Beyoncé

Beyoncé Knowles, one of the world’s most powerful and influential musicians, was born and raised in Houston, where she attended Parker Elementary, a music magnet school. Our first story about her appeared in 2004, with Michael Hall’s profiled “It’s a Family Affair.” Hall noted that her Texas pride was on full display even at a young age when, after winning a Sammy Davis Jr. Award at a citywide talent show, she went up to the mike and said, “in a little voice: ‘I would like to thank the judges for picking me, my parents, who I love—I love you, Houston!’ Then she blew a big kiss.”
Since her talent show days, Beyoncé has exploded into a globally recognized icon, and an essential part of her image stems from her Texan roots. Her mother, Tina, owned Headliners, a salon in Houston, and she styled the hair and makeup of Destiny’s Child, the famous girl group Beyoncé led. Tina told Hall that no one at Columbia “got us. They’d say, ‘ Tina, these girls, they’re so Texas. Can you lay off the makeup and the big hair and high heels?’ But I love big hair and makeup. We here are different than anywhere else in the world. Women here are so well put together.”
After Destiny’s Child disbanded in 2003, Beyoncé released several solo albums and has had numerous Top Ten singles, including “Single Ladies,” which had a critically-acclaimed video. Beyoncé has sold more than 75 million records and has won multiple Grammys. She has also acted in a number of major films including Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002), Dreamgirls (reviewed here), and Obsessed (2009). She is married to hip-hop mogul Jay-Z, and in January of 2012, Beyoncé gave birth to their daughter, Blue Ivy, named after one of Jay-Z’s albums and the Roman numeral IV, Bey’s favorite number.
Beyoncé continues to travel to Texas, and the pictures of her August 2012 vacation in Marfa caused a small media storm, with some fans breathlessly gushing over every frame and others sniping that “the magical thing about Texas is that everything bright-colored becomes Art against the state’s washed-out sandscape backdrop.”
Beyoncé beautifully sang (or should we say lip-synced?) the national anthem at Obama’s second inauguration, and won the 2013 Super Bowl a little over a week later with her halftime performance, which included a Destiny’s Child reunion.
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What Our Obsession About Beyoncé’s Baby Photos Reveals About Us and Celebrities
Beyoncé is notoriously precise about controlling her public narrative. As a famous black woman, she has to be.
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This Halloween, You Can Channel Beyoncé in Spooky Ways Through the Internet
It’s a Beyonseance, y’all.
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So, Is There A New Beyonce Album Dropping On Friday Or What?
A track listing that appeared on Twitter claims that Queen Bey will be returning with her long-anticipated new surprise drop—on April Fool’s Day.
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#BeyBeAHERO: Twitter’s Asking Beyoncé to Speak Up for Houston’s HERO
Advocates for the equal rights ordinance are calling on Queen B to leverage her clout for the cause.
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Selfie Sticks Banned in Three Texas Museums
Museum-goers in Texas will have to live with snapping their art selfies the old-fashioned way.
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How Badly Did the Grammys Rob Beyoncé Last Night?
When it came time to determine the winner of the “Album of the Year” award, Queen Bey found herself a runner-up to the latest album from alt-rocker Beck. How is that even possible?
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Does Beyoncé Have Another Surprise Album Coming Out This Month?
Either somebody photoshopped a fancy fake internal document, or somebody spilled the beans early.
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A News Radio Station Ends and a Beyoncé-Only Station is (Temporarily?) Born
‘Yonce all on the radio like liquor. Like, like, liquor.
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Beyoncé Gave $7 Million to St. John’s Downtown in Houston to Help Feed and House the Homeless
Is there anything she can’t do?
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Beyoncé Got Called Out For the “Hyper-Sexualization” of Her Music
What is it that we expect from our female pop stars?
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Beyoncé Released A Surprise Brand-New Album And Music Video Collection Overnight
The “Greatest Living Texan” candidate surprised fans by releasing a fourteen-track self-titled album on iTunes at midnight. Even more impressive: The album purchase also includes an eighteen-part collection of new music videos.
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Beyoncé Lip-Synced at Obama’s Inauguration
Or so said a Marine Band spokeswoman. Question is, does it even matter?
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Beyoncé to Perform at Super Bowl XLVII
The superstar is playing the halftime show at the Super Bowl this season, and Reliant Stadium is one of two contenders to put on the game again in 2017. All that’s missing now? The Texans.
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Beyoncé Shares Family Photos on Tumblr
Fans cheer the arrival of Beyoncé on the social media platforms Tumblr and Twitter.
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Jay-Z Gives Beyoncé and Their Newborn Daughter the Gift of Song
The hearts of music writers everywhere grew three sizes when they heard “Glory,” Jay-Z’s new track about his daughter, Blue Ivy Carter.
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Money in the Making
Houston’s new movers and shakers don’t hang with the Wyatts or Sakowitzes. They’re Eightball, Scarface, Lil’ Keke, and the other power players of the city’s rap music scene.
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It’s a Family Affair
For all her talent and poise, Beyoncé didn’t become the biggest star in the world without help. And she got plenty of it from the people who know her best.
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Destiny’s Child
They could be Texas’ own Spice Girls—if that’s what they wanted. Destiny’s Child, the vocal quartet from Houston, clearly has what it takes to make hit records: This spring, their song “No, No, No” reached number one on Billboard’s Hot …