Beyoncé

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This article is about the singer. For her self-titled album, see Beyoncé (album).

Beyoncé

Beyoncé in 2019

Born Beyonce Giselle Knowles[a]

September 4, 1981 (age 39)

Houston, Texas, U.S.

B
Other names
Third Ward Trill

Sasha Fierce[1][2][3]

Occupation Singer

actress

record producer

songwriter[4]

dancer

businesswoman

director

Years active 1997–present
 Organization Parkwood Entertainment

Ivy Park
Jay-Z
Spouse(s)
 

(m. 2008)

Children 3; including Blue Ivy

Parent(s) Mathew Knowles

Tina Knowles

Relatives Solange Knowles (sister)

Awards Full list

Musical career

Genres R&B

pop

hip hop

soul

Instruments Vocals

Labels Parkwood

Columbia

Music World

Associated acts Destiny's Child

The Carters

Website beyonce.com

Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter (/biːˈjɒnseɪ/ bee-YON-say; née Knowles; born

September 4, 1981)[5] is an American singer, songwriter, actress, director, humanitarian,
and record producer. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Beyoncé performed in various
singing and dancing competitions as a child. She rose to fame in the late 1990s as the
lead singer of Destiny's Child, one of the best-selling girl groups of all time.
In 2002, during Destiny's Child's hiatus, Beyoncé made her theatrical film debut in the
U.S. box-office hit Austin Powers in Goldmember and began her solo music career. Her
debut album Dangerously in Love (2003) featured four Billboard Hot 100 top five songs,
including the number-one singles "Crazy in Love" featuring rapper Jay-Z and "Baby
Boy" featuring Sean Paul. Following the 2006 disbandment of Destiny's Child, she
released B'Day, which contained her first U.S. number-one solo single "Irreplaceable"
and the worldwide hit "Beautiful Liar". Beyoncé continued her acting career with starring
 roles in The Pink Panther (2006), Dreamgirls (2006), and Obsessed (2009). Her
marriage to Jay-Z and her portrayal of Etta James in Cadillac Records (2008) influenced
her third album, I Am... Sasha Fierce (2008), which earned a record-setting six Grammy
Awards in 2010. It spawned the UK number-one single "If I Were a Boy" and the U.S.
hits "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" and "Halo".
After splitting from her manager and father Mathew Knowles in 2010, Beyoncé released
her musically diverse fourth album 4 in 2011. She later achieved universal acclaim for
her sonically experimental visual albums, Beyoncé (2013) and Lemonade (2016), the
latter of which was the world's best-selling album of 2016 and the most acclaimed
album of her career, exploring themes of infidelity and womanism. In 2018, she
released Everything Is Love, a collaborative album with her husband, Jay-Z, as the
Carters. As a featured artist, Beyoncé topped the Billboard Hot 100 with the remixes of
"Perfect" by Ed Sheeran in 2017 and "Savage" by Megan Thee Stallion in 2020. The
same year, she released the musical film and visual album Black Is King to widespread
acclaim.
Beyoncé is one of the world's best-selling recording artists, having sold 118 million
records worldwide.[6] She is the first music act to debut at number one with their first six
solo studio albums on the Billboard 200.[7] Her success during the 2000s was recognized
with the Recording Industry Association of America's Top Certified Artist of the Decade,
as well as Billboard's Top Radio Songs Artist and the Top Female Artist of the Decade. [8]
[9]
 Beyoncé is the most awarded singer in history at the Grammy Awards with 28 wins,
and is the most nominated female artist.[10][11] She is also the most awarded artist at
the MTV Video Music Awards with 24 wins.[12][13] In 2014, she became the highest-earning
black musician in history and was listed among Time's 100 most influential people in the
world for a second year in a row.[14] She occupied the sixth place for Time's Person of
the Year in 2016,[15] and in 2020, was included on their list of 100 women who defined
the last century.[16] Forbes ranked her as the most powerful female in entertainment on
their 2015 and 2017 lists.

Contents

 1Life and career

o 1.1Early life and career beginnings
o 1.21997–2002: Destiny's Child
o 1.32003–2005:  Dangerously in Love  and Destiny Fulfilled
o 1.42006–2007:  B'Day  and Dreamgirls
o 1.52008–2010:  I Am... Sasha Fierce
o 1.62011–2013: 4 and documentary film
o 1.72013–2015:  Beyoncé
o 1.82016–2018:  Lemonade  and Everything Is Love
o 1.92019–present:  Homecoming, The Lion King  and Black Is King
 2Artistry
o 2.1Voice and musical style
o 2.2Songwriting
 o 2.3Influences
o 2.4Music videos and stage
o 2.5Alter ego
 3Public image
 4Personal life
o 4.1Marriage and children
o 4.2Activism
o 4.3Wealth
 5Legacy
 6Achievements
 7Business and ventures
o 7.1Endorsements and partnerships
o 7.2Fashion lines
o 7.3Philanthropy
 8Discography
 9Filmography
 10Tours and residencies
 11See also
 12Notes
 13References
 14External links

Life and career

Early life and career beginnings
Beyonce Giselle Knowles[a] was born in Houston, Texas, to Celestine "Tina"
Knowles (née Beyonce), a hairdresser and salon owner, and Mathew Knowles,
a Xerox sales manager.[17] Beyoncé's name is a tribute to her mother's maiden name.
[18]
 Her younger sister Solange Knowles is also a singer and a former backup dancer
for Destiny's Child. Solange and Beyoncé are the first sisters to have both had No. 1
albums.[19] Mathew is African American, and Tina is Louisiana Creole (French, Native
American, and African),[18][20][21] with distant Jewish, Spanish, Chinese and Indonesian
ancestry.[22][23][24] Through her mother, Beyoncé is a descendant of Acadian leader Joseph
Broussard[20] and Jean-Vincent d'Abbadie de Saint-Castin.[25] In 2018, Beyoncé
researched her ancestry and discovered that she is descended from a slaveowner. [26]
Beyoncé was raised Catholic and attended St. Mary's Montessori School in Houston,
where she enrolled in dance classes.[27] Her singing talent was discovered when dance
instructor Darlette Johnson began humming a song and she finished it, able to hit the
high-pitched notes.[28] Beyoncé's interest in music and performing continued after
winning a school talent show at age seven, singing John Lennon's "Imagine" to beat
15/16-year-olds.[29][30] In the fall of 1990, Beyoncé enrolled in Parker Elementary School, a
music magnet school in Houston, where she would perform with the school's choir.
[31]
 She also attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts [32] and later Alief
Elsik High School.[18][33] Beyoncé was also a member of the choir at St. John's United
Methodist Church as a soloist for two years.[34]
When Beyoncé was eight, she and childhood friend Kelly Rowland met LaTavia
Roberson while at an audition for an all-girl entertainment group. [35] They were placed
into a group called Girl's Tyme with three other girls, and rapped and danced on the
talent show circuit in Houston.[36] 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 failed to win, and Beyoncé
later said the song they performed was not good. [37][38] In 1995 Beyoncé's father resigned
from his job to manage the group.[39] The move reduced Beyoncé's family's income by
half, and her parents were forced to move into separated apartments. [18] Mathew cut the
original line-up to four and the group continued performing as an opening act for other
established R&B girl groups.[35] The girls auditioned before record labels and were finally
signed to Elektra Records, moving to Atlanta Records briefly to work on their first
recording, only to be cut by the company.[18] This put further strain on the family, and
Beyoncé's parents separated. 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, the Knowles family reunited, and shortly after, the
group got a contract with Columbia Records.[29]
1997–2002: Destiny's Child
Main article: Destiny's Child

Beyoncé (center) at the final line-up of Destiny's Child, performing during their 2005 Destiny Fulfilled... and
Lovin' It concert tour

The group changed their name to Destiny's Child in 1996, based upon a passage in
the Book of Isaiah.[40] In 1997, Destiny's Child released their major label debut song
"Killing Time" on the soundtrack to the 1997 film Men in Black.[38] In November, the group
released their debut single and first major hit, "No, No, No". They released their self-
titled debut album in February 1998, which established the group as a viable act in the
music industry, with moderate sales and winning the group 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, and would remain one of their signature songs. "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.[35] The Writing's on the Wall sold more than eight
million copies worldwide.[37] During this time, Beyoncé recorded a duet with Marc Nelson,
an original member of Boyz II Men, on the song "After All Is Said and Done" for the
soundtrack to the 1999 film, The Best Man.[41]
LeToya Luckett and Roberson became unhappy with Mathew's managing of the band
and eventually were replaced by Farrah Franklin and Michelle Williams.[35] Beyoncé
experienced depression following the split with Luckett and Roberson after being
publicly blamed by the media, critics, and blogs for its cause. [42] Her long-standing
boyfriend left her at this time.[43] The depression was so severe it lasted for a couple of
years, during which she occasionally kept herself in her bedroom for days and refused
to eat anything.[44] Beyoncé stated that she struggled to speak about her depression
because Destiny's Child had just won their first Grammy Award, and she feared no one
would take her seriously.[45] Beyoncé would later speak of her mother as the person who
helped her fight it.[44] Franklin was then dismissed, leaving just Beyoncé, Rowland, and
Williams.[46]
The remaining band members recorded "Independent Women Part I", which appeared
on the soundtrack to the 2000 film Charlie's Angels. It became their best-charting single,
topping the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart for eleven consecutive weeks.[35] In early 2001,
while Destiny's Child was completing their third album, Beyoncé landed a major role in
the MTV made-for-television film, Carmen: A Hip Hopera, starring alongside American
actor Mekhi Phifer. Set in Philadelphia, the film is a modern interpretation of the 19th-
century opera Carmen by French composer Georges Bizet.[47] When the third
album Survivor was released in May 2001, Luckett and Roberson filed a lawsuit
claiming that the songs were aimed at them.[35] The album debuted at number one on the
U.S. Billboard 200, with first-week sales of 663,000 copies sold.[48] The album spawned
other number-one hits, "Bootylicious" and the title track, "Survivor", the latter of which
earned the group a Grammy Award for Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with
Vocals.[49] After releasing their holiday album 8 Days of Christmas in October 2001, the
group announced a hiatus to further pursue solo careers. [35]
In July 2002, Beyoncé made her theatrical film debut, playing Foxxy
Cleopatra alongside Mike Myers in the comedy film Austin Powers in Goldmember,
[50]
 which spent its first weekend atop the U.S. box office and grossed $73 million.
[51]
 Beyoncé released "Work It Out" as the lead single from its soundtrack album which
entered the top ten in the UK, Norway, and Belgium. [52] In 2003, Beyoncé starred
opposite Cuba Gooding, Jr., in the musical comedy The Fighting Temptations as Lilly, a
single mother with whom Gooding's character falls in love. [53] The film received mixed
reviews from critics but grossed $30 million in the U.S.[54][55] Beyoncé released "Fighting
Temptation" as the lead single from the film's soundtrack album, with Missy Elliott, MC
Lyte, and Free which was also used to promote the film. [56] Another of Beyoncé's
contributions to the soundtrack, "Summertime", fared better on the U.S. charts. [57]
2003–2005: Dangerously in Love and Destiny Fulfilled
Beyoncé performing "Baby Boy", which spent nine consecutive weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot
100 chart[58]

Beyoncé's first solo recording was a feature on Jay-Z's song "'03 Bonnie & Clyde" that
was released in October 2002, peaking at number four on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100
chart.[59] On June 14, 2003, Beyoncé premiered songs from her first solo
album Dangerously in Love during her first solo concert and the pay-per-view television
special, "Ford Presents Beyoncé Knowles, Friends & Family, Live From Ford's 100th
Anniversary Celebration in Dearborn, Michigan." [60] The album was released on June 24,
2003, after Michelle Williams and Kelly Rowland had released their solo efforts. [61] The
album sold 317,000 copies in its first week, debuted atop the Billboard 200,[62] and has
since sold 11 million copies worldwide.[63] The album's lead single, "Crazy in Love",
featuring Jay-Z, became Beyoncé's first number-one single as a solo artist in the US.
[64]
 The single "Baby Boy" also reached number one,[58] and singles, "Me, Myself and I"
and "Naughty Girl", both reached the top-five.[65] 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.
During the ceremony, she performed with Prince.[66]
In November 2003, she embarked on the Dangerously in Love Tour in Europe and later
toured alongside Missy Elliott and Alicia Keys for the Verizon Ladies First Tour in North
America.[67] On February 1, 2004, Beyoncé performed the American national
anthem at Super Bowl XXXVIII, at the Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas.[68] After the
release of Dangerously in Love, Beyoncé had planned to produce a follow-up album
using several of the left-over tracks. However, this was put on hold so she could
concentrate on recording Destiny Fulfilled, the final studio album by Destiny's Child.
[69]
 Released on November 15, 2004, in the US[70] and peaking at number two on
the Billboard 200,[71][72] Destiny Fulfilled included the singles "Lose My Breath" and
"Soldier", which reached the top five on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[73] Destiny's Child
embarked on a worldwide concert tour, Destiny Fulfilled... and Lovin' It sponsored
by McDonald's Corporation,[74] and performed hits such as "No, No, No", "Survivor", "Say
My Name", "Independent Women" and "Lose My Breath". In addition to renditions of the
group's recorded material, they also performed songs from each singer's solo careers,
most notably numbers from Dangerously in Love. and during the last stop of their
European tour, in Barcelona on June 11, 2005, Rowland announced that Destiny's Child
would disband following the North American leg of the tour. [75] The group released their
first compilation album Number  1's on October 25, 2005, in the US[76] and accepted a
star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in March 2006.[77] The group has sold 60 million
records worldwide.[78][79]
2006–2007: B'Day and Dreamgirls
Beyoncé's second solo album B'Day was released on September 4, 2006, in the US, to
coincide with her twenty-fifth birthday.[80] It sold 541,000 copies in its first week and
debuted atop the Billboard 200, becoming Beyoncé's second consecutive number-one
album in the United States.[81] The album's lead single "Déjà Vu", featuring Jay-Z,
reached the top five on the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[65] The second international single
"Irreplaceable" was a commercial success worldwide, reaching number one in Australia,
Hungary, Ireland, New Zealand and the United States. [65][82] B'Day also produced three
other singles; "Ring the Alarm",[83] "Get Me Bodied",[84] and "Green Light" (released in the
United Kingdom only).[85]

Beyoncé performing during The Beyoncé Experience tour in 2007

At the 49th Annual Grammy Awards (2007), B'Day was nominated for five Grammy

Awards, including Best Contemporary R&B Album, Best Female R&B Vocal
Performance for "Ring the Alarm" and Best R&B Song and Best Rap/Sung
Collaboration"for "Déjà Vu"; the Freemasons club mix of "Déjà Vu" without the rap was
put forward in the Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical category. B'Day won the
award for Best Contemporary R&B Album. [86] The following year, B'Day received two
nominations – for Record of the Year for "Irreplaceable" and Best Pop Collaboration
with Vocals for "Beautiful Liar" (with Shakira), also receiving a nomination for Best
Compilation Soundtrack Album for Motion Pictures, Television or Other Visual Media for
her appearance on Dreamgirls: Music from the Motion Picture (2006).[87]
Her first acting role of 2006 was in the comedy film The Pink Panther starring
opposite Steve Martin,[88] grossing $158.8 million at the box office worldwide.[89] Her
second film Dreamgirls, the film version of the 1981 Broadway musical [90] loosely based
on The Supremes, received acclaim from critics and grossed $154 million
internationally.[91][92][93] In it, she starred opposite Jennifer Hudson, Jamie Foxx, and Eddie
Murphy playing a pop singer based on Diana Ross.[94] To promote the film, Beyoncé
released "Listen" as the lead single from the soundtrack album.[95] In April 2007, Beyoncé
embarked on The Beyoncé Experience, her first worldwide concert tour, visiting 97
venues[96] and grossed over $24 million.[note 1] Beyoncé conducted pre-concert food
donation drives during six major stops in conjunction with her pastor at St. John's
and America's Second Harvest. At the same time, B'Day was re-released with five
additional songs, including her duet with Shakira "Beautiful Liar".[98]
2008–2010: I Am... Sasha Fierce

Beyoncé performing during the I Am... World Tour.

I Am... Sasha Fierce was released on November 18, 2008, in the United States. [99] The
album formally introduces Beyoncé's alter ego Sasha Fierce, conceived during the
making of her 2003 single "Crazy in Love". It was met with generally mediocre reviews
from critics,[100] but sold 482,000 copies in its first week, debuting atop the Billboard 200,
and giving Beyoncé her third consecutive number-one album in the US. [101] The album
featured the number-one song "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)"[102] and the top-five
songs "If I Were a Boy" and "Halo".[65][103] Achieving the accomplishment of becoming her
longest-running Hot 100 single in her career, [104] "Halo"'s success in the U.S. helped
Beyoncé attain more top-ten singles on the list than any other woman during the 2000s.
[105]
 It also included the successful "Sweet Dreams",[106] and singles "Diva", "Ego", "Broken-
Hearted Girl" and "Video Phone". The music video for "Single Ladies" has been
parodied and imitated around the world, spawning the "first major dance craze" of the
Internet age according to the Toronto Star.[107] The video has won several awards,
including Best Video at the 2009 MTV Europe Music Awards,[108] the 2009
Scottish MOBO Awards,[109] and the 2009 BET Awards.[110] At the 2009 MTV Video Music
Awards, the video was nominated for nine awards, ultimately winning three including
Video of the Year.[111] Its failure to win the Best Female Video category, which went to
American singer-songwriter Taylor Swift's "You Belong with Me", led to Kanye West
interrupting the ceremony and Beyoncé improvising a re-presentation of Swift's award
during her own acceptance speech.[111] In March 2009, Beyoncé embarked on the I Am...
World Tour, her second headlining worldwide concert tour, consisting of 108 shows,
grossing $119.5 million.[112]
Beyoncé further expanded her acting career, starring as blues singer Etta James in the
2008 musical biopic Cadillac Records. Her performance in the film received praise from
critics,[113] and she garnered several nominations for her portrayal of James, including
a Satellite Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress, and a NAACP Image Award
nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress.[114][115] Beyoncé donated her entire salary
from the film to Phoenix House, an organization of rehabilitation centers for heroin
addicts around the country.[116] On January 20, 2009, Beyoncé performed James' "At
Last" at First Couple Barack and Michelle Obama's first inaugural ball.[117] Beyoncé
starred opposite Ali Larter and Idris Elba in the thriller, Obsessed. She played Sharon
Charles, a mother and wife whose family is threatened by her husband's stalker.
Although the film received negative reviews from critics, [118] the movie did well at the U.S.
box office, grossing $68 million – $60 million more than Cadillac Records[119] – on a
budget of $20 million.[120] The fight scene finale between Sharon and the character
played by Ali Larter also won the 2010 MTV Movie Award for Best Fight.[121]
At the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards, Beyoncé received ten nominations,
including Album of the Year for I Am... Sasha Fierce, Record of the Year for "Halo",
and Song of the Year for "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)", among others. [122] She tied
with Lauryn Hill for most Grammy nominations in a single year by a female artist.
[123]
 Beyoncé went on to win six of those nominations, breaking a record she previously
tied in 2004 for the most Grammy awards won in a single night by a female artist with
six. In 2010, Beyoncé was featured on Lady Gaga's single "Telephone" and appeared in
its music video.[124][125] The song topped the U.S. Pop Songs chart, becoming the sixth
number-one for both Beyoncé and Gaga, tying them with Mariah Carey for most
number-ones since the Nielsen Top 40 airplay chart launched in 1992.[126] "Telephone"
received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals.[127]
Beyoncé announced a hiatus from her music career in January 2010, heeding her
mother's advice, "to live life, to be inspired by things again". [128][129] During the break she
and her father parted ways as business partners.[130][131] Beyoncé's musical break lasted
nine months and saw her visit multiple European cities, the Great Wall of China,
the Egyptian pyramids, Australia, English music festivals and various museums and
ballet performances.[128][132]
2011–2013: 4 and documentary film

Beyoncé's sound became mellower with 2011's 4 which focused on traditional R&B styles. She performed the
album during her 4 Intimate Nights with Beyoncé concert residency in August 2011

On June 26, 2011, she became the first solo female artist to headline the main Pyramid
stage at the 2011 Glastonbury Festival in over twenty years.[133][134] Her fourth studio
album 4 was released two days later in the US.[135] 4 sold 310,000 copies in its first week
and debuted atop the Billboard 200 chart, giving Beyoncé her fourth consecutive
number-one album in the US. The album was preceded by two of its singles "Run the
World (Girls)" and "Best Thing I Never Had".[65][124][136] The fourth single "Love on Top"
spent seven consecutive weeks at number one on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart,
while peaking at number 20 on the Billboard Hot 100, the highest peak from the album.
[137]
 4 also produced four other singles; "Party", "Countdown", "I Care" and "End of Time".
"Eat, Play, Love", a cover story written by Beyoncé for Essence that detailed her 2010
career break, won her a writing award from the New York Association of Black
Journalists.[138] In late 2011, she took the stage at New York's Roseland Ballroom for four
nights of special performances:[139] the 4 Intimate Nights with Beyoncé concerts saw the
performance of her 4 album to a standing room only.[139] On August 1, 2011, the album
was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), having
shipped 1 million copies to retail stores.[140] By December 2015, it reached sales of
1.5 million copies in the US.[141] The album reached one billion Spotify streams on
February 5, 2018, making Beyoncé the first female artist to have three of their albums
surpass one billion streams on the platform. [142]
In June 2012, she performed for four nights at Revel Atlantic City's Ovation Hall to
celebrate the resort's opening, her first performances since giving birth to her daughter.
[143][144]

In January 2013, Destiny's Child released Love Songs, a compilation album of the

romance-themed songs from their previous albums and a newly recorded track,
"Nuclear".[145] Beyoncé performed the American national anthem singing along with a
pre-recorded track at President Obama's second inauguration in Washington, D.C.[146]
[147]
 The following month, Beyoncé performed at the Super Bowl XLVII halftime show,
held at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans.[148] The performance stands as
the second most tweeted about moment in history at 268,000 tweets per minute. [149] At
the 55th Annual Grammy Awards, Beyoncé won for Best Traditional R&B
Performance for "Love on Top".[150] Her feature-length documentary film, Life Is But a
Dream, first aired on HBO on February 16, 2013.[151] The film was co-directed by
Beyoncé herself.[152]
2013–2015: Beyoncé
Beyoncé performing during The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour in 2013. The tour is one of the highest grossing
tours of the decade.

Beyoncé embarked on The Mrs. Carter Show World Tour on April 15

in Belgrade, Serbia; the tour included 132 dates that ran through to March 2014. It
became the most successful tour of her career and one of the most successful tours of
all time.[153] In May, Beyoncé's cover of Amy Winehouse's "Back to Black" with André
3000 on The Great Gatsby soundtrack was released.[154] Beyoncé voiced Queen Tara in
the 3D CGI animated film, Epic, released by 20th Century Fox on May 24,[155] and
recorded an original song for the film, "Rise Up", co-written with Sia.[156]
On December 13, 2013, Beyoncé unexpectedly released her eponymous fifth studio
album on the iTunes Store without any prior announcement or promotion. The album
debuted atop the Billboard 200 chart, giving Beyoncé her fifth consecutive number-one
album in the US.[157] This made her the first woman in the chart's history to have her first
five studio albums debut at number one.[158] Beyoncé received critical acclaim[159] and
commercial success, selling one million digital copies worldwide in six days; [160] Musically
an electro-R&B album, it concerns darker themes previously unexplored in her work,
such as "bulimia, postnatal depression [and] the fears and insecurities of marriage and
motherhood".[161] The single "Drunk in Love", featuring Jay-Z, peaked at number two on
the Billboard Hot 100 chart.[162]
In April 2014, after much speculation, [163] Beyoncé and Jay-Z officially announced
their On the Run Tour. It served as the couple's first co-headlining stadium tour
together.[164] On August 24, 2014, she received the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard
Award at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards. Beyoncé also won home three
competitive awards: Best Video with a Social Message and Best Cinematography for
"Pretty Hurts", as well as best collaboration for "Drunk in Love". [165] In
November, Forbes reported that Beyoncé was the top-earning woman in music for the
second year in a row – earning $115 million in the year, more than double her earnings
in 2013.[166] Beyoncé was reissued with new material in three forms: as an extended play,
a box set, as well as a full platinum edition. According to the International Federation of
the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), in the last 19 days of 2013, the album sold 2.3 million
units worldwide, becoming the tenth best-selling album of 2013. [167] The album also went
on to become the twentieth best-selling album of 2014. [168] As of
November 2014, Beyoncé has sold over 5 million copies worldwide and has generated
over 1 billion streams, as of March 2015.[169]
At the 57th Annual Grammy Awards in February 2015, Beyoncé was nominated for six
awards, ultimately winning three: Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Song for
"Drunk in Love", and Best Surround Sound Album for Beyoncé.[170][171] She was nominated
for Album of the Year, but the award went to Beck for his album Morning Phase.[172]
2016–2018: Lemonade and Everything Is Love
Beyoncé performing alongside Bruno Mars at Super Bowl 50 halftime show in February 2016

On February 6, 2016, Beyoncé released "Formation" and its accompanying music video
exclusively on the music streaming platform Tidal; the song was made available to
download for free.[173] She performed "Formation" live for the first time during
the NFL Super Bowl 50 halftime show. The appearance was considered controversial
as it appeared to reference the 50th anniversary of the Black Panther Party and the NFL
forbids political statements in its performances.[174][175][176] Immediately following the
performance, Beyoncé announced The Formation World Tour, which highlighted stops
in both North America, and Europe. [177][178] It ended on October 7, with Beyoncé bringing
out her husband Jay-Z, Kendrick Lamar, and Serena Williams for the last show.[179] The
tour went on to win Tour of the Year at the 44th American Music Awards.[180]
On April 16, 2016, Beyoncé released a teaser clip for a project called Lemonade. It
turned out to be a one-hour film which aired on HBO exactly a week later; a
corresponding album with the same title was released on the same day exclusively on
Tidal.[181] Lemonade debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200, making Beyoncé
the first act in Billboard history to have their first six studio albums debut atop the chart;
she broke a record previously tied with DMX in 2013.[182] With all 12 tracks
of Lemonade debuting on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, Beyoncé also became the first
female act to chart 12 or more songs at the same time. [183] Additionally, Lemonade was
streamed 115 million times through Tidal, setting a record for the most-streamed album
in a single week by a female artist in history.[184] It was 2016's third highest-selling album
in the U.S. with 1.554 million copies sold in that time period within the country [185] as well
as the best-selling album worldwide with global sales of 2.5 million throughout the year.
[186]
 In June 2019, Lemonade was certified 3× Platinum, having sold up to 3 million
album-equivalent units in the United States alone. [187]
Beyoncé performing during The Formation World Tour in 2016. The tour grossed $256 million from 49 sold-out
shows.

Lemonade became her most critically acclaimed work to date, receiving universal

acclaim according to Metacritic, a website collecting reviews from professional music
critics.[188] Several music publications included the album among the best of 2016,
including Rolling Stone, which listed Lemonade at number one.[189] The album's visuals
were nominated in 11 categories at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards, the most ever
received by Beyoncé in a single year, and went on to win 8 awards, including Video of
the Year for "Formation".[190][191] The eight wins made Beyoncé the most awarded artist in
the history of the VMAs (24), surpassing Madonna (20). [192] Beyoncé occupied the sixth
place for Time magazine's 2016 Person of the Year.[193]
In January 2017, it was announced that Beyoncé would headline the Coachella Music
and Arts Festival. This would make Beyoncé only the second female headliner of the
festival since it was founded in 1999.[194] It was later announced on February 23, 2017
that Beyoncé would no longer be able to perform at the festival due to doctor's concerns
regarding her pregnancy. The festival owners announced that she will instead headline
the 2018 festival.[195] Upon the announcement of Beyoncé's departure from the festival
lineup, ticket prices dropped by 12%.[196] At the 59th Grammy Awards in February
2017, Lemonade led the nominations with nine, including Album, Record, and Song of
the Year for Lemonade and "Formation" respectively.[197] and ultimately won two, Best
Urban Contemporary Album for Lemonade and Best Music Video for "Formation".
[198]
 Adele, upon winning her Grammy for Album of the Year, stated Lemonade was
monumental and more deserving.[199]
In September 2017, Beyoncé collaborated with J Balvin and Willy William, to release a
remix of the song "Mi Gente". Beyoncé donated all proceeds from the song to hurricane
charities for those affected by Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma in Texas, Mexico,
Puerto Rico, and other Caribbean Islands.[200] On November 10, Eminem released "Walk
on Water" featuring Beyoncé as the lead single from his album Revival. On November
30, Ed Sheeran announced that Beyoncé would feature on the remix to his song
"Perfect".[201] "Perfect Duet" was released on December 1, 2017. The song reached
number-one in the United States, becoming Beyoncé's sixth song of her solo career to
do so.[202]
On January 4, 2018, the music video of Beyoncé and Jay-Z's 4:44 collaboration,
"Family Feud" was released.[203] It was directed by Ava DuVernay. On March 1, 2018, DJ
Khaled released "Top Off" as the first single from his forthcoming album Father of
Asahd featuring Beyoncé, husband Jay-Z, and Future.[204] On March 5, 2018, a joint tour
with Knowles' husband Jay-Z, was leaked on Facebook. [205] Information about the tour
was later taken down. The couple announced the joint tour officially as On the Run II
Tour on March 12[206] and simultaneously released a trailer for the tour on YouTube.
[207]
 On March 20, 2018, the couple traveled to Jamaica to film a music video directed by
Melina Matsoukas.[208]