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Knowles-Carter, a longtime Scarsdale resident, turns 33 on Thursday.
Knowles-Carter, a singer, songwriter and actress, was born Sept. 4, 1981, in Houston. 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's best-selling girl groups of all time.
Following the disbandment of Destiny's Child in 2005, she released her second solo album, "B'Day" (2006), which contained hits "Déjà Vu", "Irreplaceable" and "Beautiful Liar." Performing as Beyoncé, she also ventured into acting, with a Golden Globe-nominated performance in "Dreamgirls" (2006), and starring roles in "The Pink Panther" (2006) and "Obsessed" (2009). Her marriage to rapper Jay-Z and portrayal of Etta James in "Cadillac Records" (2008) influenced her third album, "I Am ... Sasha Fierce" (2008), which saw the birth of her alter ego Sasha Fierce and earned a record-setting six Grammy Awards in 2010, including Song of the Year for "Single Ladies (Put a Ring on It)."
Her fifth studio album, "Beyoncé" (2013), was critically acclaimed and was distinguished from previous releases by its experimental production and exploration of darker themes. A self-described "modern-day feminist," Beyoncé's songs are often characterized by themes of love, relationships and monogamy, as well as female sexuality and empowerment. Onstage, her dynamic, highly choreographed performances have led to critics hailing her as one of the best entertainers in contemporary popular music. Throughout a career spanning 16 years, she has won 17 Grammy Awards and sold over 75 million records as a solo artist and a further 60 million with Destiny's Child, making her one of the best-selling music artists of all time.
The Recording Industry Association of America recognized Beyoncé as the Top Certified Artist in America during the 2000s decade. In 2009, Billboard named her the Top Radio Songs Artist of the Decade, the Top Female Artist of the 2000s and Artist of the Millennium in 2011. In 2014, she ranked atop of Forbes' Celebrity 100 and became the highest-paid black musician in history. She was included in Time magazine's list of the 100 most influential people in the world in 2013 and 2014.
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