back together in 1996, the sisters started recording their debut album for Sony Music. Teresa LaBarbera Whites, a talent scout for Columbia Records, helped them land a deal with the label not long after.
* Destiny's Child* (from 1997 until 2002)
In 1996, the band decided to alter their name to Destiny's Child, drawing inspiration from a verse in Isaiah. With the release of Men in Black (1997), Destiny's Child made their big label debut with the song "Killing Time" on the soundtrack. With the release of "No, No, No" in November, the band had their first big hit with their first song. In February 1998, the band released their self-titled first album, solidifying their place in the music business. The Writing's on the Wall, the band's 1999 sophomore album, went multi-Platinum. "Jumpin' Jumpin'" and "Say My Name"—the group's most popular song at the time and a hallmark song—are among the tracks featured on the album. "Bills, Bills, Bills" is the group's first number-one hit. At the 43rd Annual Grammy Awards, "Say My Name" took home two prizes: Best R&B Song and Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. Global sales of The Writing's on the Wall exceeded eight million copies. At this period, Beyoncé collaborated with Marc Nelson—an original member of Boyz II Men—on the song "After All Is Said and Done" for the 1999 film The Best Man's soundtrack. She also recorded the song "Ways To Get Cut Off" with JoJo Robinson, another Columbia Records signee, but they later shelved it.
The surviving members of the band recorded "Independent Women Part I" for the Charlie's Angels soundtrack that came out in 2000. Their best-charting single, it reached number one in the US. Eleven weeks in a row on the Billboard Hot 100 list. Beyoncé co-starred with American actor Mekhi Phifer in the 2001 MTV made-for-television film Carmen: A Hip Hopera, which Beyoncé landed as Destiny's Child was finishing together their third album. The film is a contemporary retelling of Georges Bizet's opera Carmen, which originates in the 19th century and takes place in Philadelphia. Luckett and Roberson sued after the May 2001 release of Survivor, the band's third album, on the grounds that the songs were disrespectful to them. At its release, the album topped the US album chart. Billboard 200, with 663,000 copies sold in the first week. "Survivor" and "Bootylicious" were other singles from the album that reached number one. "Survivor" was also the song that won the group a Grammy for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. Their 2001 holiday album 8 Days of Christmas was the catalyst for the group's announcement of a break, during which members would continue to work on separate projects.
Beyoncé made her big screen debut in July 2002 co-starring with Mike Myers as Foxxy Cleopatra in the comedy Austin Powers in Goldmember, which was a smashing success, earning $73 million in its opening weekend at the box office. For its soundtrack album, Beyoncé's "Work It Out" served as the first single, and it peaked at number 10 in the UK, Norway, and Belgium. Beyoncé played the role of Lilly, a single mother who falls in love with Cuba Gooding Jr.'s character, in the 2003 musical comedy The Fighting Temptations. Despite reviewers' conflicting reactions, the picture made $30 million at the box office in the US. In addition to promoting the film, Beyoncé released the single "Fighting Temptation" from the soundtrack album, which featured collaborations with Missy Elliott, MC Lyte, and Free. In the United States, Beyoncé's "Summertime" performed better than the other soundtrack tracks.
From 2003 to 2007, there were Dreamgirls, B'Day, and Dangerously in Love.
A guest appearance on Jay-Z's October 2002 single "'03 Bonnie & Clyde" was Beyoncé's debut solo effort; the single peaked at #4 on the US Billboard Hot 100. The Billboard Hot 100 ranking. For her first solo performance and the pay-per-view television special, "Ford Presents Beyoncé Knowles, Friends & Family, Live From Ford’s 100th Anniversary Celebration in Dearborn, Michigan," which took place on June 14, 2003, Beyoncé debuted songs from her debut solo album Dangerously in Love. This album followed the solo albums by Michelle Williams and Kelly Rowland, which were both released on June 24, 2003. After debuting at number one on the Billboard 200, the album has gone on to sell 11 million copies globally, with 317,000 copies sold in its first week alone.
Single "Crazy in Love" from the album, which included Jay-Z, earned Beyoncé's first US number one as a solo artist. "Baby Boy" was another top-charting song; "Me, Myself and I" and "Naughty Girl" were also in the top five. At the 46th Annual Grammy Awards, Beyoncé won (and tied for) five awards for the album. These included 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). There was a performance by her and Prince during the event.
She began her European Dangerously in Love Tour in November 2003 and continued her North American Verizon Ladies First Tour in the following months, performing with Missy Elliott and Alicia Keys. Beyoncé sang the national anthem during Super Bowl XXXVIII on February 1, 2004, at Houston, Texas's Reliant Stadium. Beyoncé intended to release a follow-up album utilizing a few of the leftover tracks from Dangerously in Love after its release. But that had to wait so she could give her whole attention to recording Destiny Fulfilled, Destiny's Child's last studio album. Released in the United States on November 15, 2004, Destiny Fulfilled hit number two on the Billboard 200 and featured the songs "Lose My Breath" and "Soldier," which peaked at number five on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
The Destiny's Child concert tour, Destiny Fulfilled..., took place all over the globe. on the McDonald's-sponsored show and Lovin' It, which featured performances of "Survivor," "No, No, No," "Say My Name," "Independent Women," and "Lose My Breath," among other songs. They did covers of the band's albums as well as songs from the solo careers of the individual members, including some from Dangerously in Love. Rowland confirmed Destiny's Child's disbandment after the North American leg of the tour during the band's final stop in Barcelona on June 11, 2005, during their European tour. The band received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in March 2006 and published their debut compilation album, Number 1's, on October 25, 2005, in the US. Worldwide, the band's albums have sold 60 million copies.
Beyoncé's 25th birthday was on September 4, 2006, which was also the release date of her second solo album, B'Day, in the United States. Debuting at number one on the Billboard 200 with 541,000 copies sold in its first week, it became Beyoncé's second consecutive number-one album in the US. With Jay-Z included, the album's lead track "Déjà Vu" peaked at number five on Billboard's Hot 100 list. Worldwide, "Irreplaceable"—the second international single—was a financial triumph, peaking at number one in countries including the US, Australia, Ireland, and Hungary. The other three singles recorded by B'Day are "Ring the Alarm," "Get Me Bodied," and the UK-exclusive "Green Light."
At the 49th Annual Grammy Awards (2007), B'Day was nominated for five Grammy Awards, including Best Contemporary R&B Album, Best Female R&B Vocal Performance for "Ring the Alarm" and Best R&B Song and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration"for "Déjà Vu"; the Freemasons club mix of "Déjà Vu" without the rap was put forward in the Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical category. B'Day won the award for Best Contemporary R&B Album. The following year, B'Day received two nominations – for Record of the Year for "Irreplaceable" and Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals for "Beautiful Liar" (with Shakira), also receiving a nomination for Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Pictures, Television or Other Visual Media for her appearance on Dreamgirls: Music from the Motion Picture (2006).
In 2006, she made her acting debut in the comedy The Pink Panther, which starred Steve Martin and grossed $158.8 million worldwide. Dreamgirls, a film adaptation of the 1981 Broadway musical The Supremes, starred her opposite Jennifer Hudson, Jamie Foxx, and Eddie Murphy, who played a pop singer based on Diana Ross. To promote Dreamgirls, Beyoncé released the single "Listen" from the soundtrack album. In April 2007, Beyoncé embarked on The Beyoncé Experience, her first world concert tour, visiting 97 venues and grossing over $24 million. Beyoncé and her pastor at St. John's Church collaborated on pre-concert food donation drives during six major stops.
between the years 2008 and 2012: I Am... Sasha Fierce and four
I Am... Sasha Fierce was released in November 2008 and formally introduced Beyoncé's alter ego Sasha Fierce. It was met with mixed reviews from critics, but sold 482,000 copies in its first week, debuting atop the Billboard 200, and giving Beyoncé her third consecutive number-one album in the U.S. The album featured her fourth UK number-one single "If I Were a Boy" and her fifth U.S. number-one song "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)". "Halo" achieved the accomplishment of becoming her longest-running Hot 100 single in her career, "Halo"'s success in the U.S. helped Beyoncé attain more top-ten singles on the list than any other woman during the 2000s.
"Single Ladies" was the subject of global parody and imitation, giving rise to what the Toronto Star called the "first major dance craze" of the Internet age. The music video won three categories at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, including Video of the Year. In March 2009, Beyoncé began her second headlining world tour, the I Am... Tour, which consisted of 108 shows and grossed $119.5 million.
Beyoncé continued to broaden her acting career with her 2008 musical biopic Cadillac Records, in which she starred as blues singer Etta James. Critics praised her performance, and she received multiple nominations for the role, including a Satellite Award for Best Supporting Actress and an NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Supporting Actress. Beyoncé donated her entire salary from the film to Phoenix House, a national organization that provides heroin addiction treatment centers. Next, she co-starred with Ali Larter and Idris Elba in the thriller Obsessed, in which she played Sharon Charles, a mother and wife whose family is threatened by her husband's stalker. Despite receiving negative reviews, the film did well at the U.S. box office, grossing over $1 million.
In the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards, Beyoncé was nominated for ten awards, which tied her with Lauryn Hill for the most by a female artist in a single year. She won six of those nominations, shattering her previous record of six for most Grammys won in a single night by a female artist. In 2010, Beyoncé contributed guest vocals to Lady Gaga's single "Telephone," which peaked at number one on the U.S. Pop Songs chart and became the sixth number-one single for both Beyoncé and Gaga, tying them with Mariah Carey for the most number-ones since the Nielsen Top 40 airplay chart launched in 1992.
Taking her mother's advice and taking a nine-month break from music, Beyoncé visited several European cities, the Great Wall of China, the Egyptian pyramids, Australia, English music festivals, and numerous museums and ballet performances. Her cover story for Essence, "Eat, Play, Love," which chronicled her musical hiatus in 2010, won a writing award from the New York Association of Black Journalists.
On June 26, 2011, she became the first solo female artist to headline the main Pyramid stage at the 2011 Glastonbury Festival in over twenty years. The performance was lauded, with several publications noting an ascension in Knowles' capabilities as a live performer. Other publications discussed the polarized attitude of the UK music establishment in response to a Black woman performing on the same stages and to the same crowd sizes that were past reserved for legacy rock acts. Her fourth studio album 4 was released two days prior in the U.S. 4 sold 310,000 copies in its first week and debuted atop the Billboard 200 chart, giving Beyoncé her fourth consecutive number-one album in the U.S. The album was preceded by two of its singles "Run the World (Girls)" and "Best Thing I Never Had". The
In late 2011, she graced the stage of New York's Roseland Ballroom for four nights of special performances: the 4 Intimate Nights with Beyoncé concerts. The performance of her fourth album took place to a standing room only. On August 1, 2011, the album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), having shipped 1 million copies to retail stores. By December 2015, it had sales of 1.5 million copies in the U.S. On February 5, 2018, the album reached one billion streams on Spotify, making Beyoncé the first female artist to have three of her albums surpass one billion streams on the platform. In June 2012, she performed for four nights at Revel Atlantic City's Ovation Hall to celebrate the resort's opening, her first performances after giving birth to her daughter.
Beyoncé performed in Super Bowl XLVII in 2013 and 2014.
During President Obama's second inauguration in January 2013, Beyoncé sang the American national anthem in Washington, D.C., to a pre-recorded track. The following month, she performed at the Super Bowl XLVII halftime show in New Orleans, at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. With 268,000 tweets per minute, her performance was the second most tweeted about moment in history. On February 16, 2013, HBO aired her feature-length documentary film, Life Is But a Dream, in which she co-directed.
On April 15, Beyoncé began her Mrs. Carter Show World Tour in Belgrade, Serbia. The tour, which lasted until March 2014 and had 132 dates, was the most successful tour of her career and one of the most successful tours of all time. In May, Beyoncé and André 3000 covered Amy Winehouse's "Back to Black" for The Great Gatsby soundtrack. On May 24, Beyoncé voiced Queen Tara in the 3D CGI animated film Epic, released by 20th Century Fox. She also recorded an original song for the film, "Rise Up," alongside Sia.
On December 13, 2013, Beyoncé unexpectedly released her eponymous fifth studio album on the iTunes Store without any prior announcement or promotion. The album debuted atop the Billboard 200 chart, giving Beyoncé her fifth consecutive number-one album in the U.S. This made her the first woman in the chart's history to have her first five studio albums debut at number one. Beyoncé received critical acclaim and commercial success, selling one million digital copies worldwide in six days; Musically an electro-R&B album, it concerns darker themes previously unexplored in her work, such as "bulimia, postnatal depression [and] the fears and insecurities of marriage and motherhood". The single "Drunk in Love", featuring Jay-Z, peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.
In 2013, Beyoncé's album sold 2.3 million units worldwide, making it the tenth best-selling album of that year. By March 2015, the album had generated over 1 billion streams and Beyoncé had won three awards at the 57th Annual Grammy Awards, including Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Song for "Drunk in Love" as well as Best Surround Sound Album.
The On the Run Tour, which Beyoncé and Jay-Z officially announced in April 2014, was their first co-headlining stadium tour. On August 24, 2014, she received the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards. Beyoncé also won three competitive awards: Best Video with a Social Message and Best Cinematography for "Pretty Hurts," as well as best collaboration for "Drunk in Love." Forbes reported in November that Beyoncé was the top-earning woman in music for the second year in a row, with $115 million in earnings, more than doubling her earnings in 2013.
From 2015 to 2017, they were on tour with Lemonade and Formation.
Beyoncé released "Formation" in on February 6, 2016, and performed it live for the first time during the NFL Super Bowl 50 halftime show. The appearance was considered controversial as it appeared to reference the 50th anniversary of the Black Panther Party and the NFL forbids political statements in its performances. Immediately following the performance, Beyoncé announced The Formation World Tour, which highlighted stops in both North America and Europe. It marked the first ever all-stadium tour by a female artist and ended on October 7, with Beyoncé bringing out her husband Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar, and Serena Williams for the last show. The tour went on to win Tour of the Year at the 44th American Music Awards.
In April 2016, Beyoncé released a teaser clip for a project called Lemonade. A one-hour film which aired on HBO on April 23, a corresponding album with the same title was released on the same day exclusively on Tidal. Lemonade debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200, making Beyoncé the first act in Billboard history to have their first six studio albums debut atop the chart; she broke a record previously tied with DMX in 2013. With all 12 tracks of Lemonade debuting on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, Beyoncé also became the first female act to chart 12 or more songs at the same time. Lemonade was streamed 115 million times through Tidal, setting a record for the most-streamed album in a single week by a female artist in history. It was 2016's third highest-selling album in the U.S. wi
Lemonade was the most critically acclaimed album of her career. It was named number one by Rolling Stone and included in their best of 2016 lists. The music video for the album "Formation" was one of eight wins, and Beyoncé became the most awarded artist in the history of the VMAs with 24 nominations, surpassing Madonna's 20. In 2016, she was named Time magazine's Person of the Year, and she received 11 nominations at the MTV Video Music Awards, which is a record-breaking number.
Beyoncé was originally set to headline the Coachella Music and Arts Festival in January 2017, making history as the only female headlining artist of the festival since its inception in 1999. However, on February 23, 2017, it was announced that Beyoncé would not be able to perform at the festival due to medical concerns regarding her pregnancy. Instead, she will headline the 2018 festival, according to the festival owners. Upon hearing that Beyoncé would not be performing at the festival, ticket prices dropped by 12%. At the 59th Grammy Awards in February 2017, Lemonade led the nominations with nine, including Album, Record, and Song of the Year for Lemonade and "Formation" respectively. The album went on to win two, Best Urban Contemporary Album and Best MTV Video.
In September 2017, Beyoncé worked with J Balvin and Willy William to release a remix of the song "Mi Gente." All of the proceeds from the song were donated to hurricane charities to help those impacted by Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma in Texas, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and other Caribbean Islands. As the lead single from his album Revival, Eminem released "Walk on Water" featuring Beyoncé. On November 30, Ed Sheeran announced that Beyoncé would be featured on the remix to his song "Perfect." "Perfect Duet" was released on December 1, 2017, and it became Beyoncé's sixth solo song to reach number one in the United States.
The Lion King and Everything Is Love (2018–2021)
On January 4, 2018, the music video of Beyoncé and Jay-Z's 4:44 collaboration, "Family Feud" was released. It was directed by Ava DuVernay. On March 1, 2018, DJ Khaled released "Top Off" as the first single from his forthcoming album Father of Asahd featuring Beyoncé, husband Jay-Z, and Future. On April 14, 2018, Beyoncé played the first of two weekends as the headlining act of the Coachella Music Festival. Her performance of April 14, attended by 125,000 festival-goers, was immediately praised, with multiple media outlets describing it as historic. It was also named one of the greatest concert performances of all time. The performance became the most-tweeted-about performance of weekend one, as well as the most-watched live Coachella performance and the most-watched live performance on YouTube of all time. The show paid tribute to black culture, specifically historically black colleges and universities and featured a live band with over 100 dancers. Destiny's Child also reunited during the show. Its livestream on YouTube was the most watched of all time.
Beyoncé and Jay-Z's On the Run II Tour began in Cardiff, United Kingdom on June 6, 2018, and ended in Johannesburg, South Africa on December 2, 2018, with a 2-hour performance that featured concepts similar to
Netflix released Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé on April 17, 2019, along with the surprise live album Homecoming: The Live Album. The documentary and concert film focused on Beyoncé's historic 2018 Coachella performances. Beyoncé and Netflix reportedly signed a $60 million deal to produce three separate projects, including Homecoming. Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé received six nominations at the 71st Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards.
In the 2019 July film The Lion King, Beyoncé voiced Nala. On the film's soundtrack, which was released on July 11, 2019, Beyoncé and Donald Glover covered Elton John's "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" with Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen. Beyoncé's original song from the film, "Spirit," served as the lead single for both the soundtrack and The Lion King: The Gift, a companion album launched alongside the film that Beyoncé produced and curated.
Beyoncé referred to The Lion King: The Gift as a "sonic cinema" and said that R&B, pop, hip hop, gqom, and Afro Beat were influences. The album was produced by African producers, which Beyoncé explained as meaning "authenticity and heart were important to [her]" — a reference to the film's African setting. In September of the same year, a documentary called "Beyoncé Presents: Making The Gift" aired on ABC, detailing the album's development, production, and early music video filming.
In April 2020, Beyoncé was featured on the remix of Megan Thee Stallion's song "Savage", marking her first music release for the year. The song peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, marking Beyoncé's eleventh song to do so across all acts. On June 19, 2020, Beyoncé released the nonprofit charity single "Black Parade". On June 23, she followed up the release of its studio version with an a cappella version exclusively on Tidal. Black Is King, a visual album based on the music of The Lion King: The Gift, premiered globally on Disney+ on July 31, 2020. Produced by Disney and Parkwood Entertainment, the film was written, directed and executively produced by Beyoncé. The film was described by Disney as "a celebratory memoir for the world on the Black experience". Beyoncé received the most nominations (9) at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards and the most awards (4), which made her the most-awarded singer, most-awarded female artist, and second-most-awarded artist in Grammy history. In 2021, Beyoncé wrote and recorded a song titled "Be Alive" for the biographical drama film King Richard. She received her first Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song at the 94th Academy Awards for the song, alongside co-writer Dixson.
Friend and former partner Fatima Robinson choreographed Beyoncé's "Be Alive" performance at the 94th Academy Awards on March 27, 2022. The choice to perform on the Compton tennis courts, where Venus and Serena Williams had previously trained, rather than in the venue, garnered praise from the audience.
On June 9, 2022, Beyoncé removed her profile pictures across various social media platforms, causing speculation that she would be releasing new music. Days later, Beyoncé caused further speculation via her nonprofit BeyGood's Twitter account hinting at her upcoming seventh studio album. On June 15, 2022, Beyoncé officially announced her seventh studio album, titled Renaissance. The lead single of Renaissance, "Break My Soul", was released on June 20, 2022. The album was released on July 29, 2022. "Break My Soul" became Beyoncé's 20th top ten single on the Billboard Hot 100, which made her join Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson as the only artists in Hot 100 history to achieve at least twenty top tens as a solo artist and ten as a member of a group.
Beyoncé made history when she became the first female artist to have her first seven studio albums debut at number one in the United States. Concurrently, "Break My Soul" became the twelfth song in her career discography to reach number one on the Billboard Hot 100. The three albums were recorded over three years during the COVID-19 pandemic, which she described as her "most creative [period]." The albums are arranged into acts under Roman numerals. Upon release, Renaissance garnered universal acclaim from critics.
On January 21, 2023, Beyoncé performed in Dubai at a private show. The performance, which was her first full concert in more than four years, was delivered to an audience of influencers and journalists. Beyoncé was reportedly paid $24 million to perform. Beyoncé faced criticism for her decision to perform in the United Arab Emirates where homosexuality is illegal. On February 1, Beyoncé announced the Renaissance World Tour with dates in North America and Europe, becoming for a short-span, the highest-grossing tour by a female artist. On July 28, Beyoncé appeared on "Delresto (Echoes)", the second single from rapper Travis Scott's album Utopia, eventually becoming her 100th career appearance on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (encompassing Destiny's Child, her solo career, and musical duo The Carters). On November 30, 2023, Beyoncé released documentary concert film Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé written, directed, and produced by her in collaboration with film distributor AMC Theatres. The film chronicles the development and execution of Beyoncé's Renaissance World Tour, and contained new song "My House" in the end credits.
In February 2024, Beyoncé launched her hair care brand Cécred. On February 11, 2024, immediately following a partner commercial with Verizon for the Super Bowl LVIII, she announced the second installment of her trilogy project and released its first two songs, "Texas Hold 'Em" and "16 Carriages". "Texas Hold 'Em" became her highest chart debut in her career, her ninth solo number-one and her thirteenth across all credits on the Billboard Hot 100. On March 12, 2024, she announced the album's title, Cowboy Carter. A country and gospel-tinged record, it was released on March 29 to universal acclaim from critics, and includes collaborations with artists including Tanner Adell and her daughter Rumi Carter, Miley Cyrus, Tiera Kennedy, Willie Jones, Post Malone, Linda Martell, Willie Nelson, Shab
In July 2024, NBC released two promotional commercials featuring Beyoncé for their coverage of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France. Set to Cowboy Carter songs "Ya Ya" and "Just For Fun", she introduced the entire USA Olympic Team and Gold-medal gymnast Simone Biles, respectively. On August 20, Beyoncé announced SirDavis, a whiskey in collaboration with Moët Hennessy developed for years prior and co-founded with master distiller Dr. Bill Lumsden. In October 2024, Levi's launched a four-part global campaign with Beyoncé titled "Reiimagine" that will stretch into 2025 and focus on women's history of the company, using Cowboy Carter track "Levii's Jeans". The first commercial starring Beyoncé amassed 2.4 billion impressions in under a month.
In December 2024, Beyoncé made history by hosting the first-ever NFL Christmas Gameday Halftime Show, when she sang songs from Cowboy Carter for the first time, and she reprised her role as Nala in Mufasa: The Lion King, a precursor to the 2019 version.
* Craftsmanship*
The mezzo-soprano voice of Beyoncé has been characterized by critics as "one of the most compelling instruments in popular music" (Jody Rosen), "very distinctive" in terms of tone and timbre, and "the focal point of Destiny's Child" (Jon Pareles of The New York Times). Beyoncé's rhythmic vocal style is heavily influenced by the hip-hop era, according to Rosen, but her use of balladry, gospel, and falsetto is very traditionalist.
According to Chris Richards of The Washington Post, Beyoncé can "punctuate any beat with goose-bump-inducing whispers or full-bore diva-roars." Rolling Stone acknowledged that "in [her] voice lies the entire history of Black music" when they placed Beyoncé at number 8 on their list of the 200 Greatest Singers of all time in 2023.
Beyoncé's music typically consists of R&B, pop, and hip hop, but she also includes soul and funk in her songs. 4 showcased her exploration of R&B from the 1990s and her increased utilization of soul and hip hop compared to her previous releases. Although she nearly always releases songs in English, Beyoncé recorded multiple Spanish songs for Irreemplazable (re-recordings of songs from B'Day for a Spanish-speaking audience) and the re-release of B'Day. In order to record these Spanish songs, Beyoncé was coached phonetically by American record producer Rudy Perez.
Composing music
From her early days with Destiny's Child, when she wrote songs like "Survivor" and "Independent Women" about female empowerment, to her later work with Jay-Z, when she began to write more man-tending anthems like "Cater 2 U," Beyoncé has been credited as a co-writer on the majority of her songs.
Sia, who co-wrote "Pretty Hurts," referred to Beyoncé as "very Frankenstein when it comes to songs." Diana Gordon, who co-wrote "Don't Hurt Yourself," called Beyoncé a "scientist of songs." Caroline Polachek, who co-wrote "No Angel," called her a "genius writer and producer for this reason." Beyoncé is also known for combining parts of different tracks, which alters the structures of her songs. She's really gifted at making associations.
In 2001, she became the first Black woman and second female lyricist to win the Pop Songwriter of the Year award at the ASCAP Pop Music Awards. Beyoncé was the third woman to have writing credits on three number-one songs ("Irreplaceable", "Grillz" and "Check on It") in the same year, after Carole King in 1971 and Mariah Carey in 1991. She is tied with American lyricist Diane Warren at third with nine songwriting credits on number-one singles. The latter wrote her song "I Was Here" for 4, which was motivated by the September 11 attacks. In May 2011, Billboard magazine listed Beyoncé 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, along with Alic
Beyoncé has been the target of criticism from various quarters, including journalists and musicians, due to the abundance of writing credits that appear on her songs. The controversy surrounding these credits started with interviews where she claimed credit as songwriter for songs on which she was only a co-writer or had a minor role. For example, in a 2005 cover story for Vanity Fair, she asserted that she had "written" multiple number-one songs for Destiny's Child, even though her credits list her as a co-writer among others. In a 2007 interview with Barbara Walters, Beyoncé claimed to have conceived the musical idea for Destiny's Child song "Bootylicious," which led to producer Rob Fusari calling her father and then-manager Mathew Knowles to protest the claim. In 2010, Fusari informed Although Fusari stated that Beyoncé "had the 'Bootylicious' concept in her head" in a 2016 interview with Entertainment Weekly, the belief that the artist is everything is what sells albums. Yes, that was definitely her. She was prepared to speak. Their approach to the record was characterized by an urban pop style.
The production process
I am really passionate about all of the steps [during] the production [...] I love to stack vocals, and I love to create my own little Oreo with arrangements, sometimes it can be thousands of vocals [and then] I go back and then kind of piece things together, because usually the songs are way too long [...] I go back and edit the structure of the song. [I] make sure that [...] every section has an intention, so that takes months. [...] I hear certain elements of things that go with things that are opposites. I am rarely happy with one track, it's usually four or five things put together that again don't really go together. I am so excited when I'm able to adjust the tempo and key and mute certain elements that don't complement and put opposites together. Sometimes it's just like the EQ of
She is known to have favorite saturation and distortion plug-ins, intentionality about stereo imaging, and concentration on individual elements of her songs as a "focal point" in production. Beyoncé's collaborators often mention her involvement in the record production of her songs, sometimes describing her as a genius in the skill.
What are the effects?
If it weren't for Michael Jackson, I would never have performed," Beyoncé said in 2006 while presenting him with a tribute award at the World Music Awards. Tina Turner also had a significant impact on Beyoncé, and she once said, "Tina Turner is someone that I admire, because she made her strength feminine and sexy." Michael Jackson is named as Beyoncé's major musical influence. At the age of five, Beyoncé went to her first ever concert where Jackson performed, and she claims to have realized her purpose at that point.
Beyoncé has a lot of admirers, including Diana Ross, who she calls a "all-around entertainer," Whitney Houston, who she says "inspired me to get up there and do what she did," and Madonna, who she says "influences me not only for her musical style, but also for her business sense." Beyoncé says she wanted to "follow in the footsteps of Madonna and be a powerhouse and have my own empire." Additionally, Beyoncé says that Mariah Carey's singing and the song "Vision of Love" inspired her to start practicing vocal runs when she was a child, as well as Rachelle Ferrell, Aaliyah, Janet Jackson, Prince, Lauryn Hill, Sade Adu, Donna Summer, Fairuz, Mary J. Blige, Selena, Anita Baker, and Toni Braxton.
The feminism and female empowerment themes on Beyoncé's second solo album B'Day were inspired by her role in Dreamgirls and by singer Josephine Baker. Beyoncé paid homage to Baker by performing "Déjà Vu" at the 2006 Fashion Rocks concert wearing Baker's trademark mini-hula skirt embellished with fake bananas. Beyoncé's third solo album, I Am... Sasha Fierce, was inspired by Jay-Z and especially by Etta James, whose "boldness" inspired Beyoncé to explore other musical genres and styles. Her fourth solo album, 4, was inspired by Fela Kuti, 1990s R&B, Earth, Wind & Fire, DeBarge, Lionel Richie, Teena Marie, The Jackson 5, New Edition, Adele, Florence and the Machine, and Prince.
According to Beyoncé, Michelle Obama is an inspiration because "she proves you can do it all." Oprah Winfrey is described as "the definition of inspiration and a strong woman." Jay-Z is a source of inspiration for Beyoncé because of his lyrical genius and the challenges he has overcome. Beyoncé has also expressed admiration for artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, writing in a letter, "what I find in the work of Jean-Michel Basquiat, I search for in every day in music... He's honest and poetic, and Beyoncé has said that Cher is an inspiration for her style.
Cinematography and performance
In 2006, Beyoncé introduced her all-female tour band Suga Mama (also the name of a song on B'Day) which includes bassists, drummers, guitarists, horn players, keyboardists and percussionists. Her background singers, The Mamas, consist of Montina Cooper-Donnell, Crystal Collins and Tiffany Moniqué Riddick. They made their debut appearance at the 2006 BET Awards and re-appeared in the music videos for "Irreplaceable" and "Green Light". The band have supported Beyoncé in most subsequent live performances, including her 2007 concert tour The Beyoncé Experience, I Am... Tour (2009–2010), The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour (2013–2014) and The Formation World Tour (2016).
Several critics have lauded Beyoncé's live performances, praising her powerful voice and stage presence. Barbara Ellen of The Guardian said that Beyoncé is the most commanding female artist she has ever seen performing. Alice Jones of The Independent said that Beyoncé "takes her role as entertainer so seriously she's almost too good." The former president of Def Jam L.A. Reid has called Beyoncé the greatest entertainer alive. Jim Farber of the Daily News and Stephanie Classen of The StarPhoenix both lauded Beyoncé's power vocals and stage presence.
Throughout her career, Beyoncé has collaborated with a number of directors on her music videos, including Melina Matsoukas, Jonas Åkerlund, and Jake Nava. Bill Condon, who directed Beauty and the Beast, said that the visuals from Beyoncé's Lemonade were a major influence on his film, saying, "When you look at Beyoncé's incredible film Lemonade, you see that this genre is evolving in so many ways..." People understand and desire this classic musical style, which is really old-school and breaks out into song.
**Alternative self**
Described as being "sexy, seductive and provocative" when performing on stage, Beyoncé has said that she originally created the alter ego "Sasha Fierce" to keep that stage persona separate from who she really is. She described Sasha Fierce as being "too aggressive, too strong, too sassy [and] too sexy", stating, "I'm not like her in real life at all." Sasha was conceived during the making of "Crazy in Love", and Beyoncé introduced her with the release of her 2008 album, I Am... Sasha Fierce. In February 2010, she announced in an interview with Allure magazine that she was comfortable enough with herself to no longer need Sasha Fierce. However, Beyoncé announced in May 2012 that she would bring her back for her Revel Presents: Beyoncé Live shows later that month.
According to music journalist Touré, Beyoncé has become something of a "crossover sex symbol" since the release of Dangerously in Love. Offstage, Beyoncé admits that she enjoys dressing sensually, but her stage attire "is absolutely for the stage." In the 2000s, the media frequently used the term "bootylicious" (a portmanteau of the words "booty" and "delicious") to describe Beyoncé, which was popularized by the Destiny's Child single of the same name. In 2006, the term was added to the Oxford English Dictionary.
Having debuted as a runway model at Tom Ford's Spring/Summer 2011 show in September 2010, Beyoncé went on to be named the "World's Most Beautiful Woman" by People and the "Hottest Female Singer of All Time" by Complex in 2012. In January 2013, GQ featured her on its cover, featuring her atop its "100 Sexiest Women of the 21st Century" list. VH1 listed her at number one on its 100 Sexiest Artists list. Several wax figures of Beyoncé can be found at Madame Tussauds Wax Museums in major cities across the globe.
The B'Day Anthology Video Album featured numerous fashion-oriented shots, depicting classic to contemporary wardrobe styles. In 2007, Beyoncé was featured on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, becoming the second African American woman to do so after Tyra Banks, and People magazine named her the best-dressed celebrity. This information comes from Italian fashion designer Roberto Cavalli, who claims that Beyoncé incorporates various styles into her music onstage.
As a result of online petitions on Twitter and online news reports during competitions, Beyoncé's fan base was renamed "BeyHive" from "The Beyontourage," a portmanteau of Beyoncé and entourage. The term "Queen Bey" is a reference to the common phrase "queen bee," which means leader of a group of females and also the queen bee of a beehive.
In 2006, the animal rights organization People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), criticized Beyoncé for wearing and using fur in her clothing line House of Deréon. Emmett Price, a professor of music at Northeastern University, wrote in 2007 that he thinks race plays a role in many criticisms of Beyoncé's image, saying white celebrities who dress similarly do not attract as many comments. In 2008, the French personal care company L'Oréal was accused of whitening her skin in Feria hair color advertisements, responding that "it is categorically untrue", while Beyoncé reportedly pressured H&M to use "only natural pictures" instead of retouching images in a 2013 campaign.
Beyoncé has been an outspoken supporter of the Black Lives Matter movement. When her song "Formation" was released on February 6, 2016, she celebrated her Sub-Saharan Black African ancestry. The music video for the song included pro-black imagery and a shot of wall graffiti that reads "Stop shooting us." The following day, she performed the song at the 2016 Super Bowl halftime show with backup dancers dressed as the Black Panther Party. This caused some conservative politicians and police officers to criticize Beyoncé, and some even went so far as to boycott her upcoming Formation World Tour. In response to the backlash, Beyoncé released tour merchandise that read "Boycott Beyoncé." She later clarified her sentiment, saying: "Anyone who perceives my message as anti-police is completely mistaken." But let me be clear: I am against police brutality and injustice. I have so much appreciation and respect for policemen and the families of officers who risk themselves to keep us safe," Beyoncé stated. I don't think you can compare the two.
="life outside of work"
As of April 2014, the couple had sold a combined 300 million records together. They are known for their private relationship, although they have appeared to become more relaxed since 2013. Both have acknowledged difficulty that arose in their marriage after Jay-Z's affair. In 2002, Beyoncé and Jay-Z collaborated on the song "'03 Bonnie & Clyde" from his seventh album The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse (2002). In the music video for the song, Beyoncé appeared as Jay-Z's girlfriend, sparking speculation about their relationship. On April 4, 2008, Beyoncé and Jay-Z married without publicity. As of April 2014, the couple had sold a combined 300 million records together. They are known for their private relationship, although they have appeared to become more relaxed since 2013. Both have acknowledged difficulty that arose in their marriage after Jay-Z's affair.
Beyoncé miscarried around 2010 or 2011, describing it as "the saddest thing" she had ever endured. She returned to the studio and wrote music to cope with the loss. In April 2011, Beyoncé and Jay-Z traveled to Paris to shoot the album cover for 4, and she unexpectedly became pregnant in Paris. In August, the couple attended the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards, at which Beyoncé performed "Love On Top" and ended the performance by revealing she was pregnant. Her appearance helped that year's MTV Video Music Awards become the most-watched broadcast in MTV history, pulling in 12.4 million viewers; the announcement was listed in Guinness World Records for "most tweets per second recorded for a single event" on Twitter, receiving 8,868 tweets per second and "Beyonce pregnant" was the most Googled ph
According to Jon Pareles of The New York Times, many of the accusations were "aimed specifically and recognizably" at Jay-Z. Similarly, Rob Sheffield of Rolling Stone noted that the lines "Suck on my balls, I've had enough" were a "unmistakable hint" that the lyrics revolve around Jay-Z. Speculations regarding Jay-alleged Z's infidelity with a mistress named "Becky" began after the 2016 release of Lemonade, which included the single "Sorry".
Beyoncé broke the world record for most liked Instagram post at the time on February 1, 2017, when she announced she was expecting twins. On July 13, 2017, she confirmed the twins' birth date as June 13, 2017, and the post became the second most liked on Instagram, behind her own pregnancy announcement. The twins, a daughter named Rumi and a son named Sir, were born via caesarean section at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in California. Beyoncé wrote about her pregnancy and its aftermath in the September 2018 issue of Vogue, in which she had full control of the cover shot at Hammerwood Park by photographer.
The world of politics
In 2009, Beyoncé sang "America the Beautiful" at President Barack Obama's inauguration, and two days later, she sang "At Last" during the first inaugural dance at the Neighborhood Ball. The couple collected $4 million at a fundraiser at Manhattan's Jay-Z's 40/40 Club for Obama's 2012 campaign, and Beyoncé voted for Obama in 2012. In January 2013, she sang "The Star-Spangled Banner" at Obama's second inauguration.
In May 2015, the Washington Post reported that Beyoncé had attended a large celebrity fundraiser for Hillary Clinton, who was running for president in 2016. The following year, she headlined a concert for Clinton. During this performance, Beyoncé and her entourage of backup dancers wore pantsuits, a clear reference to Clinton's frequent dress-of-choice. The backup dancers also wore "I'm with her" tee shirts, which was Clinton's campaign slogan. Beyoncé made a brief speech at the performance, saying, "I want my daughter to grow up seeing a woman lead our country and knowing that her possibilities are limitless." In the 2018 United States Senate election in Texas, she endorsed Beto O'Rourke's bid.
At a campaign rally in her hometown of Houston in October 2024, Beyoncé, along with her mother Tina and Kelly Rowland, endorsed Vice President Kamala Harris for president. In July 2024, Beyoncé granted Vice President Harris permission to use the Lemonade promotional single "Freedom" as the official song for her 2024 presidential campaign. Harris later launched a digital ad supporting her candidacy featuring the song.
Taking a stand
In an interview with Vogue in 2013, Beyoncé declared herself to be "a modern-day feminist." She would subsequently publicly align herself with the movement, sampling "We should all be feminists" from a TEDx talk by Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie in April 2013 for her song "Flawless," which was released later that year. The following year, during her live performance at the MTV Video Awards, she stood in front of a giant backdrop reading "Feminist." Her self-identification sparked a circulation of opinions and debate regarding whether her feminism aligned with older, more established feminist ideals. Annie Lennox, a renowned artist and feminist advocate, referred to Beyoncé's use of the word "feminist lite" in reference to her use of the term.
Adichie elaborates on her views on "feminist lite," saying things like, "more troubling is the idea, in Feminism Lite, that men are naturally superior but should be expected to 'treat women well,'" and that we judge powerful women more harshly than powerful men. She also says that her type of feminism does not align with hers because it simultaneously gives a lot of space to the necessity of men. Feminism Lite makes this possible.
Beyoncé explained that she wanted to "give clarity to the true meaning" of the term "feminist" on her platform, and that if you want to know what it means to be a feminist, "it's very simple." There needs to be a shift in perspective on the double standards that persist in our society and the need to bring attention to the issue if we are to see progress toward gender equality, which she championed by calling for equal opportunities for girls and boys.
In addition, she has made a contribution to the Ban Bossy campaign, which promotes female leadership through television and social media. Beyoncé's public feminist affiliation led to criticism of the sexualized content of her concerts and her defense of her marriage.
Among other things, Beyoncé produced a video campaign in December 2012 for "Demand A Plan," a bipartisan effort by 950 U.S. mayors and others to get the federal government to reconsider its gun control laws in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting. On March 26, 2013, following the Supreme Court debate on California's Proposition 8, Beyoncé openly supported same-sex marriage. During her 2016 Formation World Tour concert in Raleigh, she spoke out against North Carolina's Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act, a law that discriminated against the LGBT community in public spaces.
The video for "Freedom" from her sixth album Lemonade featured the mothers of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown, and Eric Garner, holding pictures of their sons. In a 2016 interview with Elle, Beyoncé addressed the controversy surrounding her song "Formation," which was seen as critical of the police. She clarified, "I am against police brutality and injustice." Additionally, she and Jay-Z attended a rally in 2013 in response to the acquittal of George Zimmerman for the killing of Trayvon Martin. I don't think you can compare the two. No one should be surprised if acknowledging my heritage and traditions during Black History Month evoked any unease; such sentiments existed prior to any video or myself.
Beyoncé joined a long list of celebrities who spoke out against the Trump administration's decision to remove protections for transgender students in public schools in February 2017. On her Facebook page, Beyoncé shared a link to the 100 Days of Kindness campaign, expressing her support for transgender youth and Trump's decision.
+== Hobbies +==
Among the many interests that have been associated with Beyoncé—who has been characterized as a "renaissance woman"—are the following: photography, cultural historiography, beekeeping (with an estimated 80,000 bees), video editing, poetry, scriptwriting, lighting and stage design, animation, clothing design, photography, and cultural history.
In 2002, while filming Austin Powers, I began painting portraits of women. I became so engrossed in the process that I couldn't sleep. I created a special room out of saris and pillows, lit candles, put on Miles Davis and Björk music, and painted all night. It was a very therapeutic experience. Whenever I complete a painting, I try to understand what it represents in my life. I'll think things like, "It's dark behind her and light in front of her, so a dark period must be coming to an end. Something light and beautiful is going to happen."
Having money
In 2008, Forbes magazine started tracking Beyoncé's earnings and found that she was the highest-paid music personality at the time—$80 million from her music, tour, films, and clothing line—placing her fourth on the Celebrity 100 list. In 2010, she was ranked ninth on the "Most Powerful Women in the World" list. In 2011, Forbes placed Beyoncé eighth on the "Best-Paid Celebrities Under 30" list, with $35 million earned in the previous year from her clothing line and endorsement deals. In 2012, Forbes placed Beyoncé sixteenth on the Celebrity 100 list, twelve places lower than three years ago, but still with $40 million earned from her album 4, clothing line, and endorsement deals.
In 2012, Beyoncé and Jay-Z were named the "World's Highest-Paid Celebrity Couples" for their combined $78 million in earnings. They had previously been recognized by Guinness World Records as the "highest-earning power couple" for their $122 million in 2009 earnings. From 2009 to 2011, Beyoncé earned an average of $70 million per year, and in 2012, she earned $40 million. In 2013, Beyoncé and Jay-Z became the first billionaire couple in the music industry thanks to their endorsements of Pepsi and H&M. In that year, Forbes ranked Beyoncé as the fourth most powerful celebrity.
With an estimated $115 million in earnings from June 2013 to June 2014, Beyoncé ranked number one on the Forbes Celebrity 100 list in June 2014. This was her highest yearly earnings to date and the first time she had topped the Celebrity 100 list. In 2016, Beyoncé earned $54 million, placing her at number 34 on the Celebrity 100 list. She and Jay-Z also topped the highest-paid celebrity couple list with a combined $1007.5 million.
Beyoncé is one of the wealthiest musical artists. As of 2018, her net worth was $355 million, and in June of that year, she was ranked as the 35th-highest-earning celebrity, with annual earnings of $60 million. This tied Beyoncé with Madonna as the only two female artists to earn more than $100 million within a single year twice. Beyoncé and Jay-Z have a combined net worth of $1.16 billion. In July 2017, Billboard announced that Beyoncé was the highest-paid musician of 2016, with an estimated total of $62.1 million. By December 2023, Forbes estimated Beyoncé's net worth to be $800 million.
By 2023, the pair had broken the record for most expensive California home sold, a 200 million dollar mansion in Malibu, California, created by architect Tadao Ando.
Beyoncé was named the most important and compelling popular musician of the twenty-first century by music critic Jody Rosen in The New Yorker. Several publications, including Rolling Stone and the Associated Press, have recognized her as one of the most influential figures in music history. She topped NPR's list of the "21st Century's Most Influential Women Musicians" and was named Billboard's Greatest Pop Star of the 21st Century. “In the last one hundred years, we have seen the rise of the car, the airplane, the television, the personal computer, the internet, the smartphone, and Beyoncé.” James Clear, in his book Atomic Habits (2018), draws a parallel between Beyoncé's success and the dramatic transformations in modern society.
Beyoncé has completely changed the way music is made, sold, and enjoyed. She brought back albums after they were mostly singles and streaming, making them more cohesive and story-driven. Beyoncé also changed the way music is released and marketed by coming up with the surprise album, which became popular in the 2010s and 2020s. This was "arguably the single most pivotal moment in all of 21st-century pop music" according to Billboard, as it redirected the market towards cohesive albums and unconventional promotional rollouts. Beyoncé is also famous for popularizing the visual album and bringing back the music video as an art form. Her influence on the music industry led to the
Beyoncé has helped to revitalize and popularize various genres of music, including hip-hop in the 2000s, R&B in the 2010s, Afrobeats in the late 2010s / early 2020s, and country music in the 2020s. Her artistic innovations, such as staccato rap-singing and chopped and re-pitched vocals, have changed the sound of popular music and become defining features of the 21st-century music landscape. By creating new artistic standards that shape contemporary music, Beyoncé has also set the precedent for other artists to move between and beyond genre confines.
Taylor Swift hailed Beyoncé as a "guiding light throughout my career," adding that she has "paved the road" and shown how to "break rules and defy industry norms." Lady Gaga recalled how Beyoncé inspired her to pursue music, recalling seeing her in a Destiny's Child music video and thinking, "Oh, she's a star." The list of artists who have cited Beyoncé as an influence is long and diverse, spanning generations, genres, and nations. Adele praised Beyoncé as her favorite artist and a major influence, saying to Vogue, "She's been a huge and constant part of my life as an artist since I was about ten or eleven years old. She's huge and just an inspiration." Rihanna added that after Beyoncé released Dangerously In Love (2003), "I was like 'wow, I want to be just like that.' She's huge and just an inspiration." Ariana Grande learned to sing by imitating Beyoncé. To me, she is an inspiration. She is stunning. Along with being one of the most kind persons I've ever encountered, her ability is really astounding. Garth Brooks once advised Beyoncé to "take out your notebook and take notes" while Paul McCartney and Beyoncé herself admitted they drew inspiration for their performances from Beyoncé's live performances. Make sure to jot down some notes on that one, regardless of how much stage time you have.
Beyoncé is famous for coming up with popular phrases like "put a ring on it" (a euphemism for marriage proposal), "I woke up like this" (which started a trend of posting morning selfies with the hashtag #iwokeuplikethis), and "boy, bye" (contracted for use in the 2020 Democratic National Committee campaign). In January 2012, a species of horse-fly discovered in Northern Queensland, Australia was named Scaptia beyonceae after Beyoncé because of the distinctive golden hairs on its abdomen.
* Accomplishments*
With over 200 million records sold worldwide (plus an additional 60 million through Destiny's Child), Beyoncé is among the best-selling music artists of all time. In 2009, she was named Top Female Artist and Top Radio Songs Artist of the Decade by Billboard, and she is the most-awarded female artist of all time according to the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).
She was 15th on Billboard's Top 50 R&B/Hip-Hop Artists of the Past 25 Years list in 2010, and third on VH1's "100 Greatest Women in Music" list in 2012, behind Madonna and Mariah Carey. In 2002, she became the first African American woman to win Songwriter of the Year from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers. In 2004 and 2019, she received the NAACP Image Award for Entertainer of the Year and the Soul Train Music Award for Sammy Davis Jr. - Entertainer of the Year.
Along with the APEX Award at the Trumpet Award in 2005, which recognized the accomplishments of Black African Americans, Beyoncé received the International Artist of Excellence award from the American Music Awards in 2007, Honorary Otto at the Bravo Otto the following year, the Legend Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Arts at the World Music Awards, the Career Achievement Award at the LOS40 Music Awards, the Award of Honor for Artist of the Decade at the NRJ Music Award in 2010, and the inaugural Billboard Millennium Award at the 2011 Billboard Music Awards.
Along with Jay-Z, Beyoncé received the GLAAD Vanguard Award in 2019, which is given to an entertainment figure who does not identify as LGBT but has made a significant impact in promoting equal rights for LGBT people. In 2020, she was honored with the BET Humanitarian Award. Consequence ranked her as the 30th greatest singer of all time. In 2014, she received the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award at the MTV Video Music Awards. In 2016, she was honored as Honorary Mother of the Year at the Australian Mother of the Year Award in Barnardo's Australia for her humanitarian efforts in the region.
Beyoncé has won 32 Grammy Awards, both as a solo artist and member of Destiny's Child and The Carters, making her the most honored individual by the Grammys. She is also the most nominated artist in Grammy Award history with a total of 88 nominations. "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" won Song of the Year in 2010 while "Say My Name", "Crazy in Love" and "Drunk in Love" have each won Best R&B Song. Dangerously in Love, B'Day and I Am... Sasha Fierce have won Best Contemporary R&B Album, while Lemonade has won Best Urban Contemporary Album. Beyoncé set the record for the most Grammy awards won by a female artist in one night in 2010 when she won six awards, breaking the tie she previously held with Alicia Keys, Norah Jones, Alison Krauss, and Amy Winehouse, with Adele equaling this in 2012.
Beyoncé has won 30 MTV Video Music Awards, making her the joint most-decorated artist in Video Music Award history. She won 26 awards as a solo artist, two awards each with The Carters and Destiny's Child, making her lifetime total of 30 VMAs. "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" and "Formation" won Video of the Year in 2009 and 2016 respectively. Beyoncé tied the record set by Lady Gaga in 2010 for the most VMAs won in one night for a female artist with eight in 2016. She is also the most-awarded and nominated artist in BET Award history, winning 36 awards (including two with Destiny's Child) from over 80 nominations, the most-awarded artist of the Soul Train Music Awards with 25 wins (21 as a soloist and four with Destiny's child), and the most-decorated artist at the NAACP Image Awards wi
After Dreamgirls, Beyoncé had a busy year. She was nominated for Best Actress at the Golden Globes and Best Original Song for "Listen" and Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture at the NAACP Image Awards. At the 2006 Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards, she won two awards: Best Song for "Listen" and Best Original Soundtrack for Dreamgirls: Music from the Motion Picture. Beyoncé is the second-most award-winning artist of all time, behind Michael Jackson, according to Fuse in 2014. In 2017, Lemonade won a Peabody Award. In 2022, "Be Alive" was nominated for Best Original Song at the Academy Award, the Critics' Choice Movie Award, and the Golden Globe Award for Best Song.
With Margaret Thatcher, Barbara Castle, Helen Brook, Germaine Greer, Jayaben Desai, and Bridget Jones, she was named to the 2016 BBC Radio 4 Woman's Hour Power List as seven women judged to have had the biggest impact on women's lives over the past 70 years. In 2020, she was named the Most Powerful Woman in Music on the same list. In the same year, she and Destiny's Child were named third Greatest Music Video artists of all time by Billboard, behind Madonna and Michael Jackson.
The Pollstar Awards presented Beyoncé with the "top touring artist" accolade for the 2010s in June of the same year that she became a part of the inaugural class of inductees into the Black Music & Entertainment Walk of Fame.
In 2010, Beyoncé founded her own entertainment company Parkwood Entertainment which formed as an imprint based from Columbia Records, the company began as a production unit for videos and films in 2008. Parkwood Entertainment is named after a street in Houston, Texas where Beyoncé once lived. With headquarters in New York City, the company serves as an umbrella for the entertainer's various brands in music, movies, videos, and fashion. The staff of Parkwood Entertainment have experiences in arts and entertainment, from filmmaking and video production to web and fashion design. In addition to departments in marketing, digital, creative, publicity, fashion design and merchandising, the company houses a state-of-the-art editing suite, where Beyoncé works on content for her worldwide tours, music videos, and television specials. Parkwood Entertainment's first production was the musical biopic Cadillac Records (2008), in which Beyoncé starred and co-produced. The company has distributed Beyoncé's albums such as her self-titled fifth studio album (2013), Lemonade (2016) and The Carters, Everything is Love (2018). Beyoncé has signed other artists to Parkwood such as Chloe x Halle, who performed at Super Bowl LIII in February 2019.
In February 2024, Beyoncé debuted Cécred, a line of hair care products designed to work with various hair textures. Shortly after, she and BeyGood launched an annual grant to support beauty industry professionals and students majoring in cosmetology. The goal is to provide $500,000 in scholarships for cosmetology school and salon business grants to five cities selected for their diverse and large hair stylist communities: Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles, and Clementon.
Collaborations and endorsements
Beyoncé has been associated with Pepsi since 2002, and in 2004 she co-starred in an ad starring Britney Spears, Pink, and Enrique Iglesias based on the Gladiator film. In 2012, Beyoncé inked a $50 million endorsement deal with Pepsi. In an open letter, the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPINET) urged Beyoncé to reconsider the deal due to the product's unhealthy effects and instead donate the proceeds to a medical organization. Despite this, according to NetBase, Beyoncé's campaign was the most talked-about endorsement in April 2013, with a 70 percent positive audience response to the commercials and print ads.
The six editions of Heat are the world's best-selling celebrity fragrance line, with sales of over $400 million. Beyoncé has collaborated with Tommy Hilfiger for the fragrances True Star (singing a cover version of "Wishing on a Star") and True Star Gold; in 2007, she also promoted Emporio Armani's Diamonds fragrance. In 2010, Beyoncé launched her first official fragrance, Heat. In February 2011, Beyoncé launched her second fragrance, Heat Rush. In September 2011, Beyoncé launched her third fragrance, Pulse. In 2013, with the release of The Mrs. Carter Show Limited Edition version of Heat, Beyoncé continued her fragrance line.
In June 2013, Beyoncé's lawyers settled out of court, stating that they had cancelled because GateFive had lost its financial backers. GateFive had claimed that Beyoncé's withdrawal from their $100 million deal resulted in the firing of 70 employees and millions of pounds lost in development. Beyoncé has had deals with American Express, Nintendo DS, and L'Oréal since she was 18 years old.
Beyoncé joined forces with other artists in March 2015 to form Tidal, a music streaming service that focuses on lossless audio and HD music videos. Jay-Z, Beyoncé's husband, bought out Aspiro, the parent company of Tidal, in the first quarter of 2015. Beyoncé, Jay-Z, sixteen other artists (including Kanye West, Rihanna, Madonna, Chris Martin, Nicki Minaj, and many more) co-own Tidal, with the majority owning a 3% equity stake. The idea of an artist-owned streaming service was conceived by those involved as a way to accommodate the current music industry's increased demand for streaming.
In November 2020, Beyoncé formed a multi-year partnership with exercise equipment and media company Peloton. The partnership was formed to celebrate homecoming season in historically black colleges and universities, providing themed workout experiences inspired by Beyoncé's 2019 Homecoming film and live album after 2020's homecoming celebrations were cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of the partnership, Beyoncé and Peloton are donating free memberships to all students at 10 HBCUs, and Peloton are pursuing long-term recruiting partnerships at the HCBUs. Gwen Bethel Riley, head of music at Peloton, said: "When we had conversations with Beyoncé around how critical a social impact component was to all of us, it crystallized how important it was to embrace Homecoming as an opportu
Tiffany & Co.'s "About Love" campaign in 2021 featured a robin egg blue painting by Jean-Michel Basquiat titled Equals Pi (1982) and Beyoncé became the first Black woman to wear the 128.54-carat Tiffany Yellow Diamond. The campaign also featured Jay-Z and Tiffany & Co., who were both heavily criticized for their association with the controversial diamond, which was found in the Kimberley diamond mines in South Africa in 1877 and is considered a blood diamond, symbolizing British colonialism in Africa.
Style collections
Beyoncé and her mother introduced House of Deréon, a women's fashion line, in 2005. The concept is inspired by three generations of women in their family, with the name paying tribute to Beyoncé's grandmother, Agnèz Deréon, a respected seamstress. According to Tina, the overall style of the line best reflects her and Beyoncé's taste and style. Beyoncé and her mother founded their family's company Beyond Productions, which provides the licensing and brand management for House of Deréon, and its junior collection, Deréon. House of Deréon pieces were exhibited in Destiny's Child's shows and tours, during their Destiny Fulfilled era. The collection features sportswear, denim offerings with fur, outerwear and accessories that include handbags and footwear, and are available at department and sp
In 2005, Beyoncé teamed up with House of Brands, a shoe company, to produce a range of footwear for House of Deréon. In January 2008, Starwave Mobile launched Beyoncé Fashion Diva, a "high-style" mobile game with a social networking component, featuring the House of Deréon collection. In July 2009, Beyoncé 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. It was available at department stores including Macy's and Dillard's, and specialty stores Jimmy Jazz and Against All Odds. In May 2010, Beyoncé teamed up with clothing store C&A to launch Deréon by Beyoncé at their stores in Brazil. The collection included tailored blazers with padded sh
Ivy Park, a 50/50 venture between Beyoncé and British fashion retailer Topshop, was launched in April 2016. The name of the brand is a play on her daughter's name and her favorite number four (IV in Roman numerals), as well as a reference to the park where she used to run in Texas. Topshop owner Philip Green was accused of sexually harassing, bullying, and racially abusing employees, so Beyoncé bought out his 50% share and now owns the brand herself.
In April 2019, it was announced that Beyoncé would become a creative partner with Adidas and further develop her athletic brand Ivy Park with the company. Knowles will also develop new clothes and footwear for Adidas. Shares for the company rose 1.3% upon the news release. In December 2019, they announced a launch date of January 18, 2020. Beyoncé uploaded a teaser on her website and Instagram. The collection was previewed on the upcoming Elle January 2020 issue, where Beyoncé is seen wearing several garments, accessories and footwear from the first collection. In February 2023, The Wall Street Journal reported that the line was struggling financially with revenue falling by more than 50% over the past fiscal year to $40 million; well short of the company's $250 million projected forecast.
This "Renaissance Couture" collection was the first time a Black woman had overseen the creation of a collection from a Parisian couture house. Olivier Rousteing, the creative director of Balmain, and Beyoncé collaborated on it in March 2023. The sixteen looks in the collection were named after the sixteen tracks on Beyoncé's album Renaissance.
Reimagining a timeless 'Launderette' ad campaign from the '80s, Beyoncé teamed up with Levi Strauss & Co. in September 2024. CEO Michelle Gass of Levi Strauss & Co. discussed the benefits of the partnership with Beyoncé, highlighting the potential for the ad campaign to drive up sales in the women's clothing segment.
In 2002, Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland, and Tina Knowles constructed the Knowles-Rowland Center for Youth, a community center in Downtown Houston. In 2005, in response to Hurricane Katrina, Beyoncé and Rowland established the Survivor Foundation to help with rebuilding efforts, with Beyoncé donating an initial $250,000. The foundation has since grown to collaborate with other Houston charities, and in 2008, Beyoncé established the Knowles-Temenos Place Apartments, a complex that offers living space for 43 displaced individuals. As of 2016, Beyoncé had donated $7 million to cover the complex's maintenance.
Beyoncé and her mother later founded the Beyoncé Cosmetology Center, which provides a seven-month cosmetology training program to help Phoenix House's clients acquire career skills while they are in recovery. This came after Beyoncé learned about Phoenix House, a non-profit organization that provides drug and alcohol rehabilitation, while starring in Cadillac Records in 2009. Beyoncé donated her full $4 million salary from the film to Phoenix House.
In January 2010, Beyoncé participated in George Clooney and Wyclef Jean's Hope for Haiti Now: A Global Benefit for Earthquake Relief telethon, donated a large sum to the organization, and was named the official face of the limited edition Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) "Fashion For Haiti" T-shirt. In April 2011, Beyoncé joined forces with U.S. First Lady Michelle Obama and the National Association of Broadcasters Education Foundation, to help boost the latter's campaign against child obesity by reworking her single "Get Me Bodied". Following the death of Osama bin Laden, Beyoncé released her cover of the Lee Greenwood song "God Bless the U.S.A.", as a charity single to help raise funds for the New York Police and Fire Widows' and Children's Benefit Fund.
In 2012, Beyoncé became an ambassador for the 2012 World Humanitarian Day campaign, donating her song "I Was Here" and its music video, which was shot in the UN, to the cause. In 2013, it was announced that Beyoncé would collaborate with Salma Hayek and Frida Giannini on a Gucci "Chime for Change" campaign that aims to spread female empowerment. The campaign aired on February 28 and was set to her new music. On June 1, 2013, in London, Beyoncé had a concert for the cause. With the help of the crowdfunding platform Catapult, concertgoers could choose among several projects promoting education of women and girls. Beyoncé also participated in "Miss a Meal," a food-donation campaign, and supported Goodwill Industries through online charity auctions at Charitybuz
In a covert donation of tens of thousands of dollars, Beyoncé and Jay-Z helped Black Lives Matter protesters in Baltimore and Ferguson, and they also paid for the infrastructure needed to start Black Lives Matter chapters around the country. Prior to Beyoncé's Formation World Tour show in Tampa, her team had a private luncheon with over twenty community leaders to discuss ways Beyoncé could support local charitable initiatives. During the lunch, Beyoncé pledged on the spot to fund ten scholarships to offer students financial aid. Thomas Scott, a board member of the Tampa Sports Authority, said: "I don't know of a prior artist meeting with the community, seeing what their needs are, seeing how they can invest in the community. In my opinion, it speaks a lot about Beyoncé. Not only does she enter a community and take money out of it, but she also gives some of it back.
August 2016 saw Beyoncé and Jay-Z donate $1.5 million to civil rights groups including Black Lives Matter, Hands Up United, and Dream Defenders. Following Hurricane Matthew, Beyoncé and Jay-Z donated $15 million to the Usain Bolt Foundation to aid in the rebuilding of homes in Haiti. In June 2016, Beyoncé gave over $82,000 to the United Way of Genesee County to support victims of the Flint water crisis. Additionally, Beyoncé donated money to support 14 students in Michigan with their college expenses.
In August 2017, Beyoncé launched BeyGOOD Houston to support those affected by Hurricane Harvey in Houston. The organization donated necessities such as cots, blankets, pillows, baby products, feminine products, and wheelchairs, and funded long-term revitalization projects. On September 8, Beyoncé visited Houston. During her visit, she sponsored a lunch for 400 survivors at her local church, met with people displaced by the flooding at the George R. Brown Convention Center to discuss their needs, served meals to those who lost their homes, and made a significant donation to local causes. Beyoncé also donated $75,000 worth of new mattresses to survivors of the hurricane. Later that month, she released a remix of J Balvin and Willy William's "Mi Gente," with all of her Houston fans.
Beyoncé gave $6 million to the National Alliance in Mental Health, UCLA, and local community-based organizations in April 2020 to help essential workers with mental health and personal wellness during the COVID-19 pandemic. In the same month, Beyoncé collaborated with local organizations to support communities of color by distributing resources like food, water, cleaning supplies, medicine, and face masks. In the same month, Beyoncé released a remix of Megan Thee Stallion's "Savage" with all proceeds going to Bread of Life Houston's COVID-19 relief efforts, which included weekly distribution of over 14 tons of food and supplies to 500 families and 100 senior citizens in Houston.
In May 2020, Beyoncé and her mother launched the #IDidMyPart initiative in Houston, which aimed to address the disproportionate number of deaths in African-American communities. The initiative also distributed 1,000 gloves, masks, hot meals, essential vitamins, grocery vouchers, and household items. In July 2020, Beyoncé and the NAACP partnered to create the Black-Owned Small Business Impact Fund, which provides $10,000 grants to small businesses owned by Black people in need, as a result of the George Floyd protests. The fund received all proceeds from Beyoncé's single "Black Parade" and in September 2020, Beyoncé revealed that she had donated an additional $1 million to the fund. As of December 31, 2020, 715 grants had been distributed by the fund.
Beyoncé has been actively supporting various causes in Africa, including the End SARS movement in Nigeria, the Anglophone Crisis in Cameroon, ShutItAllDown in Namibia, Zimbabwean Lives Matter in Zimbabwe, and the Rape National Emergency in Liberia. In October 2020, she shared that she has been working with the Feminist Coalition to aid supporters of the campaign, which includes covering medical costs for injured protestors, legal fees for arrested protestors, and providing food, emergency shelter, transportation, and telecommunication means to those in need. In December 2020, Beyoncé donated $500,000 to help alleviate the housing crisis in the United States caused by the cessation of the eviction moratorium, and she gave 100 $5,000 grants to individuals and families facing foreclosure.