Intermediate-level educators, do you have students who are excited about Beyoncé’s new film, Renaissance? The multiple-Grammy-winning singer, songwriter, actress, and superstar has so far led an amazing life—one your students can read about in The World Almanac® for Kids. This award-winning database for intermediate-level students includes both brief bullet biographies and more than 700 book-length biographies of people who have made an impact on the world, from artists and entertainers to scientists and explorers to presidents and world leaders—perfect for reluctant readers and ideal for both reports and fun reading. 

Here, we bring you highlights from The World Almanac® for Kids’ bullet biography with 33 facts about “Queen Bey.”  

• American pop singer whose hits include “Halo,” “Single Ladies,” and “Formation.”
• Born Beyoncé Giselle Knowles on September 4, 1981 in Houston, Texas.
• When she was young, her father, Matthew, was a Xerox sales manager and her mother, Tina, was a hairstylist.
• Younger sister Solange was born on June 24, 1986.  
• Loved to sing and dance as a child.
• Joined the six-person, all-girl singing group Girl’s Tyme with friend Kelly Rowland and a friend they met at local auditions, LaTavia Roberson. The group was put together by a local producer, and performed on Star Search, a TV variety show. 
• In 1995, Matthew Knowles quit his job to begin managing the group. He cut the number of girls to four (including LeToya Luckett), and they changed their name to Destiny’s Child, based on a passage in the Book of Isaiah in the Bible.
• Became the lead singer of Destiny’s Child, one of the best-selling girl groups of all time. Hit singles include “Bills, Bills, Bills,” “Say My Name,” and “Independent Women.”
• After a series of changes in Destiny’s Child, including the addition of Michelle Williams, the group officially broke up in 2006.
• Landed her first major acting role in the MTV film Carmen: A Hip Hopera (2001).
• Debut solo album, Dangerously in Love (2003), won five Grammys, including Best Contemporary R&B Album.
• Feature film hits have included The Pink Panther (2006), Dreamgirls (2006), and her documentary Life Is But a Dream (2013).
• Married Jay-Z on April 4, 2008.
• Her second solo album, Bday, was released in September 2006 in the United States to mark her 25th birthday.
• Her third solo album I Am…Sasha Fierce (2008), earned six Grammy Awards, breaking the record for most Grammy Awards won by a female artist in one night. (That record was tied by Adele in 2012.) That album featured one of her biggest hits, “Single Ladies.”
• Billboard listed Knowles as the most successful female artist of the 2000s decade and the top radio artist of the decade (2009).
• In June 2011, she released 4. The album debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, selling 310,000 copies in its first week.
• In 2012, she was named the “World’s Most Beautiful Woman” by People magazine.
• Gave birth to daughter Blue Ivy Carter on January 7, 2012 in New York City.
• In a surprise move in December 2013, she released Beyoncé, her fifth studio album. The album sold 829,000 copies worldwide in its first three days.
• Joined other celebrities in the Ban Bossy campaign in March 2014, which encourages girls to be leaders and to act and speak confidently.
• Performed at the 2014 MTV Video Music Awards in August. She was presented with the highest honor, the Michael Jackson Video Vanguard Award, and won three additional awards for Best Collaboration for “Drunk in Love”, and Best Video with a Social Message and Best Cinematography for “Pretty Hurts.”
• Won Best Song with a Message for “Pretty Hurts” at the 2014 MTV Europe Music Awards.
• Was named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People of 2014, and was photographed for the cover.
• Became the most nominated woman ever at the 2015 Grammy Awards. She won for Best R&B Performance and Best R&B Song for “Drunk in Love,” and her album Beyoncé won Best Surround Sound Album. She also closed the awards ceremony with a powerful performance of the gospel song, “Take My Hand Precious Lord.”
• Lemonade, her sixth studio album, was released April 23, 2016. The release was accompanied by a one-hour film aired on the HBO® channel. 
• Performed her Formation World Tour April–October 2016, with 49 sold-out dates and making $256 million.
• Gave birth to twins, daughter Rumi and son Sir Carter, on June 13, 2017.
• Voiced the voice of Nala in a live-action film of The Lion King in 2019.
• Released Black Is King, a visual album, on July 31, 2020.
• Released her seventh studio album, titled Renaissance, in July 2022. She became the first female artist to have her first seven albums debut at number 1 on the Billboard 200 chart, and she joined Paul McCartney and Michael Jackson as the only artists to have twenty top tens as a solo artist and ten as a member of a group on the Billboard Hot 100 list. The album was met with praise by critics.
• Won four Grammys on February 5, 2023, for Renaissance: Best Dance/Electronic Recording for “Break My Soul”; Best Dance/Electronic Music Album for Renaissance; Best Traditional R&B Performance for “Plastic Off the Sofa”; Best R&B Song for “Cuff It.” Set a new Grammy record by becoming the most honored artist by the Grammys, with 32 awards (and 88 nominations).
• Set off on her Renaissance world tour in May 2023, which ran to October 2023. It became the second-highest grossing tour ever by a female artist, making almost $580 million.

Want a more detailed look at Beyoncé? Take a FREE trial of The World Almanac® for Kids to read our book-length biography of Beyoncé, plus the biographies of hundreds of other entertainers and history makers that are perfect for student research.

What Is The World Almanac® for Kids?

The World Almanac® for Kids is the ideal one-stop reference resource for intermediate-level students. This award-winning database features a wealth of exclusive, age-appropriate content, including excellent resources for student reports and research, plus valuable teacher resources and homework help. Take a FREE trial today!

See also: 

• Honor Women’s History with Infobase
• Learn About African-American History with The World Almanac® for Kids
• Video: 5 Things to Know about The World Almanac® for Kids
• FREE webinar: Strong Cross-Curricular K–12 Content for Engagement and Retention

Excerpted from “Beyoncé,” The World Almanac® for Kids, Infobase, Accessed November 17, 2023.