It's always interesting to know where stars spring from. So, what do we know about Beyonce Knowles' childhood?
Knowles was born on September 4, 1981 in Houston Texas. Her parents are Matthew Knowles, a record manager and Tina Beyince, a costume designer so her roots are in show business. She has a younger sister, Solange.
Her unusual first name comes from her mother's side of the family. Her mother is Creole (a mixture of African American, Indian, and French) and the Beyince surname is dying out because so few men are carrying it on. Her name was an attempt to keep it from becoming obsolete.
Beyonce was a shy young girl. But, surprisingly, when she was given a part in a school production, she shed her stage fright and was a natural on stage. When she was seven, she had entered her first talent competition, singing John Lennon's famous song, Imagine.
Knowles attended a special magnet school for music protiges in Houston. She also attended a high school for the performing arts for a period before graduating from Alief Elsik High School.
When she was eight, she auditioned for a rap and dancing girl group called Girl's Tyme. LaTavia Roberson and Kelly Rowland were also part of that group.
To get attention for the group, producer Arne Frager put the girls on Star Search. They lost. Beyonce admits that this was a big setback but she overcame it by thinking about how stars such as Brittany Spears and Justin Timberlake had also been defeated on the program.
When she was 14, her father resigned his job as a medical equipment salesman to manage the girls full time. Unfortunately, this cut the family's income in half and the financial pressures drove her parents to divorce.