Knowles was born in Houston, Texas, the daughter of Mathew Knowles, a successful record manager, and Tina Beyincé, a costume designer and hair stylist. Knowles' father is African American and her mother is of Creole (African-American, Native American, and French) descent.[5] Knowles was baptized after her mother's maiden name, as a tribute to her mother and to prevent the name from becoming obsolete, since only a few of the Beyincé males carry the name.[6][7] Her maternal grandparents, Lumis Albert Beyincé and Agnéz Deréon, were French-speaking Louisiana Creoles.[7] She is the elder sister of Solange, a singer-songwriter and actress. Knowles was schooled at St. Mary's Elementary School in Texas, where she enrolled in dance classes, including ballet and jazz. Her talent in singing was discovered when her dance instructor began humming a song and she finished it, hitting the high-pitched notes.[6] Although a shy girl, as her mother considered her, Knowles' interest in music and performing began unexpectedly after participating in a school talent show. Once she had a moment on the stage, she overcame her shyness and wanted to become a singer and performer.[8] By age seven, Knowles had entered her first talent show, singing John Lennon's "Imagine". She won the contest and was honored with a standing ovation.[9][10] In the fall of 1990, Knowles enrolled in Parker Elementary School, a music magnet school in Houston, where she would perform onstage with the school's choir.[6] She also attended the High School for the Performing and Visual Arts in Houston[11] and later went to Alief Elsik High School, located in the Houston neighborhood of Alief.[7][12] Knowles was a soloist in the choir of her church, in St. John's United Methodist Church.[6] She only lasted in the choir for two years, however, because she was preoccupied with her newfound career.[13] At the age of eight, Knowles met LaTavia Roberson while in an audition for a girl group.[14] They, along with Knowles' friend Kelly Rowland, were placed into a group that performed rapping and dancing. Originally named Girl's Tyme,[9] they were eventually cut down to six members.[6] With Knowles and Rowland, Girl's Tyme attracted audience nationally. West coast R&B producer, Arne Frager, flew into Houston to see them. He eventually brought them to his studio - The Plant Recording Studios - in Northern California, with Knowles' vocals being featured because Frager thought she had personality and the ability to sing.[6] As part of efforts to sign Girl's Tyme to a major label record deal, Frager's strategy was to debut them in Star Search,[8] the biggest talent show on national TV that time.[6] They participated, but lost the competition because the song they performed was not good, as Knowles herself admitted.[15][16] Knowles had her first "professional setback" after that defeat, but regained confidence after learning that pop stars Britney Spears and Justin Timberlake had also experienced the same fate.[6] To manage the group, Knowles' father (who was at that time a medical-equipment salesman) resigned in 1995 from his job.[17] He dedicated his time and established a "boot camp" for their training.[8] The move reduced Knowles' family's income by half and her parents separated because of the pressure.[7] Not long after the inclusion of Rowland, Mathew cut the original lineup to four,[6] with LeToya Luckett joining in 1993.[14] Rehearsing in Tina's salon and their backyards, the group continued performing as an opening act for other established R&B girl groups of the time;[14] Tina contributed to the cause by designing their costumes, which she continued to do throughout the Destiny's Child era. With the continued support of Mathew, they auditioned before record labels and were finally signed to Elektra Records, only to be dropped months later before they could release an album.[7]

Knowles released her third studio album, I Am… Sasha Fierce, on November 18, 2008.[76] Knowles says that the name Sasha Fierce is the name of the persona she adopts when she performs onstage.[77] "That is my alter ego and now she has a last name," says Knowles.[77] "I have someone else that takes over when it's time for me to work and when I'm on stage, this alter ego that I've created that kind of protects me and who I really am."[77] In an interview with producer Rodney Jerkins, he said that the style of the album kept switching and was inspired by the musical biopic film, Cadillac Records,[78] in which Knowles had been cast to play famed blues singer Etta James.[79]

Knowles recorded a cover of Billy Joel's "Honesty" which was included on a Matthew Knowles/Music World CD released only in Japan towards the end of June 2008 to celebrate the tenth-year anniversary of Destiny's Child. Knowles also recorded with various artist for "Just Stand Up!", a charity single for the "Stand Up To Cancer" charity. This charity aims to raise funds for cancer research through the acts and offerings of the celebrity world. Joining Knowles on this charity single was Mariah Carey, Natasha Bedingfield, Leona Lewis, Rihanna, Leann Rimes and Mary J. Blige. The song was brought to public attention recently when it was performed live by most of the stars at Fashion Rocks 2008 in New York City—this show was broadcast simultaneously on all major American networks on September 5, 2008.

"If I Were a Boy" and "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)", the first and second singles off I Am… Sasha Fierce, were released to radio on October 14, 2008, preceding the album's release on November 18, 2008.[80][81] While the single "If I Were a Boy" became Knowles' fourth UK number-one single, "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)" went on to top the Hot 100 chart, for four non-consecutive weeks, giving Knowles her fifth number one single in the U.S. As a follow up to the top-charting first singles from the album, Knowles is set to release the songs "Diva" (as her Sasha Fierce alter-ego) and "Halo" (as herself) as the third and fourth singles, respectively, during the first quarter of 2009. On January 15, 2009, BET debuted the new videos for the new singles on 106 & Park: BET Top 10 Live, officially marking their release. By releasing two singles together at one time, one from each disc, it's clear to average listeners that Knowles wishes to treat both discs as separate albums for herself and her alter-ego.

In addition to releasing a new album and continuing her growing film career with the recent release of Cadillac Records, Knowles will also star opposite Ali Larter and Idris Elba in a thriller film called Obsessed, which has been in production since May 2008.[82] This film is due in the United States in April 2009, with an international release slated in March 2009.

Knowles will tour around the world for most of 2009 starting in the Spring, visiting venues all over the world from the America's, Europe, Asia, Africa and Oceania. Knowles will also include a week long stint of shows in Las Vegas. The tour will be named Beyoncé's I Am... Tour.

On January 7, 2009, it was announced that she was nominated six times for five NAACP Image Awards: Outstanding Female Artist, Outstanding Music Video ("If I Were A Boy"), Outstanding Music Video ("Single Ladies"), Outstanding Song ("Single Ladies"), Outstanding Album ("I Am…Sasha Fierce") and Outstanding Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture ("Cadillac Records").[83]

Knowles performed on January 18, 2009 at the Lincoln Memorial festivities in honor of the inauguration of President Barack Obama. Knowles also sang her cover of the R&B classic most famously sang by Etta James, "At Last" as American President Barack Obama and his wife Michelle Obama had their first dance as President and First lady of America, on January 20, 2009 at the Neighborhood Inaugural Ball which was broadcast live on ABC in the US.

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