OTTAWA, ONTARIO
MONDAY, DECEMBER 1, 2024
EDITORIAL 2025
IMMACULATA'S STUDENT RUN NON-PROFIT NEWSPAPER. SINCE 2022
VOLUME 1
ANNY LOU DOULA | MULTIMEDIA
September 4, 1981, marked the beginning of Beyonce's life in Houston, Texas. She grew up with her younger sister, Solange Knowles, and was raised by her parents, Matthew and Tina Knowles. Beyonce was first exposed to music and singing when she was seven years old. Since then, she has participated in over 30 competitions, winning them by showcasing her singing and dancing. By the age of ten, she had already begun performing with a local gospel choir, in addition to honing her vocal and performance skills by joining several singing and dancing groups throughout her teenage years. As she continues her love of music, she and her cousin, along with two other classmates (Kelly Rowland, LaTavia Roberson, and Leyota Luckett), form an adolescent vocal group, which leads to the creation of the group Destiny's Child. Years ago, Beyoncé's fans gave the triple threat the moniker "Queen Bey," referring to her as the queen of entertainment for her legendary live performances.
Early Beginnings
Introduction to Destiny's Child
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Beyonce and her childhood friend Kelly Rowland formed Destiny's Child with LaTavia Robertson and LeToya Luckett to form the iconic female R&B group. Beyoncé's father, as well as Rowland's legal guardian, agreed to be the girls' manager, eventually quitting his full-time job to devote his time to them. This situation would eventually lead to the formation of Destiny's Child, one of the most popular female R&B groups of all time. The four friends, alongside Beyoncé's father, began working in the studio and eventually landed their first record deal with Columbia Records in 1997 The four friends went on to release their self-titled debut album in 1998 and follow it up with two more albums, The Writing's on the Wall (1999) and Survivor (2001) The success of the group was remarkable, with their debut album reaching triple platinum status and garnering them two Grammy nominations That same success followed them through their next two albums, as The Writings on the Wall went triple platinum, earning them two more Grammy nominations, and Survivor earned four Grammy awards, including Best R&B Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. The success of Destiny's Child was not just an accomplishment for the four women but also for Beyoncé's father and the entire team of producers and engineers who worked tirelessly in the studio to produce hit after hit for the group. But their career as a group fell apart due to conflicts between the members and management, leading to their breakup in 2006 Despite the dissolution of the group, it had already achieved a remarkable success, which laid the foundation for Beyoncé’s solo career.
Solo Career and Breakthrough Albums
Beyonce's solo career first started out with the release of her first solo album, Dangerously in Love, in 2003 The album proved to be an immense success, selling over 11 million copies worldwide and producing the hit singles "Crazy in Love" and "Baby Boy." It won her five Grammy awards, cementing her status as a global superstar. Beyoncé's second solo studio album, B'Day, was released in 2006 and included the Neptunes, a hit-making duo, among other co-producers. Even though the album's funk influences could be heard throughout much of it, the pop ballad "Irreplaceable" ended up being its most popular single. The album was a commercial success and featured a number of prominent guest appearances, including Jay-Z, Missy Elliott, Lil' Wayne, and former Destiny's Child member Kelly Rowland BDay was further praised for its more personal themes and was certified five times platinum in the United States while spawning five singles that achieved chart success The album was nominated for five Grammy Awards, winning Best Contemporary R&B Album, with "Irreplaceable" also winning Best Female R&B Vocal Performance and receiving nominations for Record of the Year and Song of the Year It also earned Beyoncé a Billboard Music Award for Top R&B/Hip-Hop Album and became her second consecutive number one album in the United States while reaching the top five in many countries worldwide. Beyoncé's third studio album, "I Am," which highlighted her two distinct personalities and explored both pop music and traditional R&B, was released in 2008. She then released the CD and DVD sets I Am Yours and the 2010 I Am Yours World Tour, both of which were recorded at London's O2 Arena. She released 4 in 2011, and it debuted at the top of the Billboard 200. It was also awarded the Grammy for "Best Traditional R&B Performance. Following the success of her fourth album, Beyoncé then released her fifth studio album, titled Beyoncé, in 2013 and the accompanying world tour, The Mrs. The Carter Show World Tour The success of her world tour and album propelled Beyoncé to greater heights, with many dubbing her "Queen Bey."
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Developing Her Brand
Fashion and Style
Beyoncé's fashion sense and style has also been credited to her rise in the entertainment industry In addition to her musical career, Beyoncé has also cultivated her brand through her fashion and style choices She is well known for her bold and daring fashion choices, often wearing a wide variety of colours, styles and prints She is often credited for helping to break the conventional style rules by redefining fashion in a more daring and unique way, which has resulted in her being named as one of the most fashionable and stylish celebrities of today Her influence on the fashion industry has been evident for many years, with Beyoncé wearing designs from major fashion houses such as Balmain, Versace and Tom Ford and even creating her own clothing line, Ivy Park, in collaboration with the British fashion retailer Topshop These high-end designs have helped to create a fashion legacy for Beyoncé and set her apart from the rest of the celebrity world Beyoncé is no doubt an iconic fashion figure and her influence on the industry is undeniable.
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Becoming an Icon
Film and Television Projects
Beyoncé has also made her mark in the film and television world. She first acted in 2001 with Carmen: A Hip Hopera on MTV. Her role as Foxxy Cleopatra in Austin Powers in Goldmember (2002) made her a film star and led to parts in The Fighting Temptations and The Pink Panther. In 2006, she played Deena Jones in Dreamgirls, which was nominated for a Golden Globe Award and an Academy Award. She later starred in Cadillac Records (2008), Obsessed (2009), and Epic (2013).She also got to record several songs for the soundtrack, including "Spirit," an original song she co-wrote, and a version of "Can You Feel the Love Tonight," as well as voice-act as Nala in the remake of Disney's Lion King. She concurrently released The Lion King: The Gift, an album that was influenced by the motion picture. Later, songs from that album were included in the Disney+ streaming service's visual album Black Is King (2020). Beyoncé won the Grammy for best R&B performance in 2021 for the song "Black Parade." She won three additional awards that year, making it the most Grammys (28) ever won by a female artist. Later, Beyoncé wrote and performed the song "Be Alive" for the movie King Richard (2021).
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Social Activism
With her success, Beyoncé used her platform to continue being an advocate for social justice and activism She used her music and public persona to draw attention to racial injustice, LGBTQ+ rights, and many other important issues that needed to be addressed Beyoncé's song Be Alive served as a powerful anthem to inspire people to fight for justice and her visual album Lemonade was a profound exploration of the African-American experience and its relationship with power, rage, love, and joy Beyoncé also used her influence to support the Black Lives Matter movement and was vocal about the need for civil rights reform Beyoncé continued to use her influence to encourage people to take action, working with celebrities and organizations to create campaigns for causes she was passionate about.
Because of her success, she is the "triple threat" of the entertainment world. The title Queen Bey reflects her influence and power not just within the music industry but across all forms of media and entertainment