If you have heard of Destiny’s Child, then you are familiar with one of America’s finest American singers, songwriters, record producers, and actresses. Beyoncé Giselle Knowles was born in Houston, Texas, to her mother, Celestine Knowles, who is a hairdresser and salon owner, and her father, Mathew Knowles, a Xerox sales manager. Beyoncé attended St. Mary's Montessori School in Houston, where her parents decided to enroll her in dance classes. Her singing talent was discovered when her dance instructor, Darlette Johnson, began humming a song and Beyoncé joined in and finished it, able to hit the highest notes towards the end. Beyoncé's interest in music and performing increased after she competed against 16 year olds at her school talent show …show more content…
Although she has multiple inspirations when it comes to her musical career, Michael Jackson is at the top of her list. Michael Jackson was one of the most widely beloved entertainers and outstanding influential artists of all-time. He left an unforgettable imprint on both popular music and culture. During his career, he sold an estimated 750 million records worldwide, released 13 Number one singles, and became one out of a handful of artists to be inducted twice into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Another one of Beyoncé’s major inspirations is Whitney Houston, who was “inarguably one of the biggest female pop stars of all time.” (MTV) She became the first artist to ever have seven consecutive singles hit number one, and was also one of the first African American artists to discover success on MTV in Michael Jackson's wake. One other well-known inspiration to Beyoncé was Aaliyah, whose promising career was tragically cut short by her death in a plane crash at age 22. However, with only three albums released, she had already gained recognition as a talented trendsetter within the R&B genre. She left an impact by helping embellish soul music with unique textures and flavors that inspired an entire generation. Among these three inspirations, there’s also Mariah Carey, Madonna, Tina Turner, and Janet …show more content…
Billboard Hot 100 chart. Her first solo album, Dangerously in Love was released on June 24, 2003, and sold 317,000 copies within one week of its release. It debuted atop the Billboard 200, and has sold 11 million copies worldwide since then. The album's lead single, "Crazy in Love," which features Jay Z, became Beyoncé's first number-one single as a solo artist in the nation. Beyoncé's second solo album, B'Day, was released on September 4, 2006, as a way to celebrate her twenty fifth birthday. This album sold 541,000 copies in its first week and like her first album, debuted atop the Billboard 200, becoming Beyoncé's second successive number-one album in the United States. The album's lead single "Déjà Vu," featuring Jay Z once again, reached the top five on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. On April 4, 2008, Beyoncé married Jay Z. and made their marriage public with a video montage at the listening party for her third official album, I Am. Together, they have sold a combined total of 300 million records together, as of April 2014. Even so, that was just the journey ahead of Beyoncé and her husband, Jay