Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter (born 4 September 1981) is an American singer, songwriter, actress, and businesswoman. She is recognised for her vocal ability, artistic reinventions, and live performances, and is widely regarded as one of the most culturally significant figures of the 21st century. Beyoncé has been credited with shaping contemporary popular music and is often considered one of the greatest entertainers of all time. She rose to fame in the late 1990s as the lead singer of Destiny's Child, one of the best-selling girl groups in history. Her debut solo album, "Dangerously in Love" (2003), became one of the best-selling albums of the 21st century. Following the disbandment of Destiny's Child in 2005, she released "B'Day" (2006) and appeared in the drama film "Dreamgirls" (2006). Her marriage to rapper Jay-Z and her portrayal of Etta James in the biopic "Cadillac Records" (2008) influenced her pop-oriented double album "I Am... Sasha Fierce" (2008). During the 2000s, Beyoncé achieved US Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles including "Crazy in Love", "Baby Boy", "Check on It", "Irreplaceable", and "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)". After founding the management company Parkwood Entertainment, Beyoncé explored traditional R&B and soul on "4" (2011). Her self-titled album "Beyoncé" (2013), with electronic influences, popularised the concept of surprise and visual albums, while "Lemonade" (2016) combined eclectic musical styles with sociopolitical commentary and was the best-selling album of that year. Her ongoing trilogy project includes the dance-oriented "Renaissance" (2022) and the Americana-rooted "Cowboy Carter" (2024), highlighting contributions of Black artists to American musical history. These albums produced US number-one singles "Break My Soul" and "Texas Hold 'Em". Beyoncé is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, with estimated sales of over 200 million records. She holds the record as the most RIAA-certified female artist and is the only woman whose first eight studio albums each debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200. She has received numerous awards, including 35 Grammy Awards, a Primetime Emmy Award, and a Peabody Award, and is the most-awarded artist at the BET Awards (36), MTV Video Music Awards (30), NAACP Image Awards (32), and Soul Train Music Awards (25). She was the first woman to headline an all-stadium tour and is the highest-grossing Black live music artist in history. Studio albums Dangerously in Love (2003) B'Day (2006) I Am... Sasha Fierce (2008) 4 (2011) Beyoncé (2013) Lemonade (2016) Renaissance (2022) Cowboy Carter (2024)