Beyoncé Knowles: Queen of pop
With 20 Guinness World Records titles to her name, Beyoncé has created an iconic legacy.
Throughout the years, her much-loved music has promoted female empowerment and focussed on telling stories from a woman’s perspective.
Life before stardom
Beyoncé Giselle Knowles was born in Houston, Texas, USA, on 4 September 1981.
As a child, she was quite shy, so her parents signed her up for dance classes in the hopes that Beyoncé would make some friends. 💃
Aged nine, Beyoncé entered the world of pop music with her group, Girls Tyme, which would later be known as Destiny’s Child.
Over the next few years, the girl group’s popularity in Houston grew. Destiny’s Child then became known around the whole world when they released their first album in 1998, when Beyoncé was 17.
Becoming Queen B
In 2002, aged 21, Beyoncé was the featured on a song (“'03 Bonnie and Clyde") with her future husband, Jay-Z. 🎤
The next year, she began her solo career, releasing her first album Dangerously in Love. The most popular single, “Crazy in Love”, featured Jay-Z and topped charts around the world.
The album was so popular that Beyoncé won five Grammys and went on a world tour! 🌍
Beyoncé became known for her amazing performances on stage. Her energetic dancing has earned her a reputation as one of the best entertainers in all of pop music.
For over 20 years now, Queen B has continued to receive awards and break iconic records such as; most Grammy awards won by a vocalist, most Grammy nominations for a female artist and the most Grammy awards won by a female artist. 🏆
Here are all of Beyoncé's Guinness World Records titles:
| Record | Achievement | Date |
| Most BET Awards nominations for an individual | 75 | 15 June 2022 |
| Most wins at the MTV Video Music Awards | 30 | 12 September 2021 |
| Most BET Awards won by an individual | 32 | 27 June 2021 |
| Most Grammy awards won by a female artist | 28 | 14 March 2021 |
| Most Grammy awards won by a married couple | 51 | 14 March 2021 |
| First female artists to win best Rap Performance at the Grammys | First Place | 14 March 2021 |
| Most Grammy awards won by a vocalist | 28 | 14 March 2021 |
| Most Grammy nominations for Record of the Year | 7 | 01 January 2021 |
| Most Grammy nominations for a female artist | 79 | 24 November 2020 |
| Highest-grossing music tour by a duo (current year) | $253,500,000 M | 04 October 2018 |
| Most MTV Video Music Award nominations for video of the year | 7 | 16 July 2018 |
| Most current Twitter engagements (average retweets) for a female musician | 31,615 | 11 April 2018 |
| Best-selling single (Spain) | 480,000 copies | 11 May 2017 |
| First act to debut at No. 1 with their first six studio albums (USA) | No. 1 on the Billboard 200 albums chart | 14 May 2016 |
| First artist-owned music streaming service | First Place | 30 March 2015 |
| Highest earning couple in Hollywood ever | $175,000,000 M | 30 June 2014 |
| Highest annual earnings for a female singer | $115M (£77 million) | 30 June 2014 |
| Highest-ranked female musician in Forbes’ “Celebrity 100” list | First Place | 01 June 2014 |
| Most Grammy awards won in a single year by a female artist | 6 | 12 February 2012 |
| Most Grammy nominations in a single year for a female artist | 10 | 01 January 2010 |
Acting career
Beyoncé is not just an amazing singer – she can act too!
During the early 2000s, she acted in three films in three years:
- 2001 - Carmen: A Hip Hopera
- 2002 - Austin Powers in Goldmember
- 2003 - The Fighting Temptations
However, her biggest acting role came in 2006, in the film Dreamgirls. Beyoncé won multiple Academy Awards for her performance in this film. 🤩
Singing, dancing, acting… is there anything Beyoncé can’t do?
The Carters
In 2008, Beyoncé married Shawn Corey Carter, aka Jay-Z, after years of dating. 💍
Together, the famous couple have earned record titles for the most Grammy awards won by a married couple, the highest earning couple in Hollywood ever and the highest-grossing music tour by a duo.
Beyoncé and Jay-Z have three children: Blue Ivy Carter, born in 2012, and twins Rumi Carter and Sir Carter, born in 2017.
Beyoncé's legacy
No one has had a career quite like Beyoncé, who has become the best in the world at everything she has put her mind to, whether it be singing, dancing, acting or modelling. 💃
It’s for this reason that she is so loved by her fanbase, the “Beyhive” all across the globe. 🐝
Her songs are all about independence, equality and empowerment, which is why she is seen as a feminist icon.
At the age of 41, Beyoncé shows no signs of slowing down and is still releasing some of her best music ever. When the time comes for her career to end, she will be remembered as one of the greatest pop musicians of all time.