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Her work has earned her a lot of plaudit and awards. Her performance at halftime of the 2013 Super Bowl rivaled the intensity and thrill of the game. Beyoncé Knowles is quite simply one of the greatest music artists in the world today.
Beyoncé rose to fame in the latter part of the 90s when she became part of Destiny’s Child. The group was responsible for hits such as “Bills, Bills, Bills,” “Say My Name,” “Independent Women,” “Survivor” and “Bootylicious.” The group was able to sell more than 50 million records around the world. They have been adjudged as one of the greatest musical trios of all time (though they started out as a quartet) and one of the best selling girl groups in history.
In 2003, Beyoncé released a solo album entitled “Dangerously in Love.” It included the songs “Crazy in Love” and “Baby Boy.” The album was one of the most successful to be released that year and earned her five Grammy Awards. After Destiny’s Child broke up in 2005, Beyoncé released a second album called “B’day.” It included the top five songs, namely “Déjà Vu,” “Irreplaceable” and “Beautiful Liar.”
She followed it up in 2008 when she released her third album called “I Am…Sasha Fierce.” The album included the hits “If I Were a Boy,” “Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It),” “Halo” and “Sweet Dreams.” It won for her six Grammy Awards, the most ever won by a female artist in one night. She then went on to release the album called “4” in 2011. All of her solo albums have gone on to the top spot of the album charts.
The awards did not end there. She has already won 17 Grammy Awards, 12 MTV Music Video Awards and a Billboard Millenium Award. She has sold more than 75 million records around the world, making her one of the best selling music artists of all time. Billboard Magazine named her the Best Female Artist of the past decade. Forbes has listed her as one of the most powerful and influential musicians in the world. And VH1 ranked her as one of the top 100 greatest artists of all time.
She’s a Survivor
Beyoncé had a rough start to her career. She was part of the all-girls group called Girl’s Tyme. The group joined the biggest talent show on television at that time called “Star Search.” They failed to win, but Beyonce’s father thought they were good enough that he resigned from his job to manage the group. They performed as a front act for other established R&B groups at that time.
After several auditions, Elektra Records finally signed the group to a contract. After the group moved to Atlanta to work on their first record, Electra suddenly decided to cut the contract. The strain was too much for the family and Beyoncé’s parents separated. They reunited two years later after the group got a contract with Columbia Records.
The group changed its name to Destiny’s Child in 1993. Their first song was “Killing Time,” a song that was included in the soundtrack of the 1997 movie “Men in Black.” In 1998, they released their self-titled debut album and scored a hit with the song called “No, No, No.” It established them as a viable act in the music industry, which they further cemented when they released the monster album “The Writing’s on the Wall.”
The then-quartet broke up after two members, LeToya Luckett and LaTavia Roberson, became unhappy with Beyoncé’s dad’s management of the group. Michelle Williams and Farrah Franklin replaced them. Beyoncé suffered from depression, as a result. She refused to eat or leave her room for several days.
Franklin was kicked out after just five months, leaving Williams and Kelly Rowland as the only members left, along with Beyoncé. The newly minted trio then recorded “Independent Women Part 1,” which appeared in the soundtrack of Charlie’s Angels. The song stayed at the top spot for 11 consecutive weeks.
She then went solo and her star just kept on rising after. She has also ventured into acting and commercial endorsing. She garnered a nomination for her performance in “Dreamgirls.” She has also been endorsing products like L’ Oreal, Pepsi, Nintendo and Tommy Hilfiger.
Beyoncé is no slouch when it comes to vehicles as well. She gave a $2 million Bugatti Veyron to Jay-Z, her husband whom she married in 2008. She also has several other top-notch vehicles. Some of her cars include the following:
Rolls Royce Silver Cloud II
The Rolls Royce Silver Cloud II was first introduced in 1959. Not much has changed in its design and aesthetics since it was first sold, though the engine and performance has been constantly improved. The car now has a 6.2-liter V8 engine. The bigger engine means that it now carries a weight of 2.11 tons. Still, the new engine has improved the car’s performance, especially in acceleration and torque. It can go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 10.9 seconds and has a recorded top speed of 104.7 miles per hour. The car can go up to 13 miles for every gallon of petrol. Power steering is standard, while electrically operated windows is an option.
Mercedes Benz SLR McLaren
The Mercedes Benz SLR McLaren was only sold for a period of seven years when Mercedes still owned 40 percent of the McLaren Group. SLR stands for Sport Leicht Rennsport, or Sport Light Racing. Only 3,500 units were built. It features a 5.4-liter supercharged, all-aluminum V8 engine and five-speed automatic transmission. Carbon fiber reinforced plastics were used in constructing the car to keep the weight low. It can go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in just 3.4 seconds.
Mercedes Benz S-Class
Beyoncé was spotted around Paris in this car. It features a 6-liter V12 engine with capacity of 621 horsepower. It has a seven-speed automatic transmission system and can go from 0 to 60 miles per hour in just 4.2 seconds.
Cadillac Escalade
This is a full-size luxury SUV. It features a 6.2-liter V8 engine and six-speed automatic transmission. The pushrod engine has variable valve timing, the first of its kind for a non-overhead cam engine. It allows the adjustment of both intake and exhaust timing between two settings.
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