MAIN Art & ... Pop Culture Pop Music Beyonce

Born in Houston, Texas on September 4, 1981, Beyonce Giselle Knowles began her career singing in the church choir, and - as fate would have it - later teamed up with cousin Kelly Rowland and Michelle Williams to form one of the hottest female R&B groups of the 90's - Destiny's Child.

With greatest hits such as Say My Name and Survivor, the Grammy Award-winning group had sold 33 million albums worldwide by 2001.

With great success came a desire for each of the group's members to branch out on their own, but it is Knowles who has received most of the attention, launched by her appearance as Foxxy Cleopatra in Austin Powers in Goldmember in 2002.

Today, she continues a successful solo career with hit albums and a promise of more film roles in 2006 starring with Jamie Foxx in the long-awaited film version of the Broadway hit, Dreamgirls and in a remake of the comedy classic Pink Panther co-starring with Steve Martin.

Beyonce's second solo album, B'day, was released on September 4 - appropriately enough - on her 25th birthday.

Most recently, the pop diva also made a huge splash on newssands worldwide after becoming the only black female to grace the cover of the Sports Illustrated swimsuit issue since Tyra Banks in 1997.

Wedding News?

In December 2006, wedding rumors buzzed that Beyonce and long-time boyfriend Jay-Z were finally planning to tie the knot with a lavish wedding on a Caribbean island. Both stars denied the rumors.

However, more stories surfaced in April 2008 that the couple applied for a marriage license pending a wedding within the month. People Magazine later reported that the couple had indeed tied the knot in a private ceremony on April 4, 2008 followed by a wedding bash in Jay-Z's Tribeca apartment in New York.

The 26-year-old Beyonce and 38-year-old Jay-Z have been dating since 2002, though the couple have rarely discussed their relationship with reporters.

MTV.com - Beyonce - The full MTV treatment, with news headlines, feature story articles, audio and video clips, extensive photo galleries and bio.

Beyonce Knowles Photos on LAUNCH - A gallery of photos in clickable thumbnails, plus surf around the rest of the site for video clips, interviews, links to song lyrics and the official Beyonce site.

VH1.com : Beyonce - News, a good collection of photos, a complete bio, video clips, messageboards, interactive Beyonce trivia quiz, a list of upcoming TV appearances and related links.

Forever Beyonce - A huge collection of photo galleries, MP3 video clips, audio files and more with news, community forums and the latest updates.

HELLO! Profiles - Beyonce Knowles - Up close and personal with the star, from the UK magazine's archived features including a small photo gallery.

BeyonceWorld - Major fan site including the latest news, picture galleries including public appearances with Jay-Z, stage performances, photo shoots, plus discography, filmography, bio, quotes.

also see -> 50 Cent | Marc Anthony | Black Eyed Peas | Mariah Carey

Ciara | Eminem | Janet Jackson | Jay-Z | JoJo | Lil Jon | Ludacris

Prince | Shakira | Usher | Kanye West

also see -> Music Video Playlist