Sexy Celebs

Beyonce Knowles: singer, songwriter, producer, actress, founding member, chief songwriter and co-producer of Destiny's Child, one of the biggest selling female acts of all time having sold more than 33 million records worldwide.

A 21-year-old Houston native, Beyonce Knowles is a founding member and chief songwriter of Destiny's Child, one of the biggest selling female acts of all time. With many of the group's hit songs co-written and co-produced by Beyonce, Destiny's Child has sold more than 33 million records worldwide. When Beyonce won the 2001 ASCAP Pop Songwriter Of The Year Award, she became the first African-American woman - and the second woman ever - to receive that honor.

Led by founding members Beyonce Knowles and Kelly Rowland, Destiny's Child burst on the scene in 1997 with their multi-platinum single, "No, No, No," from their self-titled album. That success was dwarfed when Destiny's Child's The Writing's On The Wall was released in 1999. The album would go on to sell more than 10 million copies worldwide, driven in part by three Top 10 hits: "Jumpin, Jumpin," "Say My Name" and "Bills, Bills, Bills," which spent 9 weeks at #1 on the Billboard RandB singles chart.

The multi-talented R&B star released her debut solo album 'Dangerously' In Love on June 23 2003, which saw her in a more mature, more playful, more deeply passionate and sexually aggressive vibe than ever before.

Such unabashed and upfront emotions might have come as a surprise to long time fans Dangerously In Love was not a rejection of DC's sound.

As Beyonce herself put it at the time of release: "I love Destiny's Child and I am a member of the group," Beyonce asserts. "We haven't broken up. We're going to continue to tour and record and be a group. We've recorded a song, 'I Know,' for "The Fighting Temptations" soundtrack. We all decided a long time back to explore solo projects and I'm the third member of the group to release my own record. Things like working apart keep the fire going and keep the fans eager for you. I'm not trying to get away from DC or the legacy we have. I just wanted to show a different approach and the growth I've experienced."

Amongst her musical collaborators on Dangerously In Love were Missy Elliot, Jay-Z, Sean Paul, Mark Batson, Mario Winans, D-Roy & Mr. B, OutKast's Big Boi, Rich Harrison, Fanatic, Scott Storch, and the legendary Luther Vandross.

Her pumpin' first single with a beat "so hard it makes your heart hurt!" features Jay-Z who returns the favor for Beyonce's part on his hit Bonnie & Clyde 03.

Suffice it to say, the aforementioned debut solo album and first single (Crazy In Love) went straight to number 1 in the UK.