Billboard magazine recently named the R&B singer Beyoncé and her rapper husband Jay-Z the most powerful people in the music industry.
Beyoncé first rose to fame as the centrepiece of the best-selling group Destiny’s Child, before launching her multi-platinum solo career in 2003. She quickly became known as a diva with a soulful voice and a powerful persona.
I am…
Both her first album, Dangerously in Love and her second, B’day (2006), were hugely successful. Her third, I Am... Sasha Fierce (2008), was inspired by her marriage to Jay-Z and revealed a more sensual and aggressive side to her personality. She also began to show a strong feminist streak, singing controversially confused songs about gender ideology and female empowerment. After a hiatus she released 4 (2011) and announced that she was pregnant; Blue Ivy Carter was born in January 2012.
