When you think ‘Queen of Pop’, who springs to mind? Britney? Madonna? Christina? Maybe even Shakira? No, no, no. How about the leading lady of the world’s best-selling female group of all time, who's also turned her exceptionally multi-talented and somewhat substantial booty to acting, dancing, being a fashion designer and model? Throw 10 Grammy Awards in the mix and what have you got? Of course, it could be no other. The sizeable posterior of the R&B Dreamgirl herself, the one and only, Beyonce, Beyonce! Sorry, I couldn’t help myself there.
In only her 25th year (at the time of writing), Ms Knowles deserves to be pretty darned pleased with her achievements to date. Following a string of successful releases with Destiny’s Child, including Bills, Bills, Bills, Say My Name and Survivor, she decided to release her first solo album Dangerously In Love in 2003 which topped both the US and UK album charts and included hits like Crazy In Love and Baby Boy - earning her five of her Grammys. Her second solo album, B’day (released on her 25th birthday) followed two years after another album from Destiny’s Child, Destiny Fulfilled was released – and it boasts the number one singles Déjà Vu, Beautiful Liar (with Shakira), Irreplaceable and Upgrade U. Her latest collaboration with Jay-Z won Beyonce her seventh solo Grammy award.
Beyonce has also done what many other artists have failed to do: become a successful name in the movie industry. She has featured in several big-screen productions, starting with Carmen – A Hip Hopera for MTV in 2001. However, Beyonce was catapulted to into the realms of movie stardom in 2002 when she played the memorable role of ‘Foxy Cleopatra’ alongside Mike Myers in the box-office hit Austen Powers in Goldmember. In 2006 Beyonce also featured in lesser-known productions like The Pink Panther, and starred in Dreamgirls, for which she also contributed to the soundtrack.
So, all in all, things aren’t looking too bad for the young R&B star right now. Although B’Day hasn’t been as commercially successful as previous releases, the success of the singles taken from the album so far have totally raised the bar. Future solo offerings will have to be something rather special. This girl has proved she has the balls, grit, determination, pure talent and ambition to do it though, so watch this space!
Dangerously In Love
Released in June 2003, Dangerously In Love was Beyonce’s eagerly anticipated debut solo album. The majority of the album was written and produced by the lady herself, with a little help from her A-list buddies Missy Elliott, Luther Vandross and Jay-Z. Featuring the massive hit Crazy in Love with Jay-Z, Dangerously in Love also satisfies all tastes of those in the pop and R&B camps. With a mixture of contemporary soul, club dancefloor-fillers and heartfelt ballads, she cemented her place in R&B’s solo hall of fame.
B’Day
What with all the experience she gained with Destiny’s Child and her first solo album, you might have thought that B’Day would have been more successful. Which is probably why she re-released it with a DVD and rather a lot of track remixes and Spanish versions of existing songs. Anyway, this album has some of the most memorable singles released so far by the singer, solo or otherwise; Beautiful Liar, Irreplaceable, Déjà Vu, and Upgrade U are hot. This album is far more diverse, even eclectic … some might say weird. And the media circus surrounding it is either a direct response to this, or an elaborate marketing ploy. Either way, as an album, it’s mediocre. Good at best. For the singles so far, it’s the hottest release on the planet right now.
SARAH PAVEY
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