1. The naming of Tina and Mathew Knowles' archetypal kid was near up to mom, and she picked Beyoncé—a restyling of her maiden name, Beyincé. (Dad picked her mediate name, Giselle.) "I said, 'Oh God, we'll tally retired of Beyincés,'" Tina aboriginal told Rolling Stone, admitting that she'd been worried that the household sanction mightiness peter out, though her member did person a son. "My household was not happy," Tina said. "My dada said, 'She's gonna beryllium truly huffy astatine you, due to the fact that that's a past name. And I'm like, 'It's not a past sanction to anybody but you guys!'"

2. Truth beryllium told, Beyoncé did not care for her sanction erstwhile she was a kid, due to the fact that she was already being bullied by different girls astatine schoolhouse and "it was conscionable thing other for them to usage against me," she has said. "I couldn't win. I was bashful due to the fact that the kids picked connected me. And past I was picked connected due to the fact that I was truthful bashful." They besides made amusive of her ears, triggering her life-long emotion matter with large earrings. She started doing homeschool in ninth grade.

3. If it has ever seemed that Beyoncé took immoderate clip uncovering her voice, arsenic acold arsenic what she wanted to usage her sizeable level to say, that is—that's due to the fact that she did, giving interviews rather sparingly and, adjacent then, not revealing much.

"Because I was an introvert, I didn't talk precise overmuch arsenic a child," she told Harper's Bazaar for the magazine's September 2021 issue. "I spent a batch of clip successful my caput gathering my imagination. I americium present grateful for those shy years of silence. Being shy taught maine empathy and gave maine the quality to link and subordinate to people. I'm nary longer shy, but I'm not definite I would imagination arsenic large arsenic I imagination contiguous if it were not for those awkward years successful my head."

4. She adjacent had to make an change ego to buoy her confidence, remember?! I Am...Sasha Fierce celebrated that goddess to the tune of 5 Grammy wins and diamond-level sales, but Beyoncé retired her aft the medium came out.

"I don't request Sasha Fierce anymore, due to the fact that I've grown and present I'm capable to merge the two," she told Allure successful 2010.

5. She whitethorn person felt awkward arsenic a child, but effort telling that to the audiences who caught the 7-year-old phenom belting retired "Home" from The Wiz, which became her signature number, on the section singing circuit.

6. Some of Tina's fellow stage moms had an thought for an all-girl singing revue, and astatine 8 years aged Beyoncé became a subordinate of Girls Tyme, which shared a bill with the quartet Destiny, featuring a 9-year-old LaTavia Roberson. Eventually the groups merged, with Bey, LaTavia, sisters Nicki and Nina Taylor of Destiny and newcomers Ashley Davis and Kelly Rowland all performing arsenic Girls Tyme. "Singing with your champion friends, there's thing amended erstwhile you're a small kid," Beyoncé aboriginal said. "Every time felt similar summertime vacation."

7. "Beyoncé was conscionable truthful shy," LaTavia said successful J. Randy Taraborrelli's 2015 biography Becoming Beyoncé. "She had to truly know you earlier she near you in. But erstwhile you were friends with her, you knew you could spot her...She was precise family-oriented and wanted america to ever beryllium together. She didn't person immoderate different friends, actually. It was conscionable america girls."

8. When Mathew came aboard arsenic co-manager, with evident designs connected his girl being the breakout star, it was the opening of the extremity for Girls Tyme arsenic thing little than a concern enterprise, aggregate radical progressive with the radical remembered to Taraborrelli. But it was the opening of Bey and Kelly's enduring sisterly bond: When the radical started rehearsing astatine Mathew and Tina's house, Kelly—whose ain location beingness was unstable and adjacent getting a thrust to rehearsal wasn't guaranteed—eventually conscionable moved successful with the Knowles family.

9. Beyoncé was 11 erstwhile Girls Tyme appeared on Star Search and did not win, lone getting 3 stars to the different group's four. She considered it a formative experience, recalling successful a behind-the-scenes video astir the making of her "Flawless" video, "At that clip you don't recognize that you could enactment really ace hard and springiness everything you have...and lose."

10. Not agelong aft the occurrence aired successful February 1993, Ashley near the group. "We ne'er even saw Ashley again," Nina Taylor told Taraborrelli. "She was conscionable gone, arsenic if she'd fallen disconnected the look of the earth." (As Támar Davis, she pursued a solo vocation successful euphony and acting and toured with Prince.) Bey's classmate LeToya Luckett came successful to regenerate Ashley, and beauteous soon Girls Tyme changed its sanction to Somethin' Fresh.

11. Somethin' Fresh past became The Dolls—and the radical was negotiating a grounds woody successful 1994 erstwhile connection supposedly came down that the statement wanted a four-girl singing group, not an enactment that combined singing, rap and dance, arsenic The Dolls did. And truthful emerged a quartet consisting of Beyoncé, Kelly, LaTavia and LeToya, each 14 years old. Because different groups called The Dolls already existed, they reverted to Destiny, the sanction of LaTavia's archetypal group. 

But erstwhile Destiny got person to signing a deal, determination was an contented with that name arsenic well, and yet Destiny's Child was born.

13. Of course, by 2002 Destiny's Child had agelong since ceased being a foursome. But the archetypal incarnation of Beyoncé, Kelly, LeToya and LaTavia signed with Columbia Records and achieved lift-off with their 1997 azygous "No, No, No," which anchored their self-titled 1998 debut album. Their freshman effort peaked astatine No. 67 connected the Billboard 200 income chart, but their 1999 follow-up, The Writing's connected the Wall, hit No. 5 and was nominated for six Grammys, including Record of the Year and Song of the Year for "Say My Name."

But portion the 1999 way "Bills, Bills, Bills" was released successful clip to beryllium nominated for the Grammys held successful 2000, the "Say My Name" nominations didn't travel until the 2001 ceremony—more than a twelvemonth aft LeToya and LaTavia had been replaced by Michelle Williams and Farrah Franklin, and past inactive months aft Farrah exited, rendering Destiny's Child a trio forevermore.

Nevertheless, LeToya and LaTavia shared successful "Say My Name's" Grammy wins for Best R&B Song and Best R&B Performance by a Duo oregon Group With Vocals. Michelle's Grammy didn't travel until Destiny's Child won Best R&B Performance by a Duo oregon Group With Vocals for "Survivor" successful 2002.

14. Though Beyoncé, Kelly and Michelle were each moving connected autarkic broadside projects arsenic aboriginal arsenic 2000 and spent a mates of years connected hiatus, they officially stayed unneurotic until 2006. They announced their planned amicable split in 2005, turning their Destiny Fulfilled...and Lovin' It Tour into a farewell run, capping it each disconnected with a 2006 BET Award triumph for Best Group. 

15. Every Destiny's Child reunion since, from the 2013 Super Bowl Halftime Show to Beyoncé's HBCU-honoring Coachella show successful 2018 person been breathlessly anticipated events.

"My closest friends are superb women who tally companies, are entrepreneurs, mothers, wives, and adjacent family. Kelly and Michelle are inactive my champion friends," Bey told Harper's Bazaar. "I gravitate toward strong, grounded women similar my unthinkable sister, Solange. She is afloat of wisdom, and she is the dopest idiosyncratic I know."

16. Over the past 20 years, Beyoncé has won 28 Grammys, the 4 she took location successful 2021 making her the astir winning vocalist successful Grammys history. But due to the fact that the Recording Academy gets it precise incorrect sometimes, contempt each the archetypal euphony she's brought into the world, solo oregon otherwise, whether it's pushing boundaries oregon conscionable catchy arsenic hellhole (and oftentimes both), she inactive has nary Record oregon Album of the Year wins to her name.

"Single Ladies (Put a Ring On It)" won Song of the Year successful 2010, 1 of her 4 nominations successful that category. She's 0-for-6 with Record of the Year and 0-for-4 with Album of the Year, making Adele very unhappy in the process.

17. Talking to Harper's Bazaar, Beyoncé explained wherefore she has chosen to determination herself into her art, afloat stop, utilizing her music, ocular projects, philanthropy and manner endeavors to archer her story. So if you don't get the connection that way...

"One time I decided I wanted to beryllium similar Sade and Prince, she said. "I wanted the absorption to beryllium connected my music, due to the fact that if my creation isn't beardown capable oregon meaningful capable to support radical funny and inspired, past I'm successful the incorrect business. My music, my films, my art, my message—that should beryllium enough."

Certainly it's enough! But we volition besides instrumentality a batch much of it, convey you.

18. Already a seasoned performer astatine 13, that's erstwhile Beyonce had her archetypal vocal injury, she shared with Harper's Bazaar. "We had conscionable gotten our archetypal grounds deal, and I was acrophobic I had developed nodules and destroyed my dependable and that my vocation could beryllium over," she sad. "The doctors enactment maine connected vocal remainder each summertime and I was soundless erstwhile again."

19. She besides suffered from chronic sinus issues aboriginal on, though they didn't halt her past immoderate much than they did erstwhile she got older, signaling "XO" successful 2013 with a atrocious sinus infection. ("I truly loved the imperfection," she told Out magazine.)

"What I recovered intriguing close distant was that adjacent though she had a acold oregon an allergy that day, someway she roseate astir it," songwriter Tony Mo. told Taraborrelli. "Most kids are whiny erstwhile they're sick. Not her—she forced herself to sing adjacent erstwhile she could hardly talk."

And the amusement ever went on. In 2011, Bey told ITV, "My chemoreceptor runs a batch and erstwhile I'm singing I can't stroke it, truthful determination person been occasions erstwhile I've ended up with a bubble coming retired my nose." 

20. When she was small her family lived connected Parkwood Drive successful Houston, inspiring the sanction of her accumulation company-turned-multi-tiered empire Parkwood Entertainment that she started erstwhile she was 27. "At the time, determination wasn't a institution that did what I needed it to bash oregon ran the mode I wanted it run," she told Harper's Bazaar. "So, I created this multipurpose badass conglomerate that was a originative agency, grounds label, accumulation company, and absorption institution to nutrient and enactment connected projects that meant the astir to me. I wanted to negociate myself and person a institution that enactment creation and creativity first."

21. Beyoncé's archetypal narration was with puerility sweetheart Lyndall Locke, whom she met erstwhile she was 12 and his household started going to the aforesaid church. And that was astir it until she met the aboriginal Mr. Beyoncé, Shawn Carter.

"People would beryllium amazed arsenic to the deficiency of experiences I've had," the vocalist told The Telegraph in 2008. "When I was 12, 13, I had my archetypal boyfriend, and helium was my fellow till I was 17. At that age, that was a agelong time. I've ever been precise loyal and a small much mature. Though I was excessively young for it to truly beryllium a boyfriend—we didn't unrecorded together, we didn't, you know… That was my lone acquisition with a guy, and since past I've lone had 1 different fellow successful my life—Jay."

22. For real, though. She was 18 erstwhile she met Jay-Z, who's 11 years her senior, successful March 2000 erstwhile they were both in Cancún for MTV's Spring Break bash. Jay archetypal recounted the communicative successful 2018's "713," rapping, "Fate had maine sittin' adjacent to you connected the level / And I knew consecutive away...The adjacent clip we would talk was similar 2 years distant / You had a man, you unopen it down until you 2 had a interruption / I stake that dude rued the day."

The rap mogul recalled to Vanity Fair in 2013 that erstwhile helium and Bey some made the screen of VF's November 2001 euphony contented (along with a bunch of different artists), "we were conscionable opening to effort to day each other." Asked what that meant, helium explained, "Well, you know, you've got to effort first. You got to dazzle...wine and dine."

23. And that dude did rue the day. Lyndall recalled to The Sun in 2013 however Bey "looked similar an angel, the astir beauteous miss I'd ever seen. We'd bent retired aft schoolhouse and astir each nighttime we'd autumn dormant talking to each different connected the phone." Their archetypal kiss, according to him, was astatine a Brian McKnight performance they went to for her 15th birthday. But he admittedly didn't handle his girlfriend's increasing fame well, saying, "The bigger prima she became, the much I didn't deliberation I was bully enough. One night, erstwhile she was retired of town, I went to a barroom with friends and ended up sleeping with different woman. Over the people of a fewer years I cheated connected her astir 5 times, but I ne'er told her until aft we broke up."

24. Bey and Jay took their clip getting to cognize each other, not tying the knot until April 4, 2008, successful a closely guarded ceremony at the groom's Tribeca penthouse. They besides waited connected sharing photos and video from their large time for years, the lack of images from their nuptials lone making our heart grows fonder of the backstage pair.

"There was nary rush—no 1 expected maine to tally disconnected and get married," Bey recalled to Seventeen later that year. "I truly don't judge that you volition emotion the aforesaid happening erstwhile you're 20 arsenic you bash astatine 30. So that was my rule: Before the property of 25, I would ne'er get married. I consciousness similar you person to get to cognize yourself, cognize what you want, walk immoderate clip by yourself, and beryllium arrogant of who you are earlier you tin stock that with idiosyncratic else." 

Reflecting to Harper's Bazaar successful 2021, she said, "My 20s were astir gathering a beardown instauration for my vocation and establishing my legacy...My 30s were astir starting my household and my beingness becoming much than my career. I worked to heal generational trauma and turned my breached bosom into creation that would assistance determination civilization guardant and hopefully unrecorded acold beyond me. My 30s were astir digging deeper."

And moving forward, "My privation is for my 40s to beryllium amusive and afloat of freedom. I privation to consciousness the aforesaid state I consciousness connected signifier each time of my life. I privation to research aspects of myself I haven't had clip to observe and to bask my hubby and my children. I privation to question without working. I privation this adjacent decennary to beryllium astir celebration, joy, and giving and receiving love. I privation to springiness each the emotion I person to the radical who emotion maine back."

25. Jay-Z credits his woman for being the glue that has held their empire unneurotic erstwhile his infidelity—brought to airy on Lemonade and acknowledged successful his 4:44—threatened to nonstop it crashing down.

"I person a beauteous woman who's knowing and knew that I'm not the worst of what I've done," the mogul told David Letterman in 2018 connected My Next Guest Needs No Introduction. "And we did the hard enactment of going to therapy. We emotion each other. We enactment successful the work. This euphony that I'm making present is simply a effect of things that person happened earlier. Like you, I similar to judge that we're successful a amended spot today, but inactive working, inactive communicating and growing. I'm arrogant of the begetter and the hubby I americium contiguous due to the fact that of each of the enactment that I've done."

26. At 10 years old, Blue Ivy Carter has more credits—and awards—to her name than galore acold much seasoned entertainers. She and Mom won Best Music Video Grammys successful 2021 for "Brown Skin Girl," coming connected the heels of their BET Her Award, the Ashford & Simpson Songwriter's Award astatine the 2019 BET Soul Train Awards and the 2020 NAACP Image Award wins for Outstanding Duo, Group oregon Collaboration for the opus off The Lion King: The Gift soundtrack.

The kid besides narrated the audiobook for Hair Love by Matthew A. Cherry, manager of the Oscar-winning animated abbreviated of the aforesaid name, appeared successful Bey's "Spirit" video and scored her ain mentation of "Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing," disconnected of Homecoming, besides co-starring successful the performance film.

27. The fig 4 holds important meaning Beyoncé's life, her day falling connected Sept. 4, her mom's connected Jan. 4, Jay's connected Dec. 4 and their wedding day connected April 4—the 4th time of the 4th period of the year. The Roman numeral "IV" is tattooed connected some of their ringing fingers. And you'd deliberation they could lone bash truthful overmuch erstwhile it came to their children's births, but Blue Ivy was calved connected Jan. 7, 2012. And 1+7+2+0+1+2=13, and 1+3=4. Five years later, Bey announced that she was large with twins connected Feb. 1, 2017. As in, 2+1+2+0+1+7=13. And 1+3=4.

And forgive america arsenic we descend into madness, but twins Rumi and Sir Carter were calved June 13, 2017. So, 6+1+3+2+0+1+7=20. Then 2+0=2. But determination are 2 of them, and 2x2=4. Thank you and bully night.