Beyoncé

Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter (/biˈɒnseɪ/ ^ⓘ bee-ON-say;^[6] born September 4, 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. With a career spanning over three decades, she has established herself as one of the most significant figures of the 21st century through her vocal ability, musical versatility, live performances, and culturally important works. Credited with revolutionizing the sound of popular music, Beyoncé is often deemed one of the most influential artists of all time.^[7] Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2013, 2014, and 2023.

Beyoncé rose to fame in 1997 as a member of Destiny's Child, one of the best-selling girl groups of all time. Her debut solo album, Dangerously in Love (2003), became one of the best-selling albums of the 21st century; the R&B-influenced B'Day (2006) was her first release following Destiny's Child's disbandment in 2005; and her marriage to rapper Jay-Z inspired the pop, R&B and folk-imbued record I Am... Sasha Fierce (2008). The albums contained the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles "Crazy in Love", "Baby Boy", "Check on It", "Irreplaceable", and "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)". Beyoncé's career shifted after forming her own management company Parkwood Entertainment in 2010, creating monocultural events through acclaimed concept albums.^[8]

Beyoncé's albums 4 (2011), Beyoncé (2013) and Lemonade (2016) explored themes of empowerment, introspection, and social commentary, respectively. Beyoncé is credited with popularizing the visual album and surprise album, while Lemonade was the best-selling album worldwide in 2016. Her ongoing trilogy project—currently consisting of the queer-inspired dance album Renaissance (2022) and Americana epic Cowboy Carter (2024)—has highlighted the contributions of Black pioneers to American musical and cultural history, spawning the U.S. number-one singles "Break My Soul" and "Texas Hold 'Em". She has also starred in various films such as Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002), Dreamgirls (2006), The Lion King (2019), and Mufasa: The Lion King (2024).

Beyoncé is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with estimated sales of over 200 million records. She is the only female artist to debut all of her eight studio albums at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200. Beyoncé is the most awarded and nominated artist in the history of the Grammy Awards, as well as the most awarded artist at the BET, NAACP Image and Soul Train Music Awards. The first woman to headline an all-stadium tour, Beyoncé is among the highest-grossing live acts in history. She has been listed amongst history's greatest artists by publications such as Billboard and Rolling Stone.

Beyoncé Giselle Knowles was born on September 4, 1981,^[9] at the Park Plaza Hospital^[10] in Houston, Texas, to Tina Knowles (née Beyoncé), a hairdresser and salon owner, and Mathew Knowles, a Xerox sales manager.^[11] Tina is Louisiana Creole and Mathew is African American.^{[12][13][14][15]} Beyoncé's younger sister, Solange Knowles, is also a singer and a former backup dancer for Destiny's Child.

Beyoncé's maternal grandparents, Lumis Albert Beyincé and Agnéz Deréon,^[16] were French-speaking Louisiana Creoles, with roots in New Iberia;^[17][16][18] She is a descendant of Acadian militia officer Joseph Broussard, who was exiled to French Louisiana after the expulsion of the Acadians, and of the French military officer and Abenaki chief Jean-Vincent d'Abbadie, Baron de Saint-Castin.^[13][19] Her mother is also of distant Breton and Irish ancestry.^{[20][21][22][23][17]} The singer also has Belgian ancestry from Hainaut Province, Wallonia and is related to a former mayor of Froidchapelle, Belgium.^[24][25]

Beyoncé was raised with multiple religious traditions, attending St. John's United Methodist Church in Houston as well as St. Mary of the Purification Catholic Church.^[26][27][28] She went to St. Mary's Catholic Montessori School in Houston and enrolled in dance classes there.^[29] Her singing ability was discovered when dance instructor Darlette Johnson began humming a song and Beyoncé finished it, able to hit the high-pitched notes.^[30] Beyoncé's interest in music and performing continued after winning a school talent show at age seven, singing John Lennon's "Imagine" to beat 15/16-year-olds.^[31][32] In the fall of 1990, Beyoncé enrolled in Parker Elementary School, a music magnet school in Houston, where she performed with the school's choir.^[33] She also attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts^[34] and later Alief Elsik High School.^[12][35] Beyoncé was also a member of the choir at St. John's United Methodist Church where she sang her first solo and was a soloist for two years.^[27][36]

In 1990, Beyoncé met LaTavia Roberson while in an audition for an all-girl entertainment group.^[37] They were placed in Girl's Tyme with three other girls, a group that performed rap and dance routines on Houston's talent show circuit.^[32][38] R&B producer Arne Frager noticed them and later entered the group in Star Search, the largest national talent show on television at the time. Although they lost, Beyoncé later attributed the failure to a poor song choice.^[39][40] In 1995, Beyoncé's father Mathew left his job to manage the group, which halved the family's income and led to them moving into separated apartments.^[37][41][42] He reduced the group's lineup to four members, and they continued performing as an opening act for established R&B girl groups.^[37] After being briefly signed by Elektra Records and later dropped, tensions led to a six-month separation of Beyoncé's parents.^[43][44] After the Knowles family later reunited, the group secured a contract with Columbia Records, aided by talent scout Teresa LaBarbera Whites.^[31]

The group adopted the name Destiny's Child in 1997, based upon a passage in the Book of Isaiah.^[45][46] That year, they released their major-label debut song, "Killing Time", which appeared on the soundtrack for the film Men in Black.^[47] In November of that year, the group issued their debut single and first major hit, "No, No, No" followed by their self-titled debut album in 1998, which established the group as a viable act in the music industry.^[47][48] In 1999, the group released their second studio album, The Writing's on the Wall, which achieved multi-platinum status.^[49] The album featured several hit singles, including "Bills, Bills, Bills"—their first number-one song on the US Billboard Hot 100—"Jumpin', Jumpin'", and "Say My Name".^[50][51] The lattermost also reached number one and remains one of their signature songs.^[52] "Say My Name" earned two awards at the 2001 Grammy Awards: Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and Best R&B Song.^[53] The Writing's on the Wall became one of the best-selling R&B albums of all time.^[54]

The remaining members of Destiny's Child—Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland, and Michelle Williams—recorded "Independent Women Part I" in 2000, which was featured on the soundtrack of the film Charlie's Angels (2000). The song became the group's highest-charting single, spending eleven consecutive weeks at number one in the U.S.^[55] In early 2001, while Destiny's Child was completing work on their third album, Beyoncé secured a leading role in the MTV made-for-television film Carmen: A Hip Hopera, starring alongside American actor Mekhi Phifer. Set in Philadelphia, the film is a 21st century interpretation of the 19th-century opera Carmen by French composer Georges Bizet.^[37] Upon its release in May 2001, Destiny's Child's third album, Survivor, debuted at number one on the Billboard 200, selling 663,000 copies in its first week.^[56] Around the same time, former members LeToya Luckett and Roberson filed a lawsuit, alleging that some of the album's content was directed at them.^[57][58] The album produced "Bootylicious" and the title track, "Survivor", which peaked at number one and two in the United States, respectively.^[59][60] "Survivor" earned the group a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals.^[61] Following the release of their holiday album, 8 Days of Christmas (2001), Destiny's Child announced a hiatus to allow each member to pursue solo careers.^[37]

In July 2002, Beyoncé made her theatrical film debut, portraying the character Foxxy Cleopatra alongside Mike Myers in the comedy Austin Powers in Goldmember. The film debuted at number one at the U.S. box office and earned $73 million during its opening weekend.^[63][64] To accompany the film, Beyoncé released "Work It Out" as the lead single from its soundtrack.^[65] Beyoncé's hit as a solo artist was a feature on Jay-Z's track "'03 Bonnie & Clyde" from his album The Blueprint 2: The Gift & The Curse (2002).^[66] The single peaked at number four on the Hot 100 chart.^[67] Beyoncé appeared as Jay-Z's girlfriend in the music video for the song, fueling speculation about a relationship.^[68] She shared that they began dating when she was nineteen, after being friends for a year and a half before going on any dates.^[69]

On June 14, 2003, Beyoncé premiered songs from her debut solo album, Dangerously in Love, during her first solo concert, which was broadcast as a pay-per-view television special.^[70] The album was officially released on June 24, 2003, following the solo releases of her Destiny's Child bandmates Williams and Rowland.^[37][71] Dangerously in Love debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 317,000 copies in its first week.^[72] The album's lead single, "Crazy in Love", featuring Jay-Z, became Beyoncé's first number-one single as a solo artist in the US.^[73] The single "Baby Boy" also reached number one,^[62] while "Me, Myself and I" and "Naughty Girl" both reached the top-five.^[74] The album earned Beyoncé a then record-tying five awards at the 46th Annual Grammy Awards, including Best Contemporary R&B Album and Best R&B Song for "Crazy in Love".^[75] She later starred alongside Cuba Gooding Jr. in the musical comedy The Fighting Temptations (2003), portraying a single mother and the love interest of Gooding's character. It received mixed reviews from critics and underperformed at the box office.^[76][77] Beyoncé performed several songs for the film's soundtrack, including its two singles, "Fighting Temptation" and "Summertime".^[78]

In November 2003, Beyoncé embarked on the Dangerously in Love Tour across Europe,^[79] and later joined Missy Elliott and Alicia Keys for the Verizon Ladies First Tour in North America.^[80][81] On February 1, 2004, she performed the American national anthem at Super Bowl XXXVIII, held at Reliant Stadium in Houston.^[82][83] Beyoncé had planned to produce a follow-up to Dangerously in Love using several of the leftover tracks; this was put on hold so she could concentrate on recording Destiny's Child's final album, Destiny Fulfilled.^[84] Released on November 15, 2004, in the U.S.^[85] and peaking at number two on the Billboard 200,^[86][87] Destiny Fulfilled included the singles "Lose My Breath" and "Soldier", both of which reached within the top five in the U.S.^[88] Destiny's Child embarked on a global concert tour titled Destiny Fulfilled... and Lovin' It. It featured performances of many of the group's biggest hits, including "No, No, No" and "Say My Name", as well as selections from each member's solo career.^[89][90] At the final stop of their European tour in Barcelona in June 2005, Rowland announced that Destiny's Child would disband following the North American leg of the tour.^[90][91] The group released their first compilation album, #1's, in October and were honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in March 2006.^[92][93]

Beyoncé's second solo album, B'Day, was released in the United States on September 4, 2006, to coincide with her twenty-fifth birthday.^[94][95] The album debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 541,000 copies in its first week, making it her second consecutive number-one album in the U.S.^[96][97] The album's lead single, "Déjà Vu", featuring Jay-Z, reached number four on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.^[98] The second international single, "Irreplaceable", topped the charts in several territories worldwide, including the U.S.^[99] B'Day also produced several additional singles, including "Ring the Alarm", "Get Me Bodied", and "Green Light".^[100][101] At the 2007 Grammy Awards, B'Day received five nominations, including Best Contemporary R&B Album and Best R&B Song and Best Rap/Sung Collaboration for "Déjà Vu".^[102] In 2008, the album garnered more nominations, including Record of the Year for "Irreplaceable".^[103]

Beyoncé's first acting role in 2006 was in the comedy film The Pink Panther, in which she starred alongside Steve Martin.^[104] The film was a commercial success, grossing $158 million worldwide.^[105] Her second film that year, Dreamgirls—a cinematic adaptation of the 1981 Broadway musical—received critical acclaim and earned $154 million globally. Portraying a pop singer modeled after Diana Ross, Beyoncé starred alongside Jennifer Hudson, Jamie Foxx, and Eddie Murphy.^[106] In April 2007, Beyoncé embarked on the Beyoncé Experience, her first worldwide concert tour, which visited 97 venues^[107] and grossed over $24 million.^[b] Beyoncé conducted pre-concert food donation drives during six major stops in conjunction with her pastor at St. John's and America's Second Harvest. At the same time, B'Day was re-released with five additional songs, including her duet with Shakira "Beautiful Liar".^[109] In June 2007, Beyoncé and Jay-Z announced their engagement.^[110]

On April 4, 2008, Beyoncé and Jay-Z married without publicity.^[111] Inspired by their marriage, Beyoncé released I Am... Sasha Fierce in November 2008 and formally introduced her alter ego Sasha Fierce.^[112] It was met with mixed reviews from critics,^[113] 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.^[114] 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)".^[115] "Halo" achieved the accomplishment of becoming her longest-running Hot 100 single in her career,^[116] "Halo"'s success in the U.S. helped Beyoncé attain more top-ten singles on the list than any other woman during the 2000s.^[117]

The music video for "Single Ladies" has been parodied and imitated around the world, spawning the "first major dance craze" of the Internet age according to the Toronto Star.^[118] At the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, the video won three categories, including Video of the Year.^[119] In March 2009, Beyoncé embarked on the I Am... Tour, her second headlining worldwide concert tour, consisting of 108 shows, grossing $119.5 million.^[120]

Beyoncé further expanded her acting career, starring as blues singer Etta James in the 2008 musical biopic Cadillac Records. Her performance in the film received praise from critics,^[121] and she garnered several nominations for her portrayal of James, including a Satellite Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress, and an NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress.^[122][123] Beyoncé donated her entire salary from the film to Phoenix House, an organization of rehabilitation centers for heroin addicts around the country.^[124] Beyoncé starred opposite Ali Larter and Idris Elba in the thriller, Obsessed. She played Sharon Charles, a mother and wife whose family is threatened by her husband's stalker. The film received negative reviews from critics,^[125] and did well at the U.S. box office, grossing $68 million – $60 million more than Cadillac Records^[126] – on a budget of $20 million.^[127]

At the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards, Beyoncé received ten nominations, tying with Lauryn Hill for most Grammy nominations in a single year by a female artist.^[128] Beyoncé went on to win six of those nominations, breaking a record she previously tied in 2004 for the most Grammy awards won in a single night by a female artist with six. In 2010, Beyoncé provide guest vocals on Lady Gaga's single "Telephone".^[129][130] The song topped the U.S. Pop Songs chart, becoming the sixth number-one for both Beyoncé and Gaga, tying them with Mariah Carey for most number-ones since the Nielsen Top 40 airplay chart launched in 1992.^[131]

Beyoncé announced a hiatus from her music career in January 2010, heeding her mother's advice, "to live life, to be inspired by things again".^[132][133] During the break, she and her father parted ways as business partners.^[134][135] Beyoncé's musical break lasted nine months and saw her visit multiple European cities, the Great Wall of China, the Egyptian pyramids, Australia, English music festivals and various museums and ballet performances.^[132][136] "Eat, Play, Love", a cover story written by Beyoncé for Essence that detailed her 2010 career break, won her a writing award from the New York Association of Black Journalists.^[137] Around this time, Beyoncé miscarried, describing it as "the saddest thing" she had ever endured.^[138] She returned to the studio and wrote music to cope with the loss.^[139]

In April 2011, Beyoncé and Jay-Z traveled to Paris to shoot the album cover for her upcoming studio album, where she unexpectedly became pregnant.^[139] 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.^[140][141] 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.^[142][143] Her fourth studio album 4 was released two days prior in the U.S.^[144] 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".^{[74][129][145]} The fourth single "Love on Top" spent seven consecutive weeks at number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, while peaking at number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100, the highest peak from the album.^[146]

In August, Beyoncé and Jay-Z attended the 2011 MTV Video Music Awards, at which she performed "Love On Top" and ended the performance by revealing her pregnancy.^[147] Her appearance helped that year's MTV Video Music Awards become the most-watched broadcast in MTV history, pulling in 12.4 million viewers;^[148] the announcement was listed in Guinness World Records for "most tweets per second recorded for a single event" on Twitter,^[149] receiving 8,868 tweets per second^[150] and "Beyonce pregnant" was the most Googled phrase the week of August 29, 2011.^[151]

In late 2011, she took the stage at New York's Roseland Ballroom for four nights of special performances:^[152] the 4 Intimate Nights with Beyoncé concerts saw the performance of her 4 album to a standing room only.^[152] 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.^[153] By December 2015, it reached sales of 1.5 million copies in the U.S.^[154] The album reached one billion Spotify streams on February 5, 2018, making Beyoncé the first female artist to have three of their albums surpass one billion streams on the platform.^[155] On January 7, 2012, Beyoncé gave birth to a daughter, Blue Ivy, at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York City.^[156] In June 2012, she performed for four nights at Revel Atlantic City's Ovation Hall to celebrate the resort's opening, her first performances since giving birth to her daughter.^[157][158]

In January 2013, Beyoncé performed the American national anthem singing along with a pre-recorded track at President Obama's second inauguration in Washington, D.C.^[159][160] The following month, Beyoncé performed at the Super Bowl XLVII halftime show, held at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans.^[161] The performance stands as the second most tweeted about moment in history at 268,000 tweets per minute.^[162] Her feature-length documentary film, Life Is But a Dream, first aired on HBO on February 16, 2013.^[163] The film was co-directed by Beyoncé herself.^[164]

Beyoncé embarked on The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour on April 15 in Belgrade, Serbia; the tour included 132 dates that ran through to March 2014. It became the one of the most successful tours of her career.^{[165][166][167]} In May, Beyoncé's cover of Amy Winehouse's "Back to Black" with André 3000 on The Great Gatsby soundtrack was released.^[168] Beyoncé voiced Queen Tara in the 3D CGI animated film, Epic, released by 20th Century Fox on May 24,^[169] and recorded an original song for the film, "Rise Up", co-written with Sia.^[170]

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.^[171] This made her the first woman in the chart's history to have her first five studio albums debut at number one.^[172] Beyoncé received critical acclaim^[173] and commercial success, selling one million digital copies worldwide in six days;^[174] 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".^[175] The single "Drunk in Love", featuring Jay-Z, peaked at number two on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.^[176]

According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), Beyoncé sold 2.3 million units worldwide, becoming the tenth best-selling album of 2013.^[177] The album also went on to become the twentieth best-selling album of 2014.^[178] As of November 2014, Beyoncé has sold over 5 million copies worldwide and has generated over 1 billion streams, as of March 2015.^[179] At the 57th Annual Grammy Awards in February 2015, Beyoncé was nominated for six awards, ultimately winning three: Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Song for "Drunk in Love", and Best Surround Sound Album for Beyoncé.^[180][181]

In April 2014, Beyoncé and Jay-Z officially announced their On the Run Tour. It served as the couple's first co-headlining stadium tour together.^[182] On August 24, 2014, she received the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards. Beyoncé also won home three competitive awards: Best Video with a Social Message and Best Cinematography for "Pretty Hurts", as well as best collaboration for "Drunk in Love".^[183] In November, Forbes reported that Beyoncé was the top-earning woman in music for the second year in a row – earning $115 million in the year, more than double her earnings in 2013.^[184]

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.^{[185][186][187]} Immediately following the performance, Beyoncé announced The Formation World Tour, which highlighted stops in both North America and Europe.^[188][189] 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.^[190] The tour went on to win Tour of the Year at the 44th American Music Awards.^[191]

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.^[192] 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.^[193] 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.^[194] 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.^[195] It was 2016's third highest-selling album in the U.S. with 1.554 million copies sold in that time period within the country^[196] as well as the best-selling album worldwide with global sales of 2.5 million throughout the year.^[197]

Lemonade became the most critically acclaimed work of her career.^[198] Several music publications included the album among the best of 2016, including Rolling Stone, which listed Lemonade at number one.^[199] The album's visuals were nominated in 11 categories at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards, the most ever received by Beyoncé in a single year, and went on to win 8 awards, including Video of the Year for "Formation".^[200][201] The eight wins made Beyoncé the most-awarded artist in the history of the VMAs (24), surpassing Madonna (20).^[202] Beyoncé occupied the sixth place for Time magazine's 2016 Person of the Year.^[203]

In January 2017, it was announced that Beyoncé would headline the Coachella Music and Arts Festival. This would have made Beyoncé only the second female headliner of the festival since it was founded in 1999.^[204] It was later announced on February 23, 2017, that Beyoncé would no longer be able to perform at the festival due to doctor's concerns regarding her pregnancy. The festival owners announced that she would instead headline the 2018 festival.^[205] Upon the announcement of Beyoncé's departure from the festival lineup, ticket prices dropped by 12%.^[206] 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,^[207] ultimately winning two, Best Urban Contemporary Album for Lemonade and Best Music Video for "Formation".^[208]

On February 1, 2017, Beyoncé revealed on her Instagram account that she was expecting twins. Her announcement gained over 6.3 million likes within eight hours, breaking the world record for the most liked image on the website at the time.^[209] On July 13, 2017, Beyoncé uploaded the first image of herself and the twins onto her Instagram account, confirming their birth date as a month prior, on June 13, 2017,^[210] with the post becoming the second most liked on Instagram, behind her own pregnancy announcement.^[211][212] The twins, a daughter named Rumi and a son named Sir, were born at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in California via caesarean section.^[213][214] In late 2017, Beyoncé featured on Eminem's "Walk on Water"—the lead single from his album Revival—and remix to Ed Sheeran's song "Perfect".^[215] "Perfect Duet" reached number-one in the United States, becoming Beyoncé's sixth song of her solo career to do so.^[216]

On January 4, 2018, the music video of Beyoncé and Jay-Z's 4:44 collaboration, "Family Feud" was released.^[217] 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.^[218] 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.^[219] 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.^[220][221] Its livestream on YouTube was the most watched of all time.^[222]

On June 6, 2018, Beyoncé and husband Jay-Z kicked-off the On the Run II Tour in Cardiff, United Kingdom. Ten days later, at their final London performance, the pair unveiled Everything Is Love, their joint studio album, credited under the name The Carters, and initially available exclusively on Tidal. Its only single, "Apeshit", peaked at number 13 in the U.S.^[223] Everything Is Love received generally positive reviews,^[224] and debuted at number two on the U.S. Billboard 200, with 123,000 album-equivalent units, of which 70,000 were pure album sales.^[225] On December 2, 2018, Beyoncé and Jay-Z headlined the Global Citizen Festival: Mandela 100 at FNB Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa.^[226] Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé, a documentary and concert film focusing on Beyoncé's historic 2018 Coachella performances, was released by Netflix on April 17, 2019,^[227][228] accompanied by a surprise live album.^[229] It was later reported that Beyoncé and Netflix had signed a $60 million deal to produce three different projects, one of which is Homecoming.^[230] The film received six nominations at the 71st Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards.^[231]

Beyoncé starred as the voice of Nala in the remake The Lion King, which was released in July 2019.^[232] Beyoncé is featured on the film's soundtrack, released on July 11, 2019, with a remake of the song "Can You Feel the Love Tonight" alongside Donald Glover, Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen, which was originally composed by Elton John.^[233] An original song from the film by Beyoncé, "Spirit", was released as the lead single from both the soundtrack and The Lion King: The Gift – a companion album released alongside the film, produced and curated by Beyoncé.^[234][235] The album, influenced by R&B, pop, hip hop, gqom and Afro Beat,^[234][236] were produced by African producers, which Beyoncé said was because "authenticity and heart were important to [her]", since the film is set in Africa.^[234] In September of the same year, a documentary chronicling the development, production and early music video filming of The Lion King: The Gift entitled "Beyoncé Presents: Making The Gift" was aired on ABC.^[237]

In April 2020, Beyoncé was featured on the remix of Megan Thee Stallion's song "Savage", marking her first music release for the year.^[238] The song peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, marking Beyoncé's eleventh song to do so across all acts.^[239] On June 19, 2020, Beyoncé released the nonprofit charity single "Black Parade".^[240] On June 23, she followed up the release of its studio version with an a cappella version exclusively on Tidal.^[241] 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".^[242] 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.^[243] In 2021, Beyoncé wrote and recorded a song titled "Be Alive" for the biographical drama film King Richard.^[244] She received her first Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song at the 94th Academy Awards for the song, alongside co-writer Dixson.^[245]

On March 27, 2022, Beyoncé performed "Be Alive" at the 94th Academy Awards. Choreographed by friend and past collaborator Fatima Robinson, Beyoncé was applauded for choosing to perform on the Compton tennis courts Venus and Serena Williams practiced on in their childhood instead of at the venue.^[246][247]

On June 9, 2022, Beyoncé removed her profile pictures across various social media platforms, causing speculation that she would be releasing new music.^[248] Days later, Beyoncé caused further speculation via her nonprofit BeyGood's Twitter account hinting at her upcoming seventh studio album.^[249] On June 15, 2022, Beyoncé officially announced her seventh studio album, titled Renaissance.^[250] The lead single of Renaissance, "Break My Soul", was released on June 20, 2022.^[251] The album was released on July 29, 2022.^[252][253] "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.^[254]

As Renaissance was released, Beyoncé announced that the album was the first installment of a trilogy she conceived and recorded over three years during the COVID-19 pandemic, a time she found to be her "most creative [period]."^[255][250] The three recorded projects are designated into acts under Roman numerals.^[256] Upon release, Renaissance received universal acclaim from critics.^[257] Renaissance debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, making her the first female artist to have her first seven studio albums debut at number one in the United States.^[258] "Break My Soul" concurrently rose to number-one on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the twelfth song to do so across her career discography.^[259]

On January 21, 2023, Beyoncé performed in Dubai at a private show.^[260] The performance, which was her first full concert in more than four years, was delivered to an audience of influencers and journalists.^[261] Beyoncé was reportedly paid $24 million to perform.^[262] Beyoncé faced criticism for her decision to perform in the United Arab Emirates where homosexuality is illegal.^{[262][261][263]} On February 1, Beyoncé announced the Renaissance World Tour with dates in North America and Europe,^[264] which would become for a short-span the highest-grossing tour by a female artist.^[265] Her feature on rapper Travis Scott's "Delresto (Echoes)" became her 100th career appearance on the Billboard Hot 100 chart—including Destiny's Child, her solo career, and the Carters.^[266] 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.^[267]

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".^[268] "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.^[269][270] 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, Shaboozey, Brittney Spencer, Dolly Parton, and Reyna Roberts.^[271]

In July 2024, NBC released two promotional commercials featuring Beyoncé for their coverage of the 2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.^[272] 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.^[273][274] 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.^[275] In October 2024, Levi's launched a four-part global campaign with Beyoncé titled "Reiimagine" that stretched into 2025 and focused on women's history of the company, using the Cowboy Carter track "Levii's Jeans".^[276] The first commercial starring Beyoncé amassed 2.4 billion impressions in under a month.^[277]

Beyoncé reprised her role as Nala for Mufasa: The Lion King, a prequel to the 2019 remake, released in December 2024.^[278] She headlined the first ever NFL Christmas Gameday Halftime Show that month, performing songs from Cowboy Carter for the first time.^[279] The Cowboy Carter Tour was announced on February 1, 2025.^[280] At the 67th Annual Grammy Awards, Beyoncé became the first Black artist in 50 years, since Charley Pride and the Pointer Sisters, to win an award in the country music categories.^[281] She became the first Black artist ever to win the Grammy Award for Best Country Album.^[282][283] Additionally, she won the Grammy Award for Album of the Year, becoming the first Black woman to do so since Lauryn Hill won for The Miseducation of Lauryn Hill in 1999.^[284]

Critics have described Beyoncé's voice as being mezzo-soprano.^{[289][290][285]} Jody Rosen highlighted her musical tone and timbre as particularly distinctive, describing her voice as "one of the most compelling instruments in popular music".^[291] Jon Pareles of The New York Times described her voice as "velvety yet tart, with an insistent flutter and reserves of soul belting".^[292] Rosen notes that the hip hop era highly influenced Beyoncé's unique rhythmic vocal style, but also finds her quite traditionalist in her use of balladry, gospel and falsetto.^[291] Chris Richards of The Washington Post praised her range and power, saying she was "capable of punctuating any beat with goose-bump-inducing whispers or full-bore diva-roars."^[293] On Rolling Stone's 2023 list of the "200 Greatest Singers of All Time", Beyoncé ranked at number eight, with the magazine stating that "in [her] voice lies the entire history of Black music".^[294]

Beyoncé's music is generally R&B,^[295][296] pop^[295][297] and hip hop^[298] and also incorporates soul and funk into her songs. 4 demonstrated her exploration of 1990s-style R&B, as well as further use of soul and hip hop than compared to previous releases.^[299] While she almost exclusively releases English songs, Beyoncé recorded several Spanish songs for Irreemplazable (re-recordings of songs from B'Day for a Spanish-language audience), and the re-release of B'Day. To record these, Beyoncé was coached phonetically by American record producer Rudy Perez.^[300]

Beyoncé has received co-writing credits for most of her songs.^[301] Her early songs with Destiny's Child featured female-empowerment themed compositions like "Independent Women" and "Survivor", but following her relationship with Jay-Z, she transitioned to more man-tending songs such as "Cater 2 U".^[302] 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.^[12][303] In 2006, she also became the third woman to have writing credits on three US number-one songs in the same year.^[304] Billboard magazine listed Beyoncé at number 17 on their 2011 list of the "Top 20 Hot 100 Songwriters" for having co-written eight singles that reached number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. She was one of three women on the list, along with Alicia Keys and Taylor Swift.^[305] Beyoncé's songwriting process is also known for combining parts of different tracks, resulting in alteration of song structures. Sia, who co-wrote "Pretty Hurts", called Beyoncé "very Frankenstein when she comes to songs";^[306] Diana Gordon, who co-wrote "Don't Hurt Yourself", called her a "scientist of songs";^[307] Caroline Polachek, who co-wrote "No Angel", called her a "genius writer and producer for this reason. She's so good at seeing connections."^[308]

Beyoncé has received criticism, including from journalists and musicians, for the extensive writing credits on her songs.^[301] The controversy surrounding her songwriting credits began with interviews in which she attributed herself as the songwriter for songs in which she was a co-writer^[309] or for which her contributions were marginal.^[301] In a cover story for Vanity Fair in 2005, she claimed to have "written" several number-one songs for Destiny's Child, contrary to the credits, which list her as a co-writer among others.^[309] During a 2007 interview with Barbara Walters, she claimed to have conceived the musical idea for the Destiny's Child song "Bootylicious",^[310] which provoked the song's producer Rob Fusari to call her father and then-manager Mathew Knowles in protest over the claim. In 2010, Fusari told Billboard: "[Knowles] explained to me, in a nice way, he said, 'People don't want to hear about Rob Fusari, producer from Livingston, N.J. No offense, but that's not what sells records. What sells records is people believing that the artist is everything.'"^[311] However, in an interview for Entertainment Weekly in 2016, Fusari said Beyoncé "had the 'Bootylicious' concept in her head. That was totally her. She knew what she wanted to say. It was very urban pop angle that they were taking on the record."^[312]

Beyoncé named Michael Jackson as her major musical influence.^[313][314] Aged five, Beyoncé attended her first ever concert where Jackson performed and she claimed to have realized her purpose.^[315] When she presented him with a tribute award at the World Music Awards in 2006, Beyoncé said, "if it wasn't for Michael Jackson, I would never ever have performed."^[316] Beyoncé was also heavily influenced by Tina Turner, praising how "she made her strength feminine and sexy".^[317] She praised Diana Ross as an "all-around entertainer",^[318] and said that Whitney Houston inspired her "to get up there and do what she did".^[319][320] Beyoncé cited Madonna as an influence "not only for her musical style, but also for her business sense",^[321] saying that she wanted to "be a powerhouse and have my own empire" like her.^[322] She also credited Mariah Carey's singing and her song "Vision of Love" as influencing her to begin practicing vocal runs as a child.^[323][324] Her other musical influences include Rachelle Ferrell,^[325] Aaliyah,^[326] Janet Jackson,^[327] Prince,^[328] Lauryn Hill,^[318] Sade Adu,^[329] Donna Summer,^[330] Fairuz,^[331][332] Mary J. Blige,^[333] Selena,^[334] Anita Baker, and Toni Braxton.^[318]

The female empowerment themes on B'Day were inspired by her role in Dreamgirls^[335] and by singer Josephine Baker.^[336] 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.^[337] 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.^[338] Beyoncé's fourth solo studio album, 4, was inspired by Fela Kuti, Earth, Wind & Fire, DeBarge, Lionel Richie, Teena Marie, The Jackson 5, New Edition, Adele, Florence and the Machine, and Prince.^[299]

Beyoncé stated that was personally inspired by Michelle Obama, saying "she proves you can do it all",^[339] and described Oprah Winfrey as "the definition of inspiration and a strong woman".^[318] She also discussed how Jay-Z is a continuing inspiration to her, both with what she describes as his lyrical genius and in the obstacles he has overcome in his life.^[340] She praised the artist Jean-Michel Basquiat, posting in a letter, "what I find in the work of Jean-Michel Basquiat, I search for in every day in music ... he is lyrical and raw".^[341][342] Beyoncé also cited Cher as a fashion inspiration.^[343]

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.^[344] 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, re-appeared in the music videos for "Irreplaceable" and "Green Light", and have since supported Beyoncé in may of her subsequent live performances.^[300]

Beyoncé has received praise for her stage presence and voice during live performances. According to Barbara Ellen of The Guardian, Beyoncé is the "most in-charge [...] female artist [she's] seen onstage".^[345] Similarly, Alice Jones of The Independent wrote she "takes her role as entertainer so seriously she's almost too good".^[346] Jim Farber of the Daily News and Stephanie Classen of The StarPhoenix both praised her strong voice and her stage presence.^[347][348] L.A. Reid, the ex-President of Def Jam Recordings, described Beyoncé as the "greatest entertainer alive".^[349]

Beyoncé has worked with numerous directors for her music videos throughout her career, including Melina Matsoukas, Jonas Åkerlund, and Jake Nava. Bill Condon, director of Beauty and the Beast, stated that the Lemonade visuals in particular served as inspiration for his film, commenting, "You look at Beyoncé's brilliant movie Lemonade, this genre is taking on so many different forms ... I do think that this very old-school break-out-into-song traditional musical is something that people understand again and really want."^[350]

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."^[351] Sasha was conceived during the making of "Crazy in Love", and Beyoncé introduced her with the release of I Am... Sasha Fierce in 2008. In February 2010, Beyoncé revealed that she was comfortable enough with herself to no longer need Sasha Fierce.^[352] She announced in May 2012 that she would bring her back for the Revel Presents: Beyoncé Live shows later that month.^[353]

Beyoncé has been described as having sex appeal, with music journalist Touré writing that since the release of Dangerously in Love, she has "become a crossover sex symbol".^[354] When off stage, Beyoncé says that while she likes to dress sexily, her onstage dress "is absolutely for the stage".^[355] Due to her curves and the term's catchiness, in the 2000s, the media often used the term "bootylicious" (a portmanteau of the words "booty" and "delicious") to describe Beyoncé,^[356][357] the term popularized by the single of the same name by her group Destiny's Child. In 2006, it was added to the Oxford English Dictionary.^[358]

Beyoncé has been nicknamed "Queen Bey" by publications over the years. The term is a reference to the common phrase "queen bee", a term used for the leader of a group of females. The nickname also refers to the Queen bee of a beehive, with her fan base being named "BeyHive". BeyHive was previously titled "The Beyontourage", (a portmanteau of Beyoncé and entourage), but was changed after online petitions on Twitter and online news reports during competitions.^[359] Time named her one of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2013, 2014, and 2023.^{[360][361][362]}

In September 2010, Beyoncé made her runway modelling debut at Tom Ford's Spring/Summer 2011 fashion show.^[363] She was named the "World's Most Beautiful Woman" by People^[364] and the "Hottest Female Singer of All Time" by Complex in 2012.^[365] In January 2013, GQ placed her on its cover, featuring her atop its "100 Sexiest Women of the 21st Century" list.^[366][367] VH1 listed her at number 1 on its 100 Sexiest Artists list.^[368] Several wax figures of Beyoncé are found at Madame Tussauds Wax Museums in major cities around the world.^[369]

According to Italian fashion designer Roberto Cavalli, Beyoncé uses different fashion styles to work with her music while performing.^[370] Her mother co-wrote a book, published in 2002, titled Destiny's Style,^[371] an account of how fashion affected the trio's success.^[372] The B'Day Anthology Video Album showed many instances of fashion-oriented footage, depicting classic to contemporary wardrobe styles.^[373] In 2007, Beyoncé was featured on the cover of the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue, becoming the second African American woman after model and television personality Tyra Banks,^[374] and People magazine recognized Beyoncé as the best-dressed celebrity.^[375]

Beyoncé performed "America the Beautiful" at President Barack Obama's 2009 presidential inauguration, as well as "At Last" during the first inaugural dance at the Neighborhood Ball two days later.^[376] The couple held a fundraiser at Jay-Z's 40/40 Club in Manhattan for President Obama's 2012 presidential campaign^[377] which raised $4 million.^[378] Beyoncé voted for Obama in the 2012 presidential election.^[379] She performed the American national anthem "The Star-Spangled Banner" at his second inauguration in January 2013.^[159]

In May 2015, Beyoncé attended a celebrity fundraiser for 2016 presidential nominee Hillary Clinton^[380] and headlined in a concert for Clinton the weekend before the election.^[381] She endorsed the bid of Beto O'Rourke during the 2018 United States Senate election in Texas.^[382] In July 2024, Beyoncé gave Vice President Kamala Harris permission to use Lemonade promotional single "Freedom" as the official song for her 2024 presidential campaign.^[383][384] Harris subsequently launched a digital ad in support of her candidacy featuring the song.^[385] In October 2024, Beyoncé, alongside her mother Tina and Kelly Rowland endorsed Harris for president at a campaign rally in her hometown of Houston.^[386]

In a 2013 interview with Vogue, Beyoncé stated that she considered herself to be "a modern-day feminist".^[387] She sampled "We should all be feminists", a speech delivered by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, in her 2013 song "Flawless".^[388] Her performance at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards featured a giant backdrop reading "Feminist".^[389] Beyoncé's self-identification incited a circulation of opinions and debate about whether her feminism is aligned with older, more established feminist ideals. Annie Lennox referred to her use of the word feminist as "feminist lite".^[390]

In December 2012, Beyoncé along with a variety of other celebrities teamed up and produced a video campaign for "Demand A Plan", a bipartisan effort by a group of 950 U.S. mayors and others^[391] designed to influence the federal government into rethinking its gun control laws, following the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting.^[392] Beyoncé publicly endorsed same-sex marriage on March 26, 2013, after the Supreme Court debate on California's Proposition 8.^[393] She spoke against North Carolina's Public Facilities Privacy & Security Act, a bill passed (and later repealed) that discriminated against the LGBT community in public places in a statement during her concert in Raleigh as part of the Formation World Tour in 2016.^[394] In February 2017, Beyoncé expressed her support for transgender youth following the withdrawal of protections for transgender students in public schools by Donald Trump's presidential administration.^[395]

Beyoncé has also condemned police brutality against Black Americans. She and Jay-Z attended a rally in 2013 in response to the acquittal of George Zimmerman for the killing of Trayvon Martin.^[396] The music video for her song "Freedom" featured the mothers of Trayvon Martin, Michael Brown and Eric Garner, holding pictures of their sons.^[397] In a 2016 interview with Elle, Beyoncé responded to the controversy surrounding her song "Formation", which was perceived to be critical of the police. She clarified, "I am against police brutality and injustice. Those are two separate things. If celebrating my roots and culture during Black History Month made anyone uncomfortable, those feelings were there long before a video and long before me".^[398] She performed "Formation" at the 2016 Super Bowl halftime show with backup dancers dressed to represent the Black Panther Party, ensuing criticism from conservative politicians and police officers.^[399] Beyoncé responded to the backlash by releasing tour merchandise that said "Boycott Beyoncé".^{[400][401][402]}

In 2002, Beyoncé, Kelly Rowland and Tina Knowles built the Knowles-Rowland Center for Youth, a community center in Downtown Houston. After Hurricane Katrina in 2005, Beyoncé and Rowland founded the Survivor Foundation to provide transitional housing to displaced families and provide means for new building construction, to which Beyoncé contributed an initial $250,000.^[403] The foundation has since expanded to work with other charities in the city,^[404] and also provided relief following Hurricane Ike three years later.^[405] Beyoncé also donated $100,000 to the Gulf Coast Ike Relief Fund.^[406] In 2007, Beyoncé founded the Knowles-Temenos Place Apartments, a housing complex offering living space for 43 displaced individuals. As of 2016, Beyoncé had donated $7 million for the maintenance of the complex.^[407]

After starring in Cadillac Records in 2009 and learning about Phoenix House, a non-profit drug and alcohol rehabilitation organization, Beyoncé donated her full $4 million salary from the film to the organization.^[408] Beyoncé and her mother Tina opened the Beyoncé Cosmetology Center at the Brooklyn Phoenix House, offering a seven-month cosmetology training course for men and women.^[409] 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^[410] by reworking her single "Get Me Bodied".^[411] Beyoncé became an ambassador for the 2012 World Humanitarian Day campaign.^[412][413] In 2013, it was announced that Beyoncé would work with Salma Hayek and Frida Giannini on a Gucci "Chime for Change" campaign that aims to spread female empowerment.^[414] With help of the crowdfunding platform Catapult, visitors of a concert promoting the cause could choose between several projects supporting the education of women and girls.^[415]

Beyoncé and Jay-Z secretly donated tens of thousands of dollars to bail out Black Lives Matter protesters in Baltimore and Ferguson, as well as funded infrastructure for the establishment of Black Lives Matter chapters across the U.S.^[416] Before Beyoncé's Formation World Tour show in Tampa, her team held a private luncheon for more than 20 community leaders to discuss how Beyoncé could support local charitable initiatives, including pledging on the spot to fund 10 scholarships to provide students with financial aid.^[417] In June 2016, Beyoncé donated over $82,000 to the United Way of Genesee County to support victims of the Flint water crisis. Beyoncé additionally donated money to support 14 students in Michigan with their college expenses.^[418] In August 2016, Beyoncé and Jay-Z donated $1.5 million to civil rights groups including Black Lives Matter, Hands Up United and Dream Defenders.^[419] After Hurricane Matthew, Beyoncé and Jay-Z donated $15 million to the Usain Bolt Foundation to support its efforts in rebuilding homes in Haiti.^[420]

During Hurricane Harvey in August 2017, Beyoncé launched BeyGood Houston to support those affected by the hurricane in Houston. The organization donated necessities such as cots, blankets, pillows, baby products, feminine products and wheelchairs, and funded long-term revitalization projects.^[421] She additionally donated $75,000 worth of new mattresses to survivors of the hurricane.^[422] Later that month, Beyoncé released a remix of J Balvin and Willy William's "Mi Gente", with all of her proceeds being donated to disaster relief charities in Puerto Rico, Mexico, the U.S. and the Caribbean after hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria, and the Chiapas and Puebla earthquakes.^[423]

In April 2020, Beyoncé donated $6 million to the National Alliance in Mental Health, UCLA and local community-based organizations in order to provide mental health and personal wellness services to essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. BeyGood also teamed up with local organizations to help provide resources to communities of color, including food, water, cleaning supplies, medicines and face masks.^[424][425] The same month, Beyoncé released a remix of Megan Thee Stallion's "Savage", with all proceeds benefiting Bread of Life Houston's COVID-19 relief efforts, which includes providing over 14 tons of food and supplies to 500 families and 100 senior citizens in Houston weekly.^[426][427] In July, Beyoncé established the Black-Owned Small Business Impact Fund in partnership with the NAACP, which offered $10,000 grants to black-owned small businesses in need following the George Floyd protests.^{[428][429][430]}

In October 2020, Beyoncé released a statement that she had been working with the Feminist Coalition to assist supporters of the End SARS movement in Nigeria, including covering medical costs for injured protestors, covering legal fees for arrested protestors, and providing food, emergency shelter, transportation and telecommunication means to those in need. Beyoncé also showed support for those fighting against other issues in Africa, such as the Anglophone Crisis in Cameroon, ShutItAllDown in Namibia, Zimbabwean Lives Matter in Zimbabwe and the Rape National Emergency in Liberia.^[431] In December 2020, Beyoncé donated $500,000 to help alleviate the housing crisis in the U.S. caused by the cessation of the eviction moratorium, giving 100 $5,000 grants to individuals and families facing foreclosures and evictions.^[432]

Beyoncé is one of the wealthiest musical artists. By December 2023, Forbes estimated her net worth to be $800 million.^[433] The magazine named Beyoncé the annual highest-earning female musician in 2008,^[434] 2010,^[435] 2014,^[436] and 2017.^[437] Forbes began reporting on her earnings in 2008, calculating that the $80 million earned between June 2007 to June 2008 made her the second highest-paid musician in 2008.^[438][434] On the Forbes Celebrity 100 list, Beyoncé was placed fourth in 2008 and 2009,^[439][440] second in 2010,^[441] and fourth in 2013.^[442] She ranked at number one on the Celebrity 100 list in 2014, earning an estimated $115 million.^[443] Billboard named Beyoncé the highest-paid musician of 2016, with estimated earnings of $62.1 million.^[444] She was listed as the Forbes third highest-paid musician of the 2010s, earning $685 million.^[445]

In 2012, Forbes placed Beyoncé and Jay-Z at number one on the "World's Highest-Paid Celebrity Couples" list, collectively earning $78 million.^[446] The couple made it into the previous year's Guinness Book of World Records as the "highest-earning power couple" for collectively earning $122 million in 2009.^[447] Beyoncé and Jay-Z also became the highest-paid celebrity couple in 2016, with combined earnings of $107.5 million.^[448] They officially became a billion-dollar couple in 2017, when Forbes estimated a combined net worth of $1.16 billion.^[449]

Beyoncé has been recognized as one of the most influential figures in music history by numerous publications, including Rolling Stone and the Associated Press.^[7] She was named Billboard's Greatest Pop Star of the 21st Century,^[450] and topped NPR list of the "21st Century's Most Influential Women Musicians".^[451] She was repeatedly named the defining artist of both the 2000s decade^{[452][453][454][455]} and the 2010s decade.^{[456][457][458][459]} In The New Yorker, music critic Jody Rosen described Beyoncé as "the most important and compelling popular musician of the twenty-first century ... the result, the logical end point, of a century-plus of pop."^[460] In 2018, Rolling Stone included her on its Millennial 100 list.^[461] Several critics have listed some of her albums, singles, music videos, and live performances as some of the greatest of all time.^[462]

Beyoncé has revolutionized the music industry, transforming the production, distribution, promotion, and consumption of music.^[463][464] Beyoncé has been credited with reviving the album format in an era dominated by singles and streaming, with albums becoming increasingly cohesive and narrative-led.^[465][466] She revolutionized how music is released and marketed with the invention of the surprise album, which became a common practice in the 2010s and 2020s.^[467] This move was "arguably the single most pivotal moment in all of 21st-century pop music" according to Billboard, with Beyoncé reorienting the music market to cohesive albums and unconventional promotional rollouts.^[463] She is also credited with reviving the music video as an art form and popularizing the visual album.^[468] Her impact on the music industry led to the Global Release Day being moved to Friday.^[469]

Beyoncé's use of staccato rap-singing and chopped and re-pitched vocals have changed the sound of popular music and became defining features of the 21st-century music landscape.^{[470][471][472][473]} With her work frequently transcending traditional genre boundaries, Beyoncé has created new artistic standards that have shaped contemporary music and set the precedent for music artists to move between and beyond genre confines.^{[474][475][476]} Beyoncé has helped to revive and popularize several 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.^{[463][465][477][478][479]}

Beyoncé has been recognized as setting the playbook for music artists in the modern era,^[474] with several musicians citing her as a major influence on their career. Taylor Swift described Beyoncé's as a major influence and a "guiding light throughout my career", who has "paved the road" and shown how to "break rules and defy industry norms".^[480][481] Lady Gaga explained how Beyoncé gave her the determination to become a musician, recalling seeing her in Destiny's Child music video and saying: "Oh, she's a star. I want that."^[482] Rihanna was inspired to start her singing career after watching Beyoncé, telling etalk 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."^[483] Ariana Grande learned to sing by mimicking other artists including Beyoncé.^[484] Adele cited Beyoncé as "a huge and constant part of my life as an artist since I was about ten or eleven".^[485] Both Paul McCartney and Garth Brooks said they were inspired by Beyoncé's live performances, with Brooks saying, "take out your notebook and take notes. No matter how long you've been on the stage".^[486][487]

She is known for coining popular phrases such as "put a ring on it", a term for marriage proposal, "I woke up like this", which started a trend of posting morning selfies with the hashtag #iwokeuplikethis, and "boy, bye", which was used as part of the Democratic National Committee's campaign for the 2020 election.^[488][489] In January 2012, research scientist Bryan Lessard named Scaptia beyonceae, a species of horse-fly found in Northern Queensland, Australia after Beyoncé due to the fly's unique golden hairs on its abdomen.^[490]

Beyoncé has received numerous awards and is the most-awarded female artist of all time.^[491] Having sold over 200 million records worldwide (a further 60 million additionally with Destiny's Child), Beyoncé is one of the best-selling music artists of all time.^[492] The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) listed Beyoncé as the top certified artist of the 2000s decade, with a total of 64 certifications.^[493][494]

Beyoncé has won 35 Grammy Awards—both as a solo artist and member of Destiny's Child and the Carters—making her the most honored individual by the award show.^[495][496] She is also the most nominated artist in Grammy Award history with a total of 99 nominations.^[102] She 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.^[497] At the 2011 Billboard Music Awards, Beyoncé received the inaugural Billboard Millennium Award.^[498]

Beyoncé has won 30 MTV Video Music Awards, making her the joint most-decorated artist in Video Music Award history.^[499] She won 26 awards as a solo artist, two awards each with The Carters and Destiny's Child.^[500] 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.^[202] She is also the most-awarded and nominated artist in BET Award history,^[501] winning 36 awards (including two with Destiny's Child) from over 80 nominations,^[502] the most-awarded artist of the Soul Train Music Awards with 25 wins (21 as a soloist and four with Destiny's Child),^[503] and the most-decorated artist at the NAACP Image Awards with 27 wins as a solo artist and five with Destiny's Child.^{[504][505][506]}

Following her role in Dreamgirls, Beyoncé was nominated for Best Original Song for "Listen" and Best Actress at the Golden Globe Awards,^[507] and Outstanding Actress in a Motion Picture at the NAACP Image Awards.^[508] Beyoncé won two awards at the Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards 2006; Best Song for "Listen" and Best Original Soundtrack for Dreamgirls: Music from the Motion Picture.^[509] The film Lemonade won a Peabody Award in 2017.^[510] In 2022, "Be Alive" was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Original Song,^[511] the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Song,^[512] and the Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song.^[513]

In 2010, Beyoncé founded her own entertainment company Parkwood Entertainment which formed as an imprint based from Columbia Records. Originally launched in 2008 as a production unit,^[514] it is headquartered in New York City and serves as an umbrella for Beyoncé's various brands in music, movies, videos, and fashion. Parkwood Entertainment's first production was the musical biopic Cadillac Records (2008), in which Beyoncé starred and co-produced.^[515] The company has distributed all of Beyoncé's albums since 4 (2011), including her self-titled fifth studio album (2013) and Lemonade (2016), as well as 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.^[516]

In February 2024, Beyoncé launched Cécred, a hair care product line developed to fit different hair textures.^[517] Following its launch, she established an annual grant in collaboration with BeyGood. This is an effort to provide financial support to cosmetology students and professional hair stylists within the beauty industry.^[518] A yearly $500,000 is funding cosmetology school scholarships and salon business grants across five cities chosen for their large, diverse community of hair stylists: Atlanta, Chicago, Houston, Los Angeles and Clementon.^[c][519]

Beyoncé began working with Pepsi in 2002;^[520] in 2004, she appeared in a Gladiator-themed commercial with Britney Spears, Pink, and Enrique Iglesias.^[521] In 2012, Beyoncé signed a $50 million deal to endorse Pepsi.^[522] The Center for Science in the Public Interest wrote her an open letter asking her to reconsider the deal due to the unhealthiness of the product and to donate the proceeds to a medical organization.^[523] Nevertheless, NetBase found that Beyoncé's campaign was the most discussed endorsement in April 2013, with a 70 percent positive audience response to the commercial and print advertisements.^[524] Beyoncé has also collaborated with Tommy Hilfiger for the fragrances True Star—for which she recorded a cover of "Wishing on a Star"^[525]—and True Star Gold.^[526] In 2007, she promoted Emporio Armani’s Diamonds fragrance.^[527] Beyoncé launched her first official fragrance, Heat, in 2010, followed by Heat Rush in February 2011 and Pulse in September 2011.^{[528][529][530]}

The release of a video-game Starpower: Beyoncé was cancelled after she pulled out of a $100 million deal with GateFive who alleged the cancellation meant the sacking of 70 staff and millions of pounds lost in development.^[531] It was settled out of court by her lawyers in June 2013 who said that they had cancelled because GateFive had lost its financial backers.^[532] Beyoncé also has had deals with American Express,^[434] Nintendo DS^[533] and L'Oréal since the age of 18.^[534] In March 2015, Beyoncé became a co-owner, with other artists, of the music streaming service Tidal. The service specializes in lossless audio and high definition music videos. Jay-Z acquired the parent company of Tidal, Aspiro, in early 2015.^[535] Including Beyoncé and Jay-Z, sixteen artist stakeholders—including Kanye West and Nicki Minaj—co-own Tidal, with most owning a 3% equity stake.^[536]

In November 2020, Beyoncé entered a multi-year partnership with the exercise equipment and media company Peloton. The collaboration was launched to celebrate homecoming season at historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs), offering themed workout experiences inspired by her film Homecoming (2019) and live album (2019), following the cancellation of 2020 homecoming events due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As part of the initiative, Beyoncé and Peloton provided free memberships to students at ten HBCUs, while Peloton pursued long-term recruitment partnerships with these institutions.^[537] Upon news of the partnership, a decline in Peloton's shares reversed, and its shares rose by 8.6%.^[538]

In 2021, Beyoncé and Jay-Z partnered with Tiffany & Co. for the company's "About Love" campaign. Beyoncé became the fourth woman, and first Black woman, to wear the 128.54-carat Tiffany Yellow Diamond.^[539] The campaign featured a robin egg blue painting by Jean-Michel Basquiat titled Equals Pi (1982).^[540] Both Beyoncé and the brand faced significant backlash for the campaign, as the Tiffany Yellow Diamond, which was discovered in the Kimberley diamond mines in South Africa in 1877, is classified as a blood diamond and viewed as a symbol of British colonialism over Africa.^{[541][542][543]}

Beyoncé and her mother introduced House of Deréon, a women's fashion line, in 2005.^[544] 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.^[545][546] 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.^[544] House of Deréon pieces were exhibited in Destiny's Child's shows and tours, during their Destiny Fulfilled era.^[547][548] The collection features sportswear, denim offerings with fur, outerwear and accessories that include handbags and footwear, and are available at department and specialty stores across the U.S. and Canada.^[544]

In 2005, Beyoncé teamed up with House of Brands, a shoe company, to produce a range of footwear for House of Deréon.^[549] 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.^[544] 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.^[550] It was available at department stores including Macy's and Dillard's, and specialty stores Jimmy Jazz and Against All Odds.^[550]

In October 2014, Beyoncé signed a deal to launch an activewear line of clothing with British fashion retailer Topshop.^[551][552] The 50–50 venture is called Ivy Park and was launched in April 2016. The brand's name is a nod to Beyoncé's daughter and her favorite number four (IV in Roman numerals), and also references the park where she used to run in Texas.^[553] She has since bought out Topshop owner Philip Green from his 50% share after he was alleged to have sexually harassed, bullied and racially abused employees.^[554] She now owns the brand herself.^[555]

In April 2019, it was announced that Beyoncé would become a creative partner with Adidas, further develop her athletic brand Ivy Park with the company, and make new clothes and footwear. Shares for the company rose 1.3% upon the news release.^[556] They subsequently announced a launch date of January 2020.^[557] Beyoncé uploaded a teaser on her website and Instagram.^[558] The collection was previewed on the then-upcoming Elle January 2020 issue, in which Beyoncé is seen wearing several clothes from the first collection.^[559] 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.^[560] In March 2023, it was announced that Beyoncé and Adidas reached a mutual decision to end their partnership.^[561][562]

In March 2023, Olivier Rousteing, the creative director of Balmain, announced that he and Beyoncé collaborated on a couture collection complete with sixteen looks corresponding to the sixteen tracks on her album Renaissance. This "Renaissance Couture" collection marked the first time that a Black woman oversaw the development of a collection from a Parisian couture house.^[563] In September 2024, Beyoncé partnered with Levi Strauss & Co. to remake a classic '80s 'Launderette' campaign.^[564] Michelle Gass, the CEO of Levis Strauss & Co., shared insights regarding the advantages of the company's collaboration with Beyoncé, emphasizing that the advertising campaign could significantly enhance sales in the women's clothing segment.^[565]

• Forbes list of highest-earning musicians
• List of artists with the most number-one European singles
• List of Billboard Social 50 number-one artists
• List of black Golden Globe Award winners and nominees
• List of highest-grossing live music artists
• List of most-followed Instagram accounts

• Official website
• Beyoncé at AllMusic
• Beyoncé at Amazon Music

• Beyoncé discography at Discogs
• Beyoncé at IMDb