Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter, known simply as Beyoncé ( bee-YON-say; born September 4, 1981), is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas and performing in singing and dancing competitions as a child, she began her music career as a member of Girl's Tyme, which in 1993 was recast as Destiny's Child. Managed by her father Mathew Knowles, the group became one of the world's best-selling girl groups of all time. Their hiatus saw the release of Knowles' debut album Dangerously in Love (2003), which established the singer as a viable solo artist worldwide, selling 11 million copies, earned five Grammy Awards and featured the Billboard number one singles "Crazy In Love" and "Baby Boy".
Following the disbandment of Destiny's Child in 2005, she released her second solo album B'Day (2006), which contained hits "Irreplaceable" and "Beautiful Liar". Knowles also ventured into acting, with a Golden Globe nominated performance in Dreamgirls (2006), and a starring role in The Pink Panther (2006) and Obsessed (2009). Her marriage to rapper Jay-Z and portrayal of Etta James in Cadillac Records (2008) influenced her third album I Am... Sasha Fierce (2008), which saw the birth of her alter-ego Sasha Fierce and earned her a record-setting six Grammy Awards in 2010, including Song of the Year for "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)". Knowles took a hiatus from music in 2010, managing her own music career and expanding her musical repertoire into exploring 1970s R&B, rock and roll and African and funk styles: her fourth album 4 deviated towards a more traditional R&B sound. In January 2012, Knowles gave birth to a daughter, Blue Ivy Carter, returning to music in 2013.
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