Beyonce Giselle Knowles-Carter was born on September 4, 1981 in Houston, Texas, to her two parents Celeste "Tina" Knowles and Matthew Knowles, she also had one younger sister named Solange who is also a singer/dancer. She attended St. Mary's Montessuri School where she was enrolled in dance classes. Her singing talent was discovred when a dance instructor began humming a song and Beyonce finished it off able to hit the high pitched notes. When she was eight years old, her and childhood friend named Kelly Rowland met LaTavia Roberson while at an audition for an all girl entertainment group.They were placed into a group called "Girl's Tyme" with three other members they rapped and danced in talent shows that were held in Houston. After seeing the group, R&B producer Arne Frager brought them to his Northern California studio and placed them in Star Search, the largest talent show on national TV at the time. "Girl's Tyme" did not win. In 1995 Beyonce's father resigned from his job to manage the group. On October 5, 1995, Dwayne Wiggins's Grass Roots Entertainment signed the group. In 1996, the girls began recording their debut album under an agreement with Sony Music, and shortly after, the group got a contract with Columbia Records.
The group changed their name to "Destiny's Child" in 1996 in 1997 they released their debut song on the soundtrack of the movie "Men In Black", the song was titled "Killing Time". The next year, the group released their self-titled debut album, awardiing them with their first major hit "No, No, No". They also were awarded three Soul Train Lady of Soul Awards for Best R&B/Soul Album of the Year, Best R&B/Soul or Rap New Artist, and Best R&B/Soul Single for "No, No, No". The group released their Multi-Platinum second album The Writing's on the Wall in 1999. The record features some of the group's most widely known songs such as "Bills, Bills, Bills", the group's first number-one single, "Jumpin' Jumpin'" and "Say My Name", which became their most successful song at the time. "Say My Name" won the Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals and the Best R&B Song at the 43rd Annual Grammy Awards. The Writing's on the Wall sold more than eight million copies worldwide.In July of 2002, Beyonce continued her acting career after acting in previous movies before, playing Foxxy Cleopatra alongside Mike Myers in the comedy Austin Powers in Goldmember. In 2003, Beyonce starred opposite Cuba Gooding, Jr., in the musical comedy The Fighting Temptations as Lilly.
Beyonce's first solo recording was a feature on Jay-Z's "'03 Bonnie & Clyde" that was released in October 2002, peaking at number four on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. Her first solo album Dangerously in Love was released on June 24, 2003, after Michelle Williams and Kelly Rowland had released their solo efforts.The album sold 317,000 copies in its first week, debuted atop the Billboard 200, and has since sold 11 million copies worldwide. The album's lead single, "Crazy in Love", featuring Jay-Z, became Beyonce's first number-one single as a solo artist in the US.The single "Baby Boy" also reached number one, and singles, "Me, Myself and I" and "Naughty Girl", both reached the top-five.The album earned Beyoncé a then record-tying five awards at the 46th Annual Grammy Awards; 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