英语名人堂：碧昂丝·吉赛尔·诺斯

Beyonce Giselle Knowles was born in Texas in 1981. She grew up singing and dancing and quickly developed the qualities that would make her an international superstar. Her talents were discovered by her dance teacher while she was a church choir² soloist⁴. She took Beyonce to local talent competitions, where she won no fewer than 30 of them.

 

Beyonce decided⁵ to form a singing group. She asked her best friend LaTavia Roberson to join her. She also invited along a cousin and a friend and together they formed a quartet called 'Destiny's Child'. Beyonce’s father saw their potential and quit his well-paid job to become the group’s manager. They shot to fame as the most successful female group of all time.

 

It was touch and go at the beginning whether or not her father’s financial risk would pay off. In 1997, they signed with Columbia Records and their debut⁶ single, ‘Killing Time’, was the soundtrack to the film ‘Men In Black’. They recorded hit after hit and won dozens of awards. Beyonce went solo³ in 2000 and her career continued to take off.

 

Knowles won five awards at the 2004 Grammy Awards and a BRIT Award for International Female Solo Artist. She has recorded with the biggest names in music. Her career also went off in different directions. She became the first singer ever to model for ‘Sports Illustrated’ magazine and appeared in many movies. In April 2008, she married her long-time sweetheart, rapper Jay-Z.