The History of Beyoncé – a Female Artist Legend

by Anastasia Shmay, Staff Writer

We hear the name Beyonce and immediately envision the strong, charismatic and important singer. Beyonce is the female artist “legend” because of the awards she’s earned and the hits she’s sung and written. Beyonce’s career started way back when she was nine years old. She auditioned to become the lead singer for the girl group called “Girl’s Tyme” which later successfully performed on a national TV show called “Star Search”. The group didn’t make it far, but they didn’t give up, eventually renaming their group to what we know now as “Destiny’s Child”. In 1997, Destiny’s Child got a Columbia recording contract. They released a debut album and had their first hit song called “No, No, No Part2.” The album after that, “The Writing’s on the Wall” earned them two Grammy Awards and sold eight million copies in the United States. The third album released, “Survivor”, in 2001 made them number one on the Billboard 200 chart. Beyonce was the leader of the group, writing most of the hit songs. 

 

   Noticeably, the iconic Destiny’s Child trio started to separate into different directions, which was a let down to the public, including myself.However, Beyonce started pursuing her solo career which greatly impacted the music industry. She released her first solo album, Dangerously in Love, in 2003 and has a song titled “Crazy in Love” which features Jay-Z. The song hit top of the charts around the world which made it internationally known. Then, in 2004 Beyonce won five Grammy Awards. 

In 2004, Destiny’s Child decided to release “Destiny Fulfilled”. The public opinion was that it wasn’t their best work, yet it still sold 7 million copies worldwide. Destiny’s Child finally announced a world tour in 2005, after which they would go their separate ways. They released a few #1 hits in the same year but nothing as major or as groundbreaking as previous works.

Beyonce released her second studio album in 2006 titled, B’day. The most successful single on the album is “Irreplaceable”. Unexpectedly, in 2008, Beyonce married Jay-Z, making them the highest earning couple in the music industry. That same year, Beyonce released the album “I Am…Sasha Fierce”, which included its top hit “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)”. At the 2010 Grammy Awards, Beyonce won a whopping six Grammys and became the first female artist to collect that many Grammys in a single night. In 2011, Beyonce released the album, 4, which wasn’t as popular but it still made its way up the charts. In 2013, Destiny’s Child returned to perform at the Super Bowl.

Currently, Beyonce has the most Grammys of all time. Her new album, Renaissance, is a huge success and it has been on the charts throughout December-January. At one point it was #1 for a few weeks. The album has a sense of empowerment and love. It just gives you a sense of confidence you never knew you had, especially the song “Break My Soul”. Beyonce is an artist that will be remembered for decades to come because of her dedication and passion to the music industry.