Beyoncé Giselle Knowles-Carter (born September 4, 1981)[3][4] (/bɨˈjɒnseɪ/ bee-yon-say)[5] is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Born and raised in Houston, Texas, she performed in various singing and dancing competitions as a child, and rose to fame in the late 1990s as lead singer of R&B girl-group Destiny's Child. Managed by her father Mathew Knowles, the group became one of the world