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Beyonce Biography

Beyonce is one of the most successful artists of all time, having sold over 11.2 million solo albums and 25 million singles. She is ranked 52 in the 100 greatest artists and is currently the top certified artist of the decade.

Born Beyonce Gisele Knowles on September 4th 1981 to a Roman Catholic family in Houston, Texas, she is extremely religious and prays before each performance. She was tutored at home and started singing and dancing as a child.

She first caught the attention of the media and the public when she was lead singer in the group "Destiny's Child." The rhythm and blues girl band was plagued with rows and legal wrangles throughout their existence, but they still became one of the most successful girl groups of all time.

During her time with the band she released her first solo album "Dangerously in Love," which became the most successful album of 2003 and led to the release of several singles.

When the group finally disbanded in 2005 Beyonce released two more albums, and she is currently working on her fourth.

She holds the record for the female artist winning the most Grammy Awards in one night. In total she has won 16 Grammies, 3 as a member of "Destiny's Child," and the rest as a solo artist.

Beyonce made her film debut in the musical film "Carmen - a Hip Hopera," and in 2001 her part in a film adaptation of the Broadway musical "Dreamgirls" earned her two Golden Globe Awards.

In 2004 she launched her family ready-to-wear fashion line House of Dereon with her mother Tina. The name is taken from her seamstress grandmother Agnes Dereon.

Since 2002 she has been in a relationship with rapper Jay-2 with whom she has collaborated several times. Beyonce is a very private person and despite persistent rumours about the couple's marriage, she did not reveal they had actually got married in New York City on April 4th 2008 until the Fashion Rocks Concert in September that year.

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