169-418: I Am... Sasha Fierce is the third studio album by American singer-songwriter Beyoncé . It was released on November 12, 2008, by Columbia Records and Music World Entertainment . In its original release, I Am... Sasha Fierce was formatted as a double album , intending to market Beyoncé's dichotomous artistic persona. The first disc I Am... contains slow and midtempo pop and R&B ballads , while
338-587: A Meteor Music Award for Best International Female at the 2009 Meteor Awards , and for International Dance Music Awards for Best Artist (Solo) and Best R&B/Urban Dance Track for " Sweet Dreams " at the 25th Annual International Dance Music Awards (2010). At the MOBO Awards 2009 , Beyoncé won the MOBO Award for Best International Act and I Am... Sasha Fierce was nominated for Best Album. Beyoncé won an MTV Europe Music Award for Best Female , "Single Ladies (Put
507-399: A 2021 interview for Harper's Bazaar , Beyoncé revealed that she based the entire project on black and white photography after being told in a meeting discussing analytics that a research discovered that her fans did not like when her photography was black and white. She stated that "it pissed her off that an agency could dictate what her fans wanted based on a survey", pointing out that she
676-570: A Boy " and " Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) ", both of which charted highly internationally. The former topped the charts in over ten countries and reached number three on the Billboard Hot 100 , with the latter becoming her fifth number-one single on the Hot 100 chart. " Diva " and " Ego " were released exclusively in the United States, while " Halo " and " Sweet Dreams " were promoted internationally as
845-516: A Boy" on January 31, 2010, at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards ceremony, along with a cover of Alanis Morissette 's song " You Oughta Know " (1995). In February 2010, the bonus track "Why Don't You Love Me" from the album's multiple reissues, climbed up the US Dance Club Songs , eventually taking the top spot and becoming Beyoncé's thirteenth number-one hit on the chart. On May 4, 2010, a full-length music video appeared online after its release as
1014-520: A Dream , first aired on HBO on February 16, 2013. The film was co-directed by Beyoncé herself. 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. In May, Beyoncé's cover of Amy Winehouse 's " Back to Black " with André 3000 on The Great Gatsby soundtrack
1183-601: A Ring on It) " in a concert organized by the Power 105.1 radio station on October 29. Beyoncé first performed " If I Were a Boy " on October 31, on the Japanese music television program Music Station . She later performed “If I Were a Boy” on November 6, at the 2008 MTV Europe Music Awards . Soon after, she sang "If I Were a Boy" and "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" on November 9, at the 2008 World Music Awards in Monaco . She then took to
1352-463: A Ring on It) ' are undoubtedly album highlights; still, the surprise here is how consistently satisfying the rest of it is – even the less showy tracks blossom on repeated listening." Mark Edward Nero of About.com ranked it at the ninth place on his list of the Best R&;B Albums of 2008. Christian Gerard of NBC Washington placed I Am... Sasha Fierce on his list of "Honorable Mentions" while writing
1521-608: A Ring on It)" won Best Video and "Halo" won Best Song at the 2009 MTV Europe Music Awards . I Am... Sasha Fierce was nominated for the NAACP Image Award for Outstanding Album at the 40th NAACP Image Awards (2009), and for an NRJ Music Award for International Album of the Year at the NRJ Music Awards 2010 . Beyoncé was also nominated for a People's Choice Award for Favorite Female Artist and Favorite R&B Artist at
1690-463: A budget of $ 20 million. At the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards , Beyoncé received ten nominations, tying with Lauryn Hill for most Grammy nominations in a single year by a female artist. 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 provide guest vocals on Lady Gaga 's single " Telephone ". The song topped
1859-460: A cappella version exclusively on Tidal . Black Is King , a visual album based on the music of The Lion King: The Gift , premiered globally on Disney+ on July 31, 2020. Produced by Disney and Parkwood Entertainment , the film was written, directed and executively produced by Beyoncé. The film was described by Disney as "a celebratory memoir for the world on the Black experience". Beyoncé received
SECTION 10
#17328442050502028-492: A combined total of 12.3 million units in the United States; and according to Columbia Records the album has sold fifteen million digital singles worldwide. I Am... Sasha Fierce received mixed reviews from critics. At Metacritic , which assigns a normalized rating out of 100 to reviews from mainstream publications, the album received an average score of 62 (indicating "generally favorable reviews"), based on 24 reviews. Slant Magazine ' s Sal Cinquemani wrote that
2197-436: A documentary and concert film focusing on Beyoncé's historic 2018 Coachella performances , was released by Netflix on April 17, 2019. The film was accompanied by the surprise live album Homecoming: The Live Album . It was later reported that Beyoncé and Netflix had signed a $ 60 million deal to produce three different projects, one of which is Homecoming . Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé received six nominations at
2366-565: A group called Girl's Tyme with three other girls, and rapped and danced on the talent show circuit in Houston. 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. In 1995, Beyoncé's father, Mathew, resigned from his job to manage
2535-595: A hairdresser and salon owner, and Mathew Knowles , a Xerox sales manager. Tina is Louisiana Creole and Mathew is African American . Beyoncé's 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 number one solo albums. Beyoncé's maternal grandparents, Lumis Albert Beyincé and Agnéz Deréon (daughter of Odilia Broussard and Eugène DeRouen), were French-speaking Louisiana Creoles , with roots in New Iberia ; She
2704-570: A joint tour with Knowles's husband Jay-Z, was leaked on Facebook. Information about the tour was later taken down. The couple announced the joint tour officially as On the Run II Tour on March 12 and simultaneously released a trailer for the tour on YouTube. On April 14, 2018, Beyoncé played the first of two weekends as the headlining act of the Coachella Music Festival . Her performance of April 14 , attended by 125,000 festival-goers,
2873-420: A lot more personal. I'm very private and I don't talk about a lot of things, but there are certain songs that are on the album that are very personal. It's [The album] my diary. It's my story... I still have my album of fun songs. —Beyoncé For the I Am... disc, Beyoncé was influenced by folk and alternative rock genres, while incorporating other instruments she had not normally used previously, such as
3042-445: A new solo demo for "Belly Button Window", was recorded on August 22. The last mix session with Eddie Kramer took place on August 24 on "Freedom", "Night Bird Flying", "Dolly Dagger", and "Belly Button Window". An opening party was held on August 26, 1970. Hendrix then boarded an Air India flight for London to perform at the Isle of Wight Festival ; he died less than three weeks later. In
3211-518: A number of disability charities and activists, argued that the word "spaz" represented a derogatory term for spastic diplegia , a form of cerebral palsy . In response, in August 2022, a representative for Beyoncé issued a statement and explained that "The word, not used intentionally in a harmful way, will be replaced". On January 21, 2023, Beyoncé performed in Dubai at a private show . The performance, which
3380-556: A passage in the Book of Isaiah . In 1997, Destiny's Child released their major label debut song "Killing Time" on the soundtrack to the 1997 film Men in Black . 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. The group released their Multi-Platinum second album The Writing's on
3549-532: A philanthropist, she founded the non-profit BeyGood . Her business ventures include clothing line Ivy Park , hair care brand Cécred and whisky brand SirDavis . She has been cited as the inspiration of various artists and a ubiquitous figure within popular culture . Beyoncé Giselle Knowles was born on September 4, 1981, at the Park Plaza Hospital in Houston , Texas to Tina Knowles ( née Beyoncé ),
SECTION 20
#17328442050503718-439: A pop singer based on Diana Ross . To promote the film, Beyoncé released " Listen " as the lead single from the soundtrack album . In April 2007, Beyoncé embarked on The Beyoncé Experience , her first worldwide concert tour, visiting 97 venues and grossed over $ 24 million. 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
3887-473: A promotional single. On June 16, 2009, Above and Beyoncé: Video Collection & Dance Mixes was released, composed of a CD of dance remixes to the singles from the album, including the remix of " Ego " with rapper Kanye West , and a DVD featuring music videos previously released for those singles, as well as behind-the-scenes footage. Beyoncé was due to perform " Sweet Dreams " at the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards on September 13; however, she only performed
4056-532: A record-setting six Grammy Awards out of seven, and an award for her rendition of the classic Etta James ' song " At Last ", from the Cadillac Records soundtrack . I Am... Sasha Fierce debuted at number one on the US Billboard 200 , selling 482,000 copies in its first week and giving Beyoncé her third consecutive number-one album in the United States. With this, Beyoncé became the third female artist of
4225-440: A recording environment that suited him. Architect and acoustician John Storyk oversaw the conversion. Construction of the studio took nearly double the time and money planned. Permits were delayed numerous times, the site flooded due to heavy rains during demolition, and sump pumps had to be installed (then soundproofed) after the building was found to be atop a tributary of an underground river, Minetta Creek . The studio
4394-460: A session, but you call me: 'Who's down there?' 'Common's in there today.' So you come down, you order some food, sit down and bullshit, watch a movie, and then it's, 'Let's play something.' And I say, 'Who wants this [track]?' And it would be, 'I want it!' 'No, I want it!'" Eventually, the Soulquarians' period at the studio ended, in part because labels declined to release the experimental music it
4563-610: A short-span, the highest-grossing tour by a female artist . On July 28, Beyoncé appeared on " Delresto (Echoes) ", the second single from rapper Travis Scott 's album Utopia , eventually becoming her 100th career appearance on the Billboard Hot 100 chart (encompassing Destiny's Child, her solo career, and musical duo The Carters). On November 30, 2023, Beyoncé released documentary concert film Renaissance: A Film by Beyoncé written, directed, and produced by her in collaboration with film distributor AMC Theatres . The film chronicles
4732-527: A single year, and went on to win 8 awards, including Video of the Year for "Formation". The eight wins made Beyoncé the most-awarded artist in the history of the VMAs (24), surpassing Madonna (20). Beyoncé occupied the sixth place for Time magazine's 2016 Person of the Year . In January 2017, it was announced that Beyoncé would headline the Coachella Music and Arts Festival . This would have made Beyoncé only
4901-520: A teaser clip for a project called Lemonade . A one-hour film which aired on HBO on April 23, a corresponding album with the same title was released on the same day exclusively on Tidal. 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. With all 12 tracks of Lemonade debuting on
5070-627: A worldwide concert tour, Destiny Fulfilled... and Lovin' It sponsored by McDonald's Corporation , and performed songs 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, including numbers from Dangerously in Love . During the last stop of their European tour, in Barcelona on June 11, 2005, Rowland announced that Destiny's Child would disband following
5239-596: Is a recording studio in Greenwich Village , New York City. It was commissioned by rock musician Jimi Hendrix in 1968 and designed by architect John Storyk and audio engineer Eddie Kramer . It was completed by 1970. Hendrix spent only ten weeks recording in Electric Lady before his death that year , but it quickly became a famed studio used by many top-selling recording artists from the 1970s onwards, including Led Zeppelin , Stevie Wonder , and David Bowie . At
I Am... Sasha Fierce - Misplaced Pages Continue
5408-563: Is a descendant of Acadian militia officer Joseph Broussard , who was exiled to French Louisiana after the expulsion of the Acadians , and of the French military officer and Abenaki chief Jean-Vincent d'Abbadie, Baron de Saint-Castin . She has additional Breton heritage. Beyoncé's fourth great-grandmother, Marie-Françoise Trahan, was born in 1774 in Bangor , located on Belle Île , France . Trahan
5577-402: Is an American singer, songwriter and businesswoman. Regarded as the greatest musical artist of the 21st century by major publications and an influential cultural figure, Beyoncé has been credited with transforming the sound of popular music with her innovative projects and live performances . Rolling Stone has named her the world's greatest living entertainer of the past decade and one of
5746-613: Is descended from a slave owner who married his slave. Her mother is also of distant Irish and Jewish ancestry. Beyoncé also has Belgian ancestry from Hainaut Province , Wallonia and is related to a former mayor of Froidchapelle , Belgium. Beyoncé was raised with multiple religious traditions, attending St. John's United Methodist Church in Houston as well as St. Mary of the Purification Catholic Church. She went to St. Mary's Catholic Montessori School in Houston and enrolled in dance classes there. Her singing ability
5915-595: The Los Angeles Times saw the song's theme of female empowerment as an expansion on that of "Irreplaceable". Musically, "Single Ladies" is an upbeat - dance-pop and R&B song, and features dancehall and bounce influences. According to Jonah Weiner of Blender , the song makes a clear reference to marriage while Greg Kot of the Chicago Tribune felt that the lyrics had a connection with "post-breakup". " Halo ", composed by Ryan Tedder and Evan Bogart ,
6084-517: The 2011 Glastonbury Festival in over twenty years. The performance was lauded, with several publications noting an ascension in Knowles' capabilities as a live performer. Other publications discussed the polarized attitude of the UK music establishment in response to a Black woman performing on the same stages and to the same crowd sizes that were past reserved for legacy rock acts. Her fourth studio album 4
6253-404: The 36th People's Choice Awards (2010), as well as winning a Teen Choice Award for Choice Music: R&B Artist at the 2010 Teen Choice Awards , and being nominated for World's Best R&B Artist at the 2010 World Music Awards . I Am... Sasha Fierce and its singles earned Beyoncé seven Grammy Award nominations at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards (2010), including Album of the Year . She won
6422-415: 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 . In November 2003, she embarked on
6591-469: 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 . In April 2014, Beyoncé and Jay-Z officially announced their On the Run Tour . It served as the couple's first co-headlining stadium tour together. On August 24, 2014, she received
6760-446: 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. and ultimately won two, Best Urban Contemporary Album for Lemonade and Best Music Video for "Formation". 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
6929-524: The 71st Primetime Creative Arts Emmy Awards . Beyoncé starred as the voice of Nala in the remake The Lion King , which was released in July 2019. Beyoncé is featured on the film's soundtrack , released on July 11, 2019, with a remake of the song " Can You Feel the Love Tonight " alongside Donald Glover , Billy Eichner and Seth Rogen , which was originally composed by Elton John . An original song from
I Am... Sasha Fierce - Misplaced Pages Continue
7098-871: The 94th Academy Awards for the song, alongside co-writer Dixson . On March 27, 2022, Beyoncé performed "Be Alive" at the 94th Academy Awards. Choreographed by friend and past collaborator Fatima Robinson , Beyoncé was applauded for choosing to perform on the Compton tennis courts Venus and Serena Williams practiced on in their childhood instead of at the venue. On June 9, 2022, Beyoncé removed her profile pictures across various social media platforms, causing speculation that she would be releasing new music. Days later, Beyoncé caused further speculation via her nonprofit BeyGood's Twitter account hinting at her upcoming seventh studio album. On June 15, 2022, Beyoncé officially announced her seventh studio album, titled Renaissance . The lead single of Renaissance , " Break My Soul ",
7267-519: The American Music Awards of 2009 , while I Am... Sasha Fierce garnered a nomination for Favorite Soul/R&B Album . Beyoncé also won a BET Award for Best R&B Artist at the BET Awards 2009 . However, she lost the same award to Alicia Keys at the following ceremony . Similarly, Beyoncé was nominated for Brit Award for International Female Solo Artist at the 2009 Brit Awards , for
7436-447: The Billboard 200, and has since sold 11 million copies worldwide. 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. The single " Baby Boy " also reached number one, and singles, " Me, Myself and I " and " Naughty Girl ", both reached the top-five. The album earned Beyoncé a then record-tying five awards at
7605-485: The Billboard 200, becoming Beyoncé's second consecutive number-one album in the United States. The album's lead single " Déjà Vu ", featuring Jay-Z, reached the top five on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The second international single " Irreplaceable " was a commercial success worldwide, reaching number one in Australia, Hungary, Ireland, New Zealand and the United States. B'Day also produced three other singles; " Ring
7774-413: The Billboard Hot 100 chart, Beyoncé also became the first female act to chart 12 or more songs at the same time. 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. 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 as well as
7943-575: The Billboard Hot 100 chart. According to the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI), Beyoncé sold 2.3 million units worldwide, becoming the tenth best-selling album of 2013. The album also went on to become the twentieth best-selling album of 2014. As of November 2014 , Beyoncé has sold over 5 million copies worldwide and has generated over 1 billion streams, as of March 2015 . At
8112-580: The Billboard Hot 100, the highest peak from the album. In late 2011, she took the stage at New York's Roseland Ballroom for four nights of special performances: the 4 Intimate Nights with Beyoncé concerts saw the performance of her 4 album to a standing room only. 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. By December 2015, it reached sales of 1.5 million copies in
8281-516: The Billboard Hot 100. On March 12, 2024, she announced the album's title, Cowboy Carter . A country and gospel-tinged record, it was released on March 29 to universal acclaim from critics, and includes collaborations with artists including Tanner Adell and her daughter Rumi Carter, Miley Cyrus , Tiera Kennedy , Willie Jones , Post Malone , Linda Martell , Willie Nelson , Shaboozey , Brittney Spencer , Dolly Parton , and Reyna Roberts . Electric Lady Studios Electric Lady Studios
8450-664: The British Phonographic Industry . In Australia, I Am... Sasha Fierce debuted at number nine on November 24, 2008 and climbed to number eight on January 5, 2009. Following the success of singles "Sweet Dreams" and "Broken-Hearted Girl", the album rebounded to a new peak of number three on two separate occasions in October 2009. It was later certified quintuple platinum by the Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) in 2023. In New Zealand,
8619-790: 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. On February 1, 2004, Beyoncé performed the American national anthem at Super Bowl XXXVIII , at the Reliant Stadium in Houston , Texas. After the release of Dangerously in Love , Beyoncé had planned to produce a follow-up album using several of
SECTION 50
#17328442050508788-631: The Great Wall of China , the Egyptian pyramids , Australia, English music festivals and various museums and ballet performances. "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 . On June 26, 2011, she became the first solo female artist to headline the main Pyramid stage at
8957-522: The I Am... Tour two more singles were initially lined up, namely " Broken-Hearted Girl " and " Sweet Dreams "—though they switched order to become the sixth and seventh singles, respectively. "Sweet Dreams" reached the top ten in most countries, including the United States, managing to top the New Zealand Singles Chart, and was certified platinum by the RIAA on January 5, 2010. "Broken-Hearted Girl",
9126-569: The I Am... Tour , her second headlining worldwide concert tour, consisting of 108 shows, grossing $ 119.5 million. 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, and she garnered several nominations for her portrayal of James, including a Satellite Award nomination for Best Supporting Actress , and an NAACP Image Award nomination for Outstanding Supporting Actress . Beyoncé donated her entire salary from
9295-1082: The Las Vegas Strip . Starting on September 15, 2009, the fourth leg began in Melbourne , Australia and finished on September 24 in Perth , Australia. Beyoncé then went on to perform in Asia, the Middle East, Europe, Africa, and the United Kingdom, before finishing the 2009 portion of the tour on November 24 in Belfast , Northern Ireland . The tour had its final leg in February 2010, visiting Latin America. Starting on February 4 in Florianópolis , Brazil, she visited five other places before ending in Trinidad on February 18. According to Pollstar ,
9464-481: 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". In November, Forbes reported that Beyoncé was the top-earning woman in music for the second year in a row – earning $ 115 million in
9633-671: The acoustic guitar . Tedder specifically assisted Beyoncé with crafting the album's balladry . The ballads were crafted in a way to combine "the best elements" of pop and soul music , while simultaneously "expanding the possibilities of both genres". Beyoncé attempted something different as people had strong expectations from her; she experimented with stronger lyrics. Beyoncé worked with Ghost to re-write Franz Schubert 's " Ave Maria " after having co-written "Disappear" in London , England . Ghost told The Daily Telegraph that they were both inspired by their then-recent marriages and had walked down
9802-508: The "baby love" sound of his 1960s Motown recordings and "get as weird as possible". Among his recordings there were the 1972 albums Music of My Mind and Talking Book . Others users included Led Zeppelin , Lou Reed , Hall & Oates , the Rolling Stones , and Blondie . In 1971, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley , then with the New York rock band Wicked Lester , recorded demos at
9971-525: The 1970s." Music writer Andy Kellman of AllMusic viewed its first disc as "essentially a small set of adult contemporary ballads. Acoustic guitars, pianos, strings, contemplative soul searching, and grand sweeping gestures fill it out, with more roots in '[19]70s soft rock than soul ." The second disc, Sasha Fierce , contains consistent electronic influences, which are displayed in songs like " Radio " and " Sweet Dreams ". Kellman said in his review that " Diva " resembles B'Day' s " Freakum Dress " or " Ring
10140-531: The 2000s to have her first three albums debut atop the US Billboard 200. Having sold 1,459,000 copies in six weeks of release by the end of 2008, I Am... Sasha Fierce emerged as the tenth best-selling album of the year according to Billboard . With this achievement, Beyoncé eventually equaled Garth Brooks , Mariah Carey , and Shania Twain for placing an album in Nielsen SoundScan 's year-end top ten for
10309-564: The 2010 shows earned $ 17.2 million, which added to the total of $ 86 million for the first 86 concerts in 2009, bringing the tour total to $ 103.2 million for 97 shows. The I Am... Yours residency at the Encore Theater in Las Vegas was recorded on August 2, 2009, and later released as a DVD, audio CD and television special in late November 2009 titled I Am... Yours: An Intimate Performance at Wynn Las Vegas . Various performances on
SECTION 60
#173284420505010478-559: The Alarm " in terms of audacity. Despite being on the Sasha Fierce disc, " Ego ", " Why Don't You Love Me " and "Scared of Lonely" were noted to be a meeting ground between the album's halves. According to Jennifer Vineyard of MTV News, they resemble Sasha Fierce musically, but thematically and lyrically, they are vulnerable like Beyoncé on the I Am... disc. The album formally introduces Beyoncé's alter ego Sasha Fierce. She revealed that Sasha
10647-466: The Alarm ", " Get Me Bodied ", and " Green Light " (released in the United Kingdom only). 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
10816-706: The American national anthem singing along with a pre-recorded track at President Obama's second inauguration in Washington, D.C. The following month, Beyoncé performed at the Super Bowl XLVII halftime show , held at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans . The performance stands as the second most tweeted about moment in history at 268,000 tweets per minute. Her feature-length documentary film, Life Is But
10985-518: The Holding Company , B.B. King , Chuck Berry , Dave Van Ronk , Sly & the Family Stone , and John Fahey . Hendrix had planned to resuscitate the nightclub, but was persuaded by advisors Eddie Kramer and Jim Marron to convert the space into a professional recording studio. Studio fees for the lengthy Electric Ladyland sessions had been astronomical, and Hendrix was constantly in search of
11154-479: The Motion Picture (2006). Her first acting role of 2006 was in the comedy film The Pink Panther starring opposite Steve Martin , grossing $ 158.8 million at the box office worldwide. Her second film Dreamgirls , the film version of the 1981 Broadway musical loosely based on The Supremes , received acclaim from critics and grossed $ 154 million internationally. In it, she starred opposite Jennifer Hudson , Jamie Foxx , and Eddie Murphy playing
11323-456: The North American leg of the tour. The group released their first compilation album Number 1's on October 25, 2005, in the U.S. and accepted a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in March 2006. The group has sold 60 million records worldwide. Beyoncé's second solo album B'Day was released on September 4, 2006, in the U.S., to coincide with her twenty-fifth birthday. It sold 541,000 copies in its first week and debuted atop
11492-623: The Roots' albums Things Fall Apart (1999) and Phrenology (2002), singer Erykah Badu 's second album Mama's Gun (2000), rapper Common 's Like Water for Chocolate (2000) and Electric Circus (2002), and singer Bilal 's debut album 1st Born Second (2001). Questlove often acted as the director behind the sessions. "I tried to do all in my power that I could to bring people together – to bring Common to Electric Lady, have him record here whenever so that he could record with some of these other artists," he said in 2002. "You'd just come into [the studio's] A Room, you don't even know who has
11661-420: The Soulquarians period, said in 2015 that the studio's "glory-days era had sort of ended". According to Schillinger "after the Soulquarians had departed, the place had gone further downhill." After years of financial hardship, the studio was taken over by investor Keith Stoltz and studio manager Lee Foster in 2010. They renovated and expanded the studio, adding a new mixing studio on the second floor and turning
11830-447: The U.S. 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. Another of Beyoncé's contributions to the soundtrack, "Summertime", fared better on the U.S. charts. 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
11999-463: The U.S. Billboard 200 , with 123,000 album-equivalent units , of which 70,000 were pure album sales. On December 2, 2018, Beyoncé alongside Jay-Z headlined the Global Citizen Festival : Mandela 100 which was held at FNB Stadium in Johannesburg , South Africa. Their 2-hour performance had concepts similar to the On the Run II Tour and Beyoncé was praised for her outfits, which paid tribute to Africa's diversity. Homecoming: A Film by Beyoncé ,
12168-555: The U.S. Billboard Hot 100 chart. 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". The album was released on June 24, 2003, after Michelle Williams and Kelly Rowland had released their solo efforts. The album sold 317,000 copies in its first week, debuted atop
12337-606: 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. 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". During the break, she and her father parted ways as business partners. Beyoncé's musical break lasted nine months and saw her visit multiple European cities,
12506-456: The U.S. The album featured her fourth UK number-one single " If I Were a Boy " and her fifth U.S. number-one song " Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) ". " Halo " achieved the accomplishment of becoming her longest-running Hot 100 single in her career, "Halo " 's success in the U.S. helped Beyoncé attain more top-ten singles on the list than any other woman during the 2000s. The music video for "Single Ladies" has been parodied and imitated around
12675-412: The U.S. 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. 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. In January 2013, Beyoncé performed
12844-519: The U.S. This made her the first woman in the chart's history to have her first five studio albums debut at number one. Beyoncé received critical acclaim and commercial success, selling one million digital copies worldwide in six days; 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". The single " Drunk in Love ", featuring Jay-Z, peaked at number two on
13013-440: The U.S. box office and grossed $ 73 million. Beyoncé released " Work It Out " as the lead single from its soundtrack album which entered the top ten in the UK, Norway, and Belgium. 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. The film received mixed reviews from critics but grossed $ 30 million in
13182-459: The US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Beyoncé's fifth number-one single, and was also successful in other international markets, peaking within the top ten around the world. The singles were certified double platinum and quadruple platinum, respectively, by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). " Diva " was released exclusively in the United States and peaked at number nineteen on
13351-506: The US Billboard Hot 100, becoming Beyoncé's twelfth top-twenty single, and at number three on the US Hot R&;B/Hip-Hop Songs . It was certified gold by the RIAA. The next single, " Halo ", was released internationally and peaked at number five on the US Billboard Hot 100, proving to be commercially successful and reaching top ten around the world. It was certified double platinum by the RIAA on January 5, 2010. Following announcements of
13520-563: The United States on November 18, 2008, and previously in Japan on November 12, in Australia and Germany on November 14, and in France and the United Kingdom on November 17; deluxe edition of the album was released simultaneously with the standard edition. Beyoncé performed "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" on BET 's 106 & Park on November 18, at the 2008 American Music Awards on November 23, on The Ellen DeGeneres Show on November 25, on Today
13689-412: The United States, becoming Beyoncé's sixth song of her solo career to do so. On January 4, 2018, the music video of Beyoncé and Jay-Z's 4:44 collaboration, " Family Feud " was released. 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 . On March 5, 2018,
13858-444: The United States. I Am... Sasha Fierce has sold 10 million copies worldwide, making it one of the best-selling albums of the 21st century . The album garnered seven Grammy Award nominations at the 52nd Annual Grammy Awards ceremony (2010), including a nomination for Album of the Year , winning six—the most awards won in one night by a female artist. The album was marketed with the release of several singles, including " If I Were
14027-519: The Wall in 1999. The record features 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 . The Writing's on
14196-464: The Wall sold more than eight million copies worldwide. 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 , as well as "Ways To Get Cut Off", a collaboration with fellow Columbia Records signee JoJo Robinson that was later shelved. The remaining band members recorded " Independent Women Part I ", which appeared on
14365-441: The aisle to "Ave Maria". The song "Smash Into You", featured on the deluxe edition of the album, was originally slated to appear on Jon McLaughlin 's sophomore album OK Now under the name "Smack Into You", but was cut from the finalized tracklist after it was leaked online and was subsequently given to Knowles. During the nine-month period between November 2007 and August 2008, Beyoncé recorded over seventy songs and decided during
14534-460: The album "a little rough around the edges at times" and viewed its Sasha Fierce disc as "a far more compelling trip down dance-lane". Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly wrote that the album offers "two compelling sides" of Beyoncé and stated: "The collection might have been better served had she edited it down to one disc, rather than belabor what ultimately seems like a marketing gimmick. And while fans will surely speculate, there's little in
14703-446: The album debuted at number sixteen on November 24, 2008 and initially peaked at number six on March 2, 2009. After growing popularity of its singles, especially "Sweet Dreams", the album upped to a new peak of number three on September 21, 2009. The album was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of New Zealand (RIANZ) on April 26, 2009 (after twenty-three weeks on the chart), shipping over 15,000 copies to retailers and
14872-440: The album has generated over 1 billion streams. Credits adapted from the liner notes of I Am... Sasha Fierce . Sales figures based on certification alone. Shipments figures based on certification alone. Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone. Beyonc%C3%A9 Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter ( / b i ˈ ɒ n s eɪ / bee- ON -say ; born September 4, 1981)
15041-426: The album moved up to number nine on December 27, 2008. Due to the success of its singles in the United Kingdom, particularly "Sweet Dreams", I Am... Sasha Fierce rose from number five to its highest peak of number two in its thirty-ninth week on the chart, which was the week of August 16, 2009. It is her best-selling album in the United Kingdom, having sold over 1.5 million copies. It was certified six times platinum by
15210-460: The album's "strength" is "its individual songs ... a testament to Beyoncé as one of today's most reliable singles artists", but felt that "the real disparity is her inability to reconcile the adult-contemporary schmaltz of I Am with the more modern, edgy sounds of Sasha Fierce ." Adam Mattera of The Observer felt that both discs lack depth, observing that the first is "too busy chasing radio formats to expose any genuine soul", and criticizing
15379-413: The album's singles. The deluxe edition of I Am... Sasha Fierce was reissued in the United States on November 23, 2009, including all of the previously released songs in addition to the new songs " Poison " and the remix of " Video Phone " with Lady Gaga . An extended play (EP) titled I Am... Sasha Fierce – The Bonus Tracks was released the same day for digital download in the United States, featuring
15548-487: The album. Beyoncé later revealed that songs from established producers like The Neptunes and Danja were not able to make the final cut. In an interview for Billboard magazine, Beyoncé described I Am... Sasha Fierce as a double album . She said, "One side has songs that are more mainstream and another has my more traditional R&B songs for my fans who've been there the whole time. Some of it sounds like Barbra Streisand , Karen Carpenter and The Beatles around
15717-687: The albums B'Day (2006), I Am... Sasha Fierce (2008), and 4 (2011), she garnered several U.S. Billboard Hot 100 hits, including " Crazy in Love ", " Baby Boy ", " Irreplaceable ", " Check On It ", " If I Were a Boy ", " Halo ", " Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) ", " Run The World (Girls) " and " Love On Top ". After forming her own management company Parkwood Entertainment , Beyoncé refocused her career efforts on creating monocultural events through acclaimed concept albums Beyoncé (2013) and Lemonade (2016). With both albums tackling topics of feminism and womanism , they are credited with popularizing surprise albums and visual albums , with
15886-429: The best-selling album worldwide with global sales of 2.5 million throughout the year. Lemonade became the most critically acclaimed work of her career. Several music publications included the album among the best of 2016, including Rolling Stone , which listed Lemonade at number one. The album's visuals were nominated in 11 categories at the 2016 MTV Video Music Awards , the most ever received by Beyoncé in
16055-419: The bridge from the song at the beginning of her performance, before switching to "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)". The platinum edition of I Am... Sasha Fierce was released in Australia on Beyoncé's twenty-eighth birthday on September 4, 2009, and in the United States on October 20, 2009; it included a cover version of Billy Joel 's song " Honesty " (1979), as well as a DVD containing various music videos from
16224-516: The building housed The Village Barn nightclub from 1930 to 1967. Abstract expressionist artist Hans Hofmann began lecturing there in 1938, two decades before he turned to painting full-time. In 1968, Jimi Hendrix and his manager Michael Jeffery bought the Generation, a newly defunct nightclub in New York's Greenwich Village. Hendrix had frequently joined jam sessions at the venue, which had hosted acts as diverse and legendary as Big Brother &
16393-497: The company. 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 with the assistance of Columbia talent scout Teresa LaBarbera Whites . The group changed their name to Destiny's Child in 1996, based upon
16562-625: The development and execution of Beyoncé's Renaissance World Tour, and contained new song " My House " in the end credits. In February 2024, Beyoncé launched her hair care brand Cécred . On February 11, 2024, immediately following a partner commercial with Verizon for the Super Bowl LVIII , she announced the second installment of her trilogy project and released its first two songs, " Texas Hold 'Em " and " 16 Carriages ". "Texas Hold 'Em" became her highest chart debut in her career, her ninth solo number-one and her thirteenth across all credits on
16731-406: The editing process that she did not want to reconcile the two approaches into one disc. If a song was meaningless to her, she would cut it off during the process of elimination for the final track listing. After a process of elimination, twelve tracks were selected to be placed on the standard edition of the album, while five additional tracks were chosen to make the final cut for the deluxe edition of
16900-617: The fifth time. The album later emerged as the second best-selling album of 2009 in the United States itself. It has been certified six-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). As of July 2022, I Am... Sasha Fierce has sold 8.12 million album-equivalent units in the United States. In the United Kingdom, the album debuted at number ten on November 29, 2008, becoming Beyoncé's lowest-debuting album despite having higher first-week sales than her previous album, B'Day (2006). Following her performance at The X Factor fifth season finale with winner Alexandra Burke ,
17069-463: The film by Beyoncé, " Spirit ", was released as the lead single from both the soundtrack and The Lion King: The Gift – a companion album released alongside the film, produced and curated by Beyoncé. Beyoncé called The Lion King: The Gift a "sonic cinema". She stated that the album is influenced by everything from R&B , pop, hip hop , gqom and Afro Beat . The songs were produced by African producers, which Beyoncé said
17238-469: The film is a modern interpretation of the 19th-century opera Carmen by French composer Georges Bizet . When the third album Survivor was released in May 2001, Luckett and Roberson filed a lawsuit claiming that the songs were aimed at them. The album debuted at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 , with first-week sales of 663,000 copies sold. The album spawned other number-one hits, " Bootylicious " and
17407-456: The film to Phoenix House, an organization of rehabilitation centers for heroin addicts around the country. 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 . The film received negative reviews from critics, and did well at the U.S. box office, grossing $ 68 million – $ 60 million more than Cadillac Records – on
17576-413: The first female artist to have her first seven studio albums debut at number one in the United States. "Break My Soul" concurrently rose to number-one on the Billboard Hot 100, becoming the twelfth song to do so across her career discography. The song "Heated", which was co-written with Canadian rapper Drake , originally included the lyrics "Spazzin' on that ass / spazz on that ass". Critics, including
17745-529: The first part of the album." It contains the Jerry Maguire line – "You had me at hello" – as part of its chorus. It essentially consists of "sweet guitar-picking and delicate harmonies." According to critics, " Video Phone " contains lyrics that are in reference to "a celebration of Skype sex and putting on a solo show, on camera, for a guy you just met at the club". The remixed version featured both Beyoncé and Lady Gaga trading verses with one another. Musically
17914-468: The following day, and on The Tyra Banks Show with two male dancers, on January 9, 2009. Beyoncé's first live performance of "Halo" was at the 40th NAACP Image Awards on February 12, 2009. She later performed the song on the Late Show with David Letterman after an interview on April 22, 2009. Beyoncé performed "Sweet Dreams" at the 2009 MTV Europe Music Awards on November 5. Beyoncé performed "If I Were
18083-504: The following three decades, many popular artists recorded albums at Electric Lady. "From its inception, [Hendrix']s mother ship served as a rock, funk, disco and soul Olympus where gold and platinum hits were forged", Liesl Schillinger wrote in The Wall Street Journal . Stevie Wonder used the studio extensively in the 1970s, when it became what he described as "the self-contained universe" for his work, wanting to depart from
18252-401: The former album impacting Global Release Day to Friday. She subsequently released dance album Renaissance (2022) which paid homage to the genre's queer origins and sought post- COVID-19 pandemic liberation , and Americana - country album Cowboy Carter (2024), with both albums highlighting the contributions of Black pioneers to American musical and cultural history . Beyoncé is
18421-408: The greatest vocalists of all time. As a child, Beyoncé began performing through various singing and dancing competitions. She debuted in the late 1990s and rose to fame as a member of Destiny's Child , one of the best-selling girl groups of all time . She released her debut solo album, Dangerously in Love (2003), which became one of the best-selling albums of the 21st century . After releasing
18590-473: The group. The move reduced the family's income by half, and Beyoncé's parents were forced to sell their house and cars and move into separated apartments. Mathew cut the original line-up to four and the group continued performing as an opening act for other established R&B girl groups. 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
18759-609: The hit single " Le Freak ". In 1981, The Waitresses recorded their holiday hit " Christmas Wrapping " there. "The enchantment held through the '80s and '90s, as AC/DC and the Clash showed up, then Billy Idol , the Cars , Weezer and Santana ", Schillinger wrote. "The house that Jimi built welcomed them all." From 1997 to the early 2000s, the Soulquarians , an experimental black music collective, held jam sessions and recorded albums at
18928-552: The latter songs, along with " Why Don't You Love Me ". To further promote the album, Beyoncé embarked on the I Am... Tour , which started in Edmonton , Canada on March 26, 2009. The European leg of the tour started on April 26 in Zagreb , Croatia, and ended on June 9 in London , England. On June 21, she began the third leg of the tour in the United States and finished in August with the I Am... Yours four-day revue at Encore Las Vegas on
19097-421: 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. Released on November 15, 2004, in the U.S. and peaking at number two on the Billboard 200, Destiny Fulfilled included the singles " Lose My Breath " and " Soldier ", which reached the top five on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Destiny's Child embarked on
19266-424: The list "Best Albums of 2008". Agence France-Presse, as reported by ABS-CBN News and Current Affairs , recognized I Am... Sasha Fierce as the twelfth best-selling album of 2008. On The Village Voice ' s Pazz & Jop year-end lists, I Am... Sasha Fierce was ranked at numbers three-hundred-and-thirty-three and five-hundred-and-eighty in 2008 and 2009, respectively. The album was ranked at number twelve on
19435-703: The list of the best albums of the 2000s decade in Rolling Stone ' s Reader's Poll. The writers of Entertainment Weekly ranked I Am... Sasha Fierce at number eight on their list "10 Best Albums of the Decade". I Am... Sasha Fierce won a Soul Train Music Award for Best Album of the Year at the 2009 Soul Train Music Awards . Beyoncé won the American Music Award for Favorite Soul/R&B Female Artist at
19604-418: The lyrics that feels more revealing than previous emotional fire-starters." Sasha Frere-Jones from The New Yorker found the album to be "something of a mess", mostly because the alter ego "trips on the idea of redefinition". Leah Greenblatt of Entertainment Weekly ranked I Am… Sasha Fierce at number two on her list "10 Best CDs of 2008", stating that "' If I Were a Boy ' and ' Single Ladies (Put
19773-467: The materials by Alice in Chains and Jill Scott . The platinum edition of the album also included a cover version of Billy Joel 's song " Honesty " (1979). The album was titled I Am... Sasha Fierce to showcase the difference between Beyoncé and her alter ego Sasha Fierce; the first disc is titled I Am... while the second is titled Sasha Fierce . Making comparisons to a magazine, Beyoncé elaborated that
19942-465: The most NAACP Image Awards , BET Awards and Soul Train Music Awards for any artist, and was repeatedly named artist of the decade for both the 2000s and 2010s , including recognition as the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA)'s Top Certified Artist of the Decade and Pollstar ' s Touring Artist of the Decade. Outside of music, she has had lead acting roles in films such as Dreamgirls (2006) and Cadillac Records (2008). As
20111-450: The most nominations (9) at the 63rd Annual Grammy Awards and the most awards (4), which made her the most-awarded singer, most-awarded female artist, and second-most-awarded artist in Grammy history . In 2021, Beyoncé wrote and recorded a song titled " Be Alive " for the biographical drama film King Richard . She received her first Academy Award nomination for Best Original Song at
20280-415: The only female artist to have all of her solo studio albums debut at number one on the U.S. Billboard 200 . Her albums are considered by some publications to be amongst the greatest in popular music history. Beyoncé is one of the best-selling music artists of all time , having sold 200 million records worldwide. Her accolades include a record high 32 Grammy Awards and a Peabody Award . She has
20449-508: The pace of work by saying "this place is a beating heart". Schillinger wrote in 2015 that "one day last winter, seven sessions proceeded simultaneously, including: Interpol in Studio A; Jon Batiste (the bandleader for The Late Show with Stephen Colbert ) in Studio B's live room; and Lana Del Rey , Rod Stewart and producer and singer-guitarist Dan Auerbach of the Black Keys all working on
20618-404: The past, such as Toby Gad and BC Jean on " If I Were a Boy "; she also worked again with Amanda Ghost on "Disappear". I'm a human being. I cry. I'm very passionate and sensitive. My feelings get hurt. I get scared and nervous like everyone else. And I wanted to show that about myself. It [The album] is about love. I'm a woman, I'm married, and this portion of my life is all in the album. It's
20787-474: The performance, Beyoncé announced The Formation World Tour , which highlighted stops in both North America and Europe. It marked the first ever all-stadium tour by a female artist and ended on October 7, with Beyoncé bringing out her husband Jay-Z , Kendrick Lamar , and Serena Williams for the last show. The tour went on to win Tour of the Year at the 44th American Music Awards . In April 2016, Beyoncé released
20956-559: The rap was put forward in the Best Remixed Recording, Non-Classical category. B'Day won the award for Best Contemporary R&B Album. 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
21125-490: The record was a double album and that it had two covers. The I Am... cover artwork, described as "underneath all the makeup", is a portrait of Beyoncé with no visible clothing or makeup on, while the Sasha Fierce cover artwork shows Beyoncé wearing heavy makeup, a leotard, tall pointed heels, and a "cyborg"-esque metallic glove. The cover artworks for the standard, deluxe and platinum editions of I Am... Sasha Fierce were all shot by German photographer Peter Lindbergh . In
21294-474: The same time, B'Day was re-released with five additional songs, including her duet with Shakira " Beautiful Liar ". I Am... Sasha Fierce was released in November 2008 and formally introduced Beyoncé's alter ego Sasha Fierce. It was met with mixed reviews from critics, but sold 482,000 copies in its first week, debuting atop the Billboard 200, and giving Beyoncé her third consecutive number-one album in
21463-465: The same year, Beyoncé was featured on the remix of Megan Thee Stallion 's song " Savage ", marking her first music release for the year. The song peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100, marking Beyoncé's eleventh song to do so across all acts. On June 19, 2020, Beyoncé released the nonprofit charity single " Black Parade ". On June 23, she followed up the release of its studio version with an
21632-511: The school's choir. She also attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts and later Alief Elsik High School . Beyoncé was also a member of the choir at St. John's United Methodist Church where she sang her first solo and was a soloist for two years. When Beyoncé was eight, she met LaTavia Roberson at an audition for an all-girl entertainment group. They were placed into
21801-438: The second disc's "succession of independent woman anthems such as 'Single Ladies' and 'Diva', which will no doubt inspire drag queens the world over but leave most others bemused." AllMusic 's Andy Kellman called its double-disc "gimmick" "flimsy" and favored its second disc's "decent, if easily forgettable, upbeat pop." He expressed that on the I Am... disc, "Beyoncé feels each line to the fullest extent, which almost rescues
21970-420: The second female headliner of the festival since it was founded in 1999. 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 would instead headline the 2018 festival. Upon the announcement of Beyoncé's departure from the festival lineup, ticket prices dropped by 12%. At
22139-873: The second, Sasha Fierce –titled after Beyoncé's on-stage alter ego –focuses on more uptempo beats that blend electropop and Europop elements. In composing the songs' lyrics, Beyoncé worked with writers, with each session accompanied by live orchestration. She credited both her husband—rapper Jay-Z —and jazz singer Etta James for inspiring her to push the limits of her songwriting and artistry. Musically, I Am... drew inspiration from folk and alternative rock , while blending acoustic guitar elements into contemporary ballads, and its tracks were written and produced by Beyoncé, during collaborative efforts with Babyface , Tricky Stewart , The-Dream and Ryan Tedder . Meanwhile, Sasha Fierce boasted production from Darkchild and Sean Garrett . I Am... Sasha Fierce received mixed to positive reviews from music critics and
22308-400: The set's staidness." In his consumer guide for MSN Music , Robert Christgau named it the "dud of the month", indicating "a bad record whose details rarely merit further thought". He found its "split-personality bit" to be "deeply vapid", only observing "three good songs on this 11-track artifact". Jonah Weiner of Blender commented that "Beyoncé is still a beauty-shop feminist, quick with
22477-417: The seventh single, reached the top forty on charts around the world, despite never being certified nor released in the United States. " Video Phone " was released as the eighth single from I Am... Sasha Fierce on September 22, 2009, with an accompanying music video and digital download release, taking form as an extended remix featuring American recording artist Lady Gaga . Like its predecessor, it reached
22646-621: The show. On June 6, 2018, Beyoncé and husband Jay-Z kicked-off the On the Run II Tour in Cardiff , United Kingdom. Ten days later, at their final London performance, the pair unveiled Everything Is Love , their joint studio album, credited under the name The Carters, and initially available exclusively on Tidal. The pair also released the video for the album's lead single, " Apeshit ", on Beyoncé's official YouTube channel. Everything Is Love received generally positive reviews, and debuted at number two on
22815-817: The smack-downs, and she still describes the rattling rush of love with preternatural poise". Stacey Anderson of Spin commented that its first disc "meanders over [...] down-tempo cuts" and called ... Sasha "an intriguing but diluted direction". The Village Voice ' s Nana Ekua Brew-Hammond felt that the I Am... disc lacks cohesion, but complimented " Sasha Fierce as "brassy, big-headed, confrontational, and witty," and stated, "each incendiary track challenges you to leave your inhibitions at coat-check." Christian Hoard of Rolling Stone noted that its slow songs are "full of bland self-affirmation and saggy lines", but wrote that "the "Sasha" disc boasts Beyoncé's most adventurous music yet". Colin McGuire of PopMatters called
22984-409: The song consists of simple lyrics, with hidden innuendos , and is backed by thin-spread beats ; Beyoncé and Gaga uttering gasps and groans while singing the song. "Disappear" consists of "sweet guitar-picking and delicate harmonies". "That's Why You're Beautiful" is a slow-tempo soft rock and rock power ballad, which consists of a "grungy" guitar riff and stuterring drums. Critics compared the song with
23153-500: The song to hurricane charities for those affected by Hurricane Harvey and Hurricane Irma in Texas, Mexico, Puerto Rico, and other Caribbean Islands. 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 ". "Perfect Duet" was released on December 1, 2017. The song reached number-one in
23322-474: The song's lyrics, took inspiration from a poor relationship. Beyoncé explained in Essence that "If I Were a Boy" is different from her previous songs in the sense that it is not a traditional R&B song. Music critics remarked that the song seemed to be a mixture of her hit single " Irreplaceable " (2006), Fergie 's single " Big Girls Don't Cry " (2007), and Ciara 's single " Like a Boy " (2007). Ann Powers of
23491-502: 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. 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 ,
23660-402: The stage of The Oprah Winfrey Show to perform "If I Were a Boy" on November 13. She appeared on Saturday Night Live on November 15, where she sang "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)". On November 16, Beyoncé sang a medley of "If I Were a Boy", "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)", and " Crazy in Love " during the final episode of Total Request Live . I Am... Sasha Fierce was released in
23829-485: The studio to record his 2012 album Born and Raised . Taylor Swift has frequently recorded at the studio, notably for the albums Lover (2019), Folklore (2020), Midnights (2022), and the re-recordings of Fearless (2021), Red (2021), Speak Now (2023) and 1989 (2023). Mixing engineer Tom Elmhirst held a residency in Studio C, where in 2014 he mixed the Beck album Morning Phase ; he has commented on
23998-460: The studio, often drawing on the influence of Hendrix and Wonder's recordings. This period at the turn of the 21st century is known in the studio's history as the Soulquarians era. In 1997, the singer D'Angelo and drummer-producer Questlove (of the Roots ) prepared to record the former's second album Voodoo (2000). This led to adjacent sessions at the studio over the next five years that produced
24167-419: The studio. They returned a few years later to record Kiss 's 1975 album Dressed to Kill . In 1975, John Lennon and David Bowie held an improvisatory session at the studio that produced Bowie's hit single " Fame " for his Young Americans album. That same year, Patti Smith used the studio to record her debut album, Horses . In 1978, Nile Rodgers took his band Chic to Electric Lady and recorded
24336-464: The third and fourth singles, respectively. " Broken-Hearted Girl " was released internationally as the fifth single, while " Video Phone " was released in September 2009 as the overall eighth, and " Why Don't You Love Me " was released in July 2010 as the ninth and final single. To further promote the album, Beyoncé made several award show and televised appearances across Europe and America, and embarking on
24505-472: The third into a self-contained unit including Studio C, a private lounge, and another mixing suite. The studio has since been used by popular recording artists, such as Adele , A$ AP Rocky , Jay-Z , Keith Richards (for the 2011 expanded reissue of the Stones' Some Girls LP), Daft Punk (for their 2013 album Random Access Memories ), and U2 (for their 2014 album Songs of Innocence ). John Mayer used
24674-577: 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. After releasing their holiday album 8 Days of Christmas in October 2001, the group announced a hiatus to further pursue solo careers. In July 2002, Beyoncé made her theatrical film debut, playing Foxxy Cleopatra alongside Mike Myers in the comedy film Austin Powers in Goldmember , which spent its first weekend atop
24843-541: The top-forty on charts around the world, peaking at number sixty-five on the US Billboard Hot 100. It also became Beyoncé's fourteenth number-one on the US Hot Dance Club Songs . " Why Don't You Love Me " was released as the ninth and final single on July 2, 2010, and peaked atop the US Hot Dance Club Songs, before its official single release. As of July 2010, the digital tracks from the album had sold
25012-489: The tour were filmed worldwide for a live DVD, I Am... World Tour , which was released on November 30, 2010. On October 8, 2008, Beyoncé premiered two lead singles from the album. " If I Were a Boy " peaked at number three on the US Billboard Hot 100 , topped eight charts worldwide and reached the top ten on many other charts. " Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It) " was the second lead single and peaked at number one on
25181-450: The turn of the 21st century, Electric Lady served as a home for the innovative Soulquarians collective, but fell into financial hardship and disarray in the 2000s. Taken over and renovated by investor Keith Stoltz and studio manager Lee Foster, the studio returned to form as a popular location for mainstream artists of the 2010s, such as John Mayer , U2 , Taylor Swift , Lady Gaga and Zach Bryan . Before it became Electric Lady Studios,
25350-651: The world, spawning the "first major dance craze" of the Internet age according to the Toronto Star . At the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards , the video won three categories, including Video of the Year. Its failure to win the Best Female Video category, which went to 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. In March 2009, Beyoncé embarked on
25519-1493: The worldwide I Am... Tour (2009–10). The recording of the album took place over a nine-month period. Beyoncé recorded the album in sessions at Bangladesh Studios, PatchWerk Recording Studios , Silent Sound Studios and Tree Sound Studios in Atlanta , Georgia ; Chung King Studios , Electric Lady Studios , Roc the Mic Studios and Strawberrybee Productions in New York City , New York ; GAD Studios in Ibiza , Spain ; Mansfield Studios and The Campground in Los Angeles , California ; South Beat Studios in Miami Beach , Florida ; and The Boom Boom Room in Burbank, California . Beyoncé either co-wrote or co-produced all material on I Am... Sasha Fierce . She collaborated with several record producers and songwriters , including Babyface , Stargate (production duo composed of Tor Erik Hermansen and Mikkel Storleer Eriksen ), Tricky Stewart , The-Dream , Darkchild , Sean Garrett , Solange Knowles , Jim Jonsin , Rico Love , Ryan Tedder , Bangladesh , Ian Dench , Dave McCracken , Wayne Wilkins and Blac Elvis . Beyoncé also collaborated with some musicians she had never worked with in
25688-567: The year, more than double her earnings in 2013. Beyoncé released " Formation " in on February 6, 2016, and performed it 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. Immediately following
25857-540: Was "so exhausted and annoyed with these formulaic corporate companies" and highlighting the album's subsequent great commercial success. Beyoncé promoted I Am... Sasha Fierce through various televised appearances and awards ceremonies by performing songs featured on the album from late 2008 until early 2010. Beyoncé's father and then-manager Mathew Knowles held a listening party for the album in New York City on October 22, 2008. Beyoncé first promoted " Single Ladies (Put
26026-429: Was a commercial success, debuting at number one on the US Billboard 200 chart with first-week sales of 482,000 units and earning Beyoncé her third consecutive US number-one solo album. The album has earned one diamond and over thirty platinum certifications in separate worldwide markets, being certified six-times platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) after shipping over six million units in
26195-480: Was a daughter of Acadians who had taken refuge on Belle Île after the Acadian expulsion. The Estates of Brittany had divided the lands of Belle Île to distribute them among 78 other Acadian families and the already settled inhabitants. The Trahan family lived on Belle Île for over ten years before migrating to Louisiana, where she married a Broussard descendant. Beyoncé researched her ancestry and discovered that she
26364-552: Was because "authenticity and heart were important to [her]", since the film is set in Africa. In September of the same year, a documentary chronicling the development, production and early music video filming of The Lion King: The Gift entitled " Beyoncé Presents: Making The Gift " was aired on ABC . In March 2020, a photograph Beyoncé captured of her swimming pool was used as the album cover for rapper Jay Electronica 's highly anticipated debut album A Written Testimony . In April of
26533-433: Was born during the making of her hit single " Crazy in Love " (2003). In an interview with Emmet Sullivan of People magazine, Beyoncé affirmed that her alter ego is strictly for the stage, with the editor describing Sasha Fierce as the singer's sensual, aggressive alter ego. " If I Were a Boy ", the first single of I Am... , stands as the only song on either disc that Beyoncé did not co-write. BC Jean , who wrote most of
26702-409: Was constructed specifically for Hendrix, with round windows and a machine to generate ambient lighting in myriad colors. It was designed to have a relaxing feel to encourage Hendrix's creativity, but also provide a professional recording atmosphere. Hendrix spent only 10 weeks recording in Electric Lady, most of which during the final phases of construction were still occurring. His last studio recording,
26871-498: Was critically acclaimed for its use of electronic bassline , which some critics compared to Michael Jackson 's " Beat It " because of its electropop sound. "Sweet Dreams" is derived from contemporary R&B and incorporates influences from the classic 1980s funk . " Broken-Hearted Girl " is a midtempo piano ballad . Its production and melody is backed by strings and a drum machine beat. According to Spence D. of IGN Music, "Hello" comes off like another ballad that "populate[s]
27040-496: Was discovered when dance instructor Darlette Johnson began humming a song and Beyoncé finished it, able to hit the high-pitched notes. 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. In the fall of 1990, Beyoncé enrolled in Parker Elementary School, a music magnet school in Houston, where she performed with
27209-525: Was her first full concert in more than four years, was delivered to an audience of influencers and journalists. Beyoncé was reportedly paid $ 24 million to perform. Beyoncé faced criticism for her decision to perform in the United Arab Emirates where homosexuality is illegal. On February 1, Beyoncé announced the Renaissance World Tour with dates in North America and Europe, becoming for
27378-455: Was immediately praised, with multiple media outlets describing it as historic. The performance became the most-tweeted-about performance of weekend one, as well as the most-watched live Coachella performance and the most-watched live performance on YouTube of all time. The show paid tribute to black culture, specifically historically black colleges and universities and featured a live band with over 100 dancers. Destiny's Child also reunited during
27547-426: Was initially intended for Beyoncé but was almost recorded by Leona Lewis due to Beyoncé's schedule. According to Christian Williams of Billboard , "Halo" has a mainstream pop sound, with subtle R&B undertones. "Ave Maria" samples Franz Schubert's "Ave Maria". Critics noted " Diva " as a variation on Lil Wayne 's " A Milli " and coined it as its female counterpart. "Diva" carries a stuttering beat. " Sweet Dreams "
27716-723: Was later certified double platinum. In Spain, the album debuted and peaked at number seven on November 26, 2008, and was certified double platinum by the Productores de Música de España (PROMUSICAE) for shipments of over 160,000 copies. The album was also the best-selling international album of 2009 in Turkey. The album experienced massive success in Brazil, topping the country's year-end chart and being certified double diamond for sales in excess of 500,000 copies by Pro-Música Brasil . The album has sold over ten million copies worldwide. As of February 2017,
27885-457: Was producing. Bilal held improvisatory jam sessions at the studio for his second album, Love for Sale , which the label hesitated to release, and then shelved after it leaked . Common's similarly experimental Electric Circus sold disappointingly, which discouraged his and the Roots' shared label, MCA Records , from letting the artistically free environment at the studio continue. Producer Mark Ronson , who often visited Electric Lady during
28054-461: Was released on June 20, 2022. The album was released on July 29, 2022. "Break My Soul" became Beyoncé's 20th top ten single on the Billboard Hot 100, which made her join Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson as the only artists in Hot 100 history to achieve at least twenty top tens as a solo artist and ten as a member of a group. As Renaissance was released, Beyoncé announced that the album
28223-548: Was released two days prior in the U.S. 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 U.S. The album was preceded by two of its singles " Run the World (Girls) " and " Best Thing I Never Had ". 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
28392-468: Was released. Beyoncé voiced Queen Tara in the 3D CGI animated film, Epic , released by 20th Century Fox on May 24, and recorded an original song for the film, "Rise Up", co-written with Sia . 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
28561-500: Was the first installment of a trilogy she conceived and recorded over three years during the COVID-19 pandemic . A time she found to be her "most creative [period]." The three recorded projects are designated into acts under Roman numerals . Upon release, Renaissance received universal acclaim from critics. Renaissance debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 chart, making her
#49950